Celebrating National Volunteer Month: hospice organizations showed appreciation (April 2026) 
Hospice & Palliative Care Today; compilation by Joy Berger; 5/1/26 
This list from published articles simply scratches the surface. On behalf of Hospice & Palliative Care Today, we express our appreciation to hospice volunteers and the hospice leaders who value their gifts and time.

• Arbor Hospice Celebrates Local Volunteers  - Ann Arbor, MI
• Arbor Hospice Volunteers Support Patients, Families in Washtenaw County, MI
• Michigan hospice volunteers provided 37K hours of care in 2025
• CareFirstNY - Spring into Service Volunteer Open House - Painted Post, NY
• Community Hospice & Palliative Care, a Subsidiary of Alivia Care, Inc., Recognizes Volunteers During National Volunteer Month - Jacksonville, FL
• Compass Regional Hospice - Volunteers are at the heart of Compass Regional Hospice - Centreville, MD
• Family Hospice recognizes and welcomes volunteers - Pittsburgh, PA 
• Good Shepherd Hospice - Sharing One's Heart Through Volunteering
• HomeCare and Hospice celebrates Volunteer Week April 19-25 - Allegany, NY
• Homer’s Hospice volunteers vital to community caregiving: Neighbors helping neighbors - Homer, AK
• Hosparus Health to Host Volunteer Open House Luncheon April 3 in Bowling Green, KY
• Hospice of Central PA - 2026 Volunteer Recognition Luncheon - Harrisburg, PA
• Hospice of Orleans honors volunteers for support of agency - Orleans County, NY
• Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley honors dedicated volunteers - Potsdam, NY 
• Hunterdon Health/Hospice Celebrates National Volunteer Appreciation Week - Flemington, NJ
• Mary Washington Hospice and Grief Support Services - Gratitude in Action: Honoring Those Who Give Their Time - Fredericksburg, VA
• Parkview Hospice - The heart of a hospice volunteer - Fort Wayne, IN
• VNA Hospice NWI shows its appreciation for volunteers at annual breakfast - Valparaiso, IN

The Fraud Division launches West Coast Strike Force to target health care fraud schemes across Arizona, Nevada, and Northern California 
Office of Public Affairs - U.S. Department of Justice; Press Release; 4/20/26 
The Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division) today announced the formation of the West Coast Health Care Fraud Strike Force, a multi-district enforcement initiative uniting the Division’s Health Care Fraud Section with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Arizona, District of Nevada, and Northern District of California.  The Health Care Strike Force model has proven to be one of the most powerful tools in the federal enforcement arsenal, responsible nationally for the prosecution of over 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion.

Cambia Health Foundation releases comprehensive evaluation of Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program
Business Wire, Portland, OR; Press Release; 4/30/26 
Cambia Health Foundation today released the results of a comprehensive evaluation of its Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program, demonstrating the significant impact of a 10-year, $25 million investment in developing the next generation of palliative care leaders. The evaluation, conducted by Future Work Design, confirms that the program successfully achieved its goals of identifying, cultivating and advancing emerging leaders who are transforming care for people with serious illness, while generating insights and capturing key learnings.

Rural palliative care: Karl Bezak, Jeanie Youngwerth, Adie Goldberg, and Gregg Vandekieft
GeriPAL podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Karl Bezak, Jeanie Youngwerth, Adie Goldberg, Gregg Vandekieft; 4/9/26
Rural populations in the United States face unique healthcare challenges. These communities tend to be older, have higher mortality rates, and experience higher rates of chronic conditions and physical disabilities compared to urban populations. Despite the increased need for palliative care in rural areas, access remains alarmingly limited. Even in hospital settings, where palliative care programs are more common in urban areas, only 35% of rural hospitals report having such programs, compared to 81% of urban hospitals.

