Sixty-four Fla.-based healthcare facilities report evacuations  
Healthcare Purchasing News - Regulatory; by Janette Wider; 10/8/24 
[Note, we are posting this for our 10/8/24 issue on 10/8, 11:50 am, with more evacuations surely underway.] 
Ahead of Hurricane Milton the Agency for Health Care Administration initiated an event in the Health Facility Reporting System. ... Health care providers have been requested to provide information on census, available beds, evacuation status, accepting evacuees and generator needs from counties declared under EO-24-114. This information allows AHCA to assist health care providers in transferring patients if needed and ensure that health care providers in impacted areas have the necessary resources and adequate power. 64 health care facilities have reported evacuations. This includes:

• 21 assisted living facilities
• 4 hospitals
• 33 nursing home
• 1 residential treatment centers for children and adolescents
• 4 residential treatment centers
• 1 hospice
• [names of these facilities are not provided]

'Trying not to cry:' Helene's wrath sets new normal in battered western North Carolina town
CBS WBTW-13, Florence, SC; by Adrianna Lawrence; 10/8/24 
Kyle Katona has lived through his share of hurricanes. But nothing could ready him for the wrath Helene unleashed across the idyllic valleys of western North Carolina. "I've never seen the amount of devastation that Hurricane Helene caused in the mountains," the Four Seasons hospice store driver said. He wasn't alone. "I don't think anybody was prepared for the level of catastrophe that was going to occur," said Rikki Hooper, Four Seasons' clinical operations officer. Traumatized residents awoke to the sound of water coursing into their homes before the sun came up -- taking everything and, in some heartbreaking instances, everyone, with it. ... At Lake Lure -- a beloved vacation spot minutes from Chimney Rock -- mud stands in for where water once flowed. Instead, officials and first responders were providing medical treatment. Military helicopters flicked across the sky and bulldozers cleared out areas. If it sounds like a warzone, that's because it was as close as it could be to one, Pixie Moore [a resident] said. 
Editor's note: Click here to donate directly to Four Seasons' hurricane relief needs; or Amazon Wish List. Click here for our 10/2 interview with TCN leaders about Helene's devastation and hospice needs for Four Seasons, Amorem, Compassionate Care of Western North Carolina (CCWNC), and Carolina Caring. 

It’s official: How to be a Servant Leader comes down to 6 behaviors, says research
Inc.com; by Marcel Schwantes; 10/4/24 
The best leadership philosophy in the world, simplified to its most basic tenets. 
Workplace culture became a critical business topic a decade ago, with more executives and HR leaders recognizing that shared values and behaviors drive engagement, innovation, and performance. Building a strong culture, however, requires visionary leadership. One framework I’ve been using to develop leaders in my coaching and training practice is based on the seminal research of organizational leadership scholar Dr. Jim Laub. Laub identified six key leadership behaviors essential to fostering a thriving culture. These behaviors are rooted in the principles of Servant Leadership, a people-centric approach where leaders prioritize serving others, creating environments of trust, engagement, and productivity. ...

1. They demonstrate raw authenticity ...
2. They grow themselves and others ...
3. They value their people ...
4. They build community ...
5. They provide direction and a way forward ...
6. They share their power and grow other leaders ... 

Hospice of the Chesapeake Golf Tournament raises nearly $225,000 
Southern Maryland News Net; 10/7/24 
With a long list of sponsors, volunteers and more than 250 golfers to thank for it, Hospice of the Chesapeake’s annual Golf Tournament was a fantastic success. It raised nearly $225,000 for the not-for-profit that serves Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles and Prince George’s counties. No doubt the venue and joyful attitude accompanied by food, drinks and giveaways helped to make it another successful year. Held Sept. 26 at Queenstown Harbor Golf Course, the tournament offered hospitality that began with an omelet bar in the morning, shrimp, oysters and bourbon along with grilled lunch at the turn and a gourmet awards banquet to cap off the day.

Hospices leverage school-based partnerships to strengthen bereavement care 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/7/24 
Some hospices have increasingly recognized the value of collaborating with local educators when it comes to improving community grief support for bereaved children and their families. Establishing collaborative relationships with educational institutions can help hospices ensure that they’re developing age-appropriate grief services, according to Cole Warner, director of support services at North Carolina-based Hospice of Davidson County. The nonprofit provides hospice services across 10 counties in its service area and also offers bereavement and veteran programs. The ability to identify and communicate grief-related emotions ranges across different age groups, and bereavement care teams need to be well-versed on youths’ cognitive capacity, Warner said. This involves having educators weigh in the common challenges that kids experience along their grief journeys. ...

Ellen McGirt on supporting caregivers at work 
Great Place to Work; by Roula Amire with Ellen McGirt; 10/8/24 
This episode of Better features journalist, speaker, and podcast host Ellen McGirt. In this deeply personal conversation, we dive into the challenges of caregiving while balancing a career.  ...
On how managers can better support caregivers at work: Flexible time off, no questions asked. A flexible schedule can change everything for people. ...
On the impact a senior leader can have by talking about caregiving and grief: If a very senior person triggers this conversation in the workplace with a disclosure or concern, you're going to see new training, new conversations, new talking points, and new volunteers, and maybe even new staff positions around this. ...
On how colleagues can support coworkers who are caretakers, or members of the sandwich generation: Kindness and compassion go a long way. ...

