Awards and Recognitions: December 2025

• Connie Sue Alexander, Director of Patient Services, Visiting Nurse Service & Hospice of Suffolk in Northport, NY, has been named one of "The 2025 Responsible 100: New Yorkers who are making the world a better place," by City & State New York.
  
  
• Katherine Doyon, associate professor in nursing at Boise State, received double honors from by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. She recently received the HPNA’s New Investigator Award and was also named a fellow.
  
  
• Cara Pace, President and CEO of United Hospice, the leading nonprofit hospice provider in Rockland and Orange Counties, was named the 2025 winner of the Carol Selinske Founder’s Award, the most prestigious recognition awarded by the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State (HPCANYS). 
  
  
• Carolina Caring's "Culture of Caring" mission-driven campaign earned top recognition at the annual Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (CHPRMS) conference, taking home three awards for marketing excellence at the Wallie Awards Ceremony on November 20th in Asheville, NC.
  
  
• McKnights Pinnacle Award Winners include
• Setting the Standard Award: Kristy Krumwiede, Director of Hospice, EverTrue
• Thought Leader Award: Napoleon Shaw Jr., Administrative Director, Hospice in the Pines 
  
  
• Dr. David Wensel, TRU Community Care's Chief Medical Officer, has been selected by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) as the Josefina B. Magno Distinguished Hospice Physician Award, one of the most respected honors in hospice medicine.

From laggard to leader: Why health care in the United States is failing, and how to fix it
Health Affairs; by Donald M. Berwick, Elaine Batchlor, Dave A. Chokshi, Patricia Gabow, Richard Gilfillan, Frederick Isasi, Arnold Milstein, Len M. Nichols; 1/22/25
Health care in the United States is among the most technologically advanced in the world, but it is largely failing to meet the needs of the nation. The US can claim international excellence in important areas of care, such as cancer treatment, and it leads the world in biomedical innovation and building a well-prepared and dedicated clinical workforce. The Affordable Care Act was a major step forward in expanding access to health care in the US. However, Americans are faced with staggering health costs, inadequate access to care, pervasive health inequities, and lagging life expectancy compared with other developed nations. In this article, ... we present a partial road map for transforming the US health care system. We propose bold national goals: affordable and equitable care for all, an additional decade of healthy birthdays after retirement, elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health, substantial reduction in health care expenditures, and, most important, improved health outcomes.
Publisher's Note: This article was featured in Health Affairs' year in review.

Hospice reaffirms commitment to care amid new state law
The Post-Journal, Jamestown, NY; Press Release; 12/31/25 
As New York state moves toward the implementation of Medical Aid in Dying legislation, Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care (CHPC) is reaffirming its unwavering commitment to supporting individuals and families facing terminal illness with dignity, respect, and compassion. In a recently issued press release, CHPC notes that “... While end-of-life options in New York State are evolving, our mission remains the same: to provide expert care, comfort, and emotional support to those confronting serious illness and loss.” Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care does not participate in the provision or administration of Medical Aid in Dying medications. ... As the Medical Aid in Dying law moves forward, CHPC recognizes the importance of clear, compassionate guidance. It has developed educational materials to help patients and families understand the new law and how it intersects with hospice care. For those who choose to explore Medical Aid in Dying, we will continue to offer support, information, and, where appropriate under law and policy, connections to outside providers.

Precision Radiation Oncology Rhode Island and HopeHealth Hospice & Palliative Care announce Collaborative partnership 
Today in Business, Providence, RI; Press Release; 12/30/25 
Precision Radiation Oncology Rhode Island (PRORI) ... along with HopeHealth, provider of palliative care and hospice services, are proud to announce a new collaborative partnership, aimed at improving quality of life and Precision outcomes for patients undergoing cancer care, beginning January 2026. This collaboration brings together two organizations with complementary missions: delivering state-of-the-art cancer treatment while ensuring compassionate, patient-centered support throughout every stage of the patient’s cancer journey. By working closely together, in a synergistic manner, PRORI and HopeHealth will provide a seamless continuum of cancer care that addresses not only the clinical aspects of cancer treatment, but also the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of patients, their families and caregivers.