Assessment of survival and the decision to engage in palliative care when facing a defeat in the ICU
Medical Decision Making; by Hossam Gad, Daniel Diedrich, and Krzysztof Laudanski; 4/24/26 
Highlights

• Intensive care unit survival predictions by providers followed a biphasic pattern: optimistic early on, then increasingly pessimistic after day 4.
• Psychological traits such as denial and ambiguity tolerance influenced palliative care decisions more than clinical experience did.
• Resilient providers were more likely to initiate timely palliative care, while denial-prone providers delayed it.
• Clinicians and critical care teams should be aware of how their psychological makeup can affect patient care decisions and outcomes.

Hospice nurses are changing how we care for patients at the end-of-life 
South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report; by Karen Peterson; 5/1/26 
Hospice nurses are often associated with compassion at the end of life. What is less understood is that they are also among the most clinically skilled nurses in healthcare. During National Nurses Week (May 6-12), it is important to recognize the many ways nurses shape patient care across the continuum. Hospice nursing is not a step away from acute care. It is an extension of it. ... A hospice nurse may be called to a patient’s home late at night for uncontrolled pain or severe shortness of breath .... In that moment, the nurse must assess, intervene and stabilize, while also supporting the family through fear and uncertainty. 

Alliance sounds alarm over federal payment suspensions tactic to fight hospice fraud 
McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 5/1/26 
As the federal government continues to crack down on rampant hospice fraud in California and other states, advocates for the field fear that the government’s latest enforcement effort is unintentionally trapping ethical providers. ... While the government is basing a payment suspension on “a credible allegation of fraud,” the National Alliance for Care at Home worries that the government is using just one metric to justify its “credible allegation.” ... In a post this week, law firm Foley & Lardner LLP CMS defined a “’credible allegation of fraud’ as an allegation of fraud from any source, including but not limited to the following: (1) fraud hotline tips ... verified by further evidence; (2) claims data mining; and (3) patterns identified through provider audits, FCA cases and investigations.”

Virtual reality for serious illness: connecting, healing, and inducing awe | part two 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Kathleen Benton and Teri Yarbrow; 5/1/26 
In Part Two of Virtual Reality for Serious Illness: Connecting, Healing, and Inducing Awe, Chris Comeaux continues the conversation with Dr. Kathleen Benton, CEO of Hospice of Savannah and VR healthcare pioneer Teri Yarbrow, Founder & CEO of Magika VRx, exploring the growing body of evidence behind immersive virtual reality as a legitimate clinical tool in Hospice and Palliative Care.

Are you ready for AI security threats? Time to act
Harvard Business School; by Hise O. Gibson; 4/1/26
AI is accelerating cyberattacks, and most leaders aren't ready. Hise Gibson explains why traditional risk prevention strategies aren't enough and offers a practical playbook for preparing for the next breach.
Publisher's Note: Thank you Ernesto Lopez for highlighting this article for us.

Art exhibit is about 'Completing the Journey.' It offers window into hospice through patients’ eyes 
Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT; by Christopher Arnott; 4/30/26 
“Completing the Journey: The Art of Hospice Care” is an art exhibit created by those in hospice care at Masonicare Hospice & Palliative Care senior/assisted living communities throughout Connecticut. Masonicare hasn’t created a project like this in over 15 years. It’s meant to be much more than an art exhibit and is curated so as to present the artists — some of whom have passed away — as prominently as their art.

Hand-stitched memory bears help grieving maker and recipients 
ArcaMax, Pittsburgh, PA; by Gretchen McKay; 5/1/26 
Shirley Whitlinger knows all too well the profound, existential loneliness that follows a spouse’s death. When David, her husband of 50 years, died from prostate cancer in 2021, after two years of chemotherapy and trials at Hillman Cancer Center, it was almost impossible not to lose herself in grief. Whitlinger finally learned to move forward last year, she says, with the help of a support group and, more recently, a beloved hobby that started in childhood: sewing. Three months ago, she started making keepsake “memory” bears from a piece of clothing in honor of a lost loved one.

May the 4th be with you. ~ Happy Star Wars Day