Association for Death Education and Counseling celebrates 50 years of advancing grief education and end-of-life understanding 
ADEC - Association for Death Education and Counseling; Press Release; 4/9/26 
The Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC®), The Thanatology Association®, is celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of leadership in the interdisciplinary study of death, dying, and bereavement. ... Looking toward the future, ADEC envisions a world in which dying, death, and bereavement are recognized as fundamental aspects of the human experience rather than topics hidden from public conversation. The organization continues to expand its international reach and public engagement. Through initiatives such as the 50 Futures Global Fund, ADEC will support the distribution of digital grief education resources, training opportunities, and micro-grants to communities around the world.
Editor's Note: Executive leaders—“FT” or “CT” in your employees' credentials signal ADEC's "Fellow in Thanatology" or "Certified in Thanatology" designations, reflecting a deeper commitment to grief-informed care. Congratulations to ADEC on 50 years of advancing a more humane, evidence-based understanding of death, dying, and bereavement.

Regional Home Health and Hospice facility to lay off 161 employees at Greenville site 
WhatNow; by Deepali Singla; 4/9/26 
ECU Health Home Health and Hospice will lay off 161 employees at its facility in Greenville. The company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with the state. The layoffs follow the shutdown of the Greenville facility. ECU Health Home Health and Hospice filed a WARN notice indicating the closure of its facility at 1005 WH Smith Blvd, Greenville, NC 27834. As a result of the closure, the layoffs are scheduled to take effect on May 1, 2026.

As demand for hospice care increases, Lansing nonprofit breaks ground on expansion 
PBS-WKAR Public Media; by Lillian Williams; 4/8/26 
Demand for end-of-life specialized care is increasing nationwide, and a Mid-Michigan provider says that has led to a facility expansion that broke ground today. Hospice of Lansing plans to add four bedrooms to its Stoneleigh Residence by next spring. ... Executive Director Heather Vida says her organization turns away more than 100 families each year because they don’t have enough rooms. "What we want to do is make sure there are beds available for everyone at any time," she said. 

Sovereign Hospice shares what MS families should know about palliative care 
Press Services, Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Press Release; 4/9/26 
As National Healthcare Decisions Day approaches on April 16, 2026, Sovereign Hospice, a service area business based in Aubrey, Texas, is drawing attention to the care options available to families affected by multiple sclerosis. MS is a complex, progressive neurological condition, and many families reach critical decision points without a clear picture of what palliative care or hospice care can offer them.

Families face identity theft following a death 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/8/26 
When a loved one dies, the specter of identity theft can loom large, particularly through unclosed digital accounts that family members may not be aware of. Approximately 2.5 million deceased Americans have their identities stolen annually, with roughly 800,000 of these cases specifically targeted because they have died, according to the State of California Department of Justice. Managing and closing digital accounts can help mitigate the risk of identity theft, according to Donnell Beverly, Jr., CEO of Eazewell.

CMS issues guidance to implement new limits on federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for certain noncitizens 
CMS Newsroom; Press Release; 4/8/26 
CMS is preparing states for an upcoming change that will limit the ability to claim federal matching funds for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for individuals who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals, or who fall into specific noncitizen categories identified in statute. New guidance issued today will ensure states understand their responsibility in implementing this statutory change beginning October 1, 2026. ... To view the State Health Official (SHO) letter, visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/sho26001.pdf.

The most connected hospice doctor in California 
CBS News Investigations; by Laura Geller, Rachel Gold, Adam Yamaguchi and Grace Manthey; 4/7/26 
Physicians who oversee hospice clinics deliver a critical and delicate form of care to patients confronting terminal illness with the goal of helping them find dignity and comfort at the end of life. No active physicians oversaw more of these cases in California, or were reimbursed with more taxpayer money, than Dr. Rajiv Bhuva, according to federal records. ... Bhuva's name was listed on reimbursements for at least 2,800 patients across 126 California hospices in 2024. ... While fraud in the hospice industry is a long-running and complex problem, the role of physicians – knowingly or unwittingly facilitating it – has largely gone overlooked. 

How can more efficient data sharing improve patient care plans? 
HealthTech; by Christopher Mills; 4/8/26 
The effective participation in health information exchanges requires a focus on data governance, interoperability and organizationwide buy-in. Health information exchanges are steadily gaining traction as healthcare organizations look for ways to improve care coordination, reduce costs and meet regulatory expectations. Organizations are seeking ways to use data to make better decisions, which reduces costs and increases revenue. This is especially important for health systems as the federal government cuts funding across the board.

81,000 people shared their dreams for AI. Here’s what HR leaders owe them 
HR Executive; by Jill Barth; 4/7/26 
Over one week, 80,508 people across 159 countries and 70 languages described what they actually want from this technology. The result is what Anthropic is calling the largest qualitative study ever conducted, and the picture it paints of how workers experience AI is both more personal and more urgent than most HR leaders have been led to believe. ... One healthcare worker described receiving 100 to 150 messages a day from doctors and nurses, most of which required documentation. “Since implementing AI, the pressure of documentation has been lifted,” the respondent said. “I have more patience with nurses, more time to explain things to family members.”

Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back 
U.S. Medicine - The Voice of Federal Medicine; by Cheters Buckenmaier II, MD, COL (ret), MC, USA; 4/9/26 
‘Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back.’ — Marcus Aurelius (121 AD-180 AD)
The word hospice is derived from the Latin hospitum, meaning “a place of rest and shelter for the ill and weary.” As I have aged, the reality of death and dying has occupied more of my time as aging parents and friends enter the twilight of their lives. ... When my father died suddenly, he had a brand-new car in the driveway and a new suit hanging on the bedroom door for my first daughter’s wedding. ...

Executive Personnel Changes - 4/10/26

• Care Synergy in Denver, CO has welcomed
• Jason Upright as its new Director of Human Resources
• Jason Cormier as its new Director of Facilities and Capital Projects
• Hospice Help Foundation in Portsmouth, NH names Abigail Sherwood as Executive Director

Spring allergies: nature's way of reminding your coworkers you're still alive, one sneeze at a time.