SBL Hospice Binga raises record amount for endowment 
Cromwell Media; by SBL Hospice; 10/8/24 
Sarah Bush Lincoln’s Hospice Binga event raised a record amount on September 3, netting more than $33,000 to support the Willow Breeze Hospice House Endowment. Since opening in January, Willow Breeze offers a beautiful home-like atmosphere where skilled care is provided to people in East Central and Southern Illinois to stay during their final days while also offering amenities for their families who visit. Earnings from the endowment help those with limited resources pay for their stay. 

The best bets for palliative care reimbursement post-VBID 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/8/24 
The hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID) will sunset at the end of this year, but opportunities for payment through Medicare Advantage and other models remain. The hospice component is part of the larger VBID program, which will continue through 2030. The component was designed to test coverage of hospice through Medicare Advantage. It also contained elements intended to expand access to palliative care, for which reimbursement in general is scarce. Hospice News spoke with Dr. Bob Parker, chief clinical officer and chief compliance officer for the Texas-based hospice provider Kindful Health, about the opportunities in place for palliative care providers. [Click on the title's link for this interview.]

How to prepare yourself for death when given a terminal diagnosis 
Yahoo!Life; by Kate Ng; 10/8/24 
Receiving a terminal diagnosis can be a devastating blow, for the individual and their loved ones. There is no right or wrong way to react to such news, and people respond with all sorts of emotions - from anger and denial, to acceptance and peace. Having a terminal illness can also give a person new perspective. ...

• What does it feel like to be diagnosed with a terminal illness? ...
• I’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Where can I get support? ...
• What legal and financial matters should I address? ...
• How do I talk to someone with a terminal illness? ...

Couple who volunteers together, shares the same joy 
Envision - Greater Fond du Lac, WI; contact Betty Wallerser; 10/7/24 
For the past nine years, Matthew Davis, a Green Lake resident, has been spending a good amount of his days volunteering with SSM Health at Home Hospice – Green Lake. “A friend of mine mentioned volunteering for hospice telling me that it was the most rewarding thing he had ever done, so I thought I’d give it a try,” according to Matthew. A handful of stories and memories later, Matthew is still volunteering for SSM Health at Home Hospice – Green Lake. ... In 2023, Matthew’s wife, Becky, also started volunteering for SSM Hospice at Home Hospice in Green Lake.  “I always wanted to be a hospice volunteer,” Becky shares. “I worked in physical therapy for 25 years and had a comfort level with patients I knew some people didn’t have. When a close friend of mine passed away on hospice, I knew it was my time to sign up.” Matthew and Becky are one of several couples who volunteer in hospice and are a great asset to the Volunteer Services team, as they both visit with several hospice patients a week.

Newsweek: America's Best Nursing Homes 2025 
Newsweek; introduction by Nancy Cooper, Global Editor in Chief; 10/8/24 
... This year's list recognizes 1,050 nursing homes across the 25 states with the highest number of facilities, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data. The top nursing homes in each state were assessed and ranked based on four pillars: performance data, recommendations of medical professionals, accreditations and resident satisfaction.
Editor's note: To access lists, click on the title's link and scroll down to select "... 50-99 beds," "... 100-149 beds," "... 150+ beds." Results are ranked and organized by state. Congratulations to these nursing homes for your commitments to excellence, as measured by these four pillars. 

Hospital-at-home care’s future still hangs in the balance 
Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 10/7/24 
Even with a proven track record for clinical effectiveness and cost savings, the hospital-at-home model’s future hangs in the balance. “The data suggests that, for the populations that have been studied in multiple different places, it’s a very safe service to be done and with high-quality care, low readmission rates, low escalation rates, low infection rates,” Dr. Adam Groff, co-founder Maribel Health, told Home Health Care News. “The bottom line is people love it, patients love it and it’s a high-quality care experience.” ... In 2020, the hospital-at-home model had its breakthrough. Though the model was common internationally, it was considered niche in the U.S. This changed with the introduction of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Acute Hospital Care At Home program. A recent report from CMS found that the program has been largely successful. ... Despite the momentum the model has seen in recent years, challenges still exist when it comes to operations and scalability. Specifically, less than 9% of waiver-approved hospitals accounted for more than 70% of all U.S. admissions, according to data from MedPAC’s June 2024 report to Congress. ... 

Still going at 90: Pioneering Jacksonville triathlete Dottie Dorion's life is now a film [Co-found of Community Hospice & Palliative Care in Jacksonville, FL]
Jacksonville Florida Times-Union; by Matt Soergel; 10/8/24 
... Dorion's remarkable athletic life is told in a documentary called "Beyond Triathlon," which features her and fellow athlete Celeste Callahan of Denver, each of them pioneering competitors who in midlife decided they would devote themselves to grueling endurance races. ... [Her husband of 63 years,] George Dorion was in hospice care, a cause Dottie has long championed as an advocate for and a co-founder of Community Hospice & Palliative Care — at a time when hospice was a foreign concept to most people in America. She has been involved in numerous causes beyond hospice. She is co-founder of Volunteers in Medicine, a clinic that provides free health care to uninsured working adults and their families. And she's supported sports programs at the University of North Florida, particularly for women athletes; she's set up endowed scholarships there, and there's a fitness center on campus named after her. 

[Podcast] Health by law: What should clinicians and students know about the legal landscape of advance care planning?
AMA Journal of Ethics; by Thaddeus M. Pope; 10/7/24
Dr. Thaddeus M. Pope joins Health By Law to discuss updates to the Uniform Law Commission’s Health-Care Decisions Act.

The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. ~ Coretta Scott King