Pediatric respite homes provide a survival mechanism for struggling families [podcast]
Medpage Today's KevinMD.com; by KevinMD; 1/1/26
Certified coach and professor Kathleen Muldoon and co-founder of Ryan House and Children’s Respite Homes of America Jonathan Cottor discuss the article “The need for pediatric respite care.” Kathleen shares the personal story of raising her son Gideon who lives with over 42 medical diagnoses and explain why the family had to move across the country to find safety. They highlight the critical difference between taking a break and surviving the relentless cycle of 24/7 medical vigilance required for medically complex children. 

MJHS Hospice brings presents to patients and their siblings 
Spectrum News - NY-1, Manhattan, NY; by Emma Barnett; 12/30/25 
Music, presents and sweet memories are defining this holiday season for the Menendez Pacheco family. Thanks to a special visit by MJHS Hospice, Jasmine Menendez’s twin daughters, Kamyl and Alliyah, got a plush blanket and glow-in-the-dark unicorn bedsheets for Christmas. Menendez says it “warms her heart.”

• MJHS Hospice hosted “parties at the bedside" to bring holiday cheer to families during an otherwise difficult time
• Over 100 gifts were donated to the MJHS Foundation and given to more than 40 families
• It's their 14th holiday gift delivery to pediatric hospice patients and their families

ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) Model 
U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 
The ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) Model tests an outcome-aligned payment approach in Original Medicare to expand access to new technology-supported care options that help people improve their health and prevent and manage chronic disease. The voluntary model focuses on conditions affecting more than two-thirds of people with Medicare, including high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic musculoskeletal pain, and depression. It will run for 10 years beginning July 5, 2026.

• ACCESS Model Request for Information ...
• Model Details ...
• Participant Information ...
• Frequently Asked Questions ...
• For additional information and updates specifically about the ACCESS Model, complete the Model Interest Form.  

Medical Aid in Dying legislation and the limits of prognostic science 
American Council on Science and Health; by Chuck Dinerstein, MD, MBA; 1/2/26
... End-of-life issues are complex because empirical questions (what happens, works, or harms) that can be approached by science are deeply entangled with value questions (what should count as a good death, autonomy, dignity, moral limits). The recent decision by Governor Hochul of New York to advance and promise to sign a Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) bill provides us with the opportunity to consider that entanglement.

Bioethics for aging societies
The Hastings Center for Bioethics; 2025
Bioethics for Aging Societies explores ethical and social challenges arising from population aging, a demographic shift toward longer lives and smaller families. Its goal is to help researchers, professionals, and members of the public think together about common challenges facing aging societies like the United States, with attention to foundational questions: What does it mean to live a good life in later life? And how should we live together in aging societies in ways that include and support fellow citizens who are aging or providing care?
Publisher's Note: This series of articles was featured in The Hastings Center's year in review.

The influence of private equity in health care
Health Affairs; 10/22/25
Private equity investors have poured more than $1 trillion into the health care industry during the past decade. This Health Affairs Insider report examines the key factors surrounding private equity ownership of hospitals and physician practices.
Publisher's Note: This article was featured in Health Affairs' year in review. Access to this report may require subscription.

Netflix: Goodbye June 
Netflix; retrieved 12/31/25 
A messy yet affectionate family gathers round their mother's hospital bed to grapple with grief, complicated love and the tenderness of a final goodbye. Starring: Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Toni Collette
Editor's Note: Do you love movies? Are you transitioning from holidays back to your end-of-life care work? Goodbye June might be that just-right film for you. For readers with access to Netflix, check it out.

Cheers to remembering to write “2026” instead of “2025” by April.