Literature Review

NPHI marks the start of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month with a message of “Care You Can Trust” National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; Press Release; 11/1/26 As National Hospice and Palliative Care Month gets underway, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is calling attention to the essential role hospice and palliative care play in America’s healthcare system and the importance of ensuring every patient and family has access to care they can trust. Under this year’s national theme, “Care You Can Trust,” NPHI is highlighting the providers who deliver compassionate, high-quality care and encouraging greater public awareness of what patients and families should expect when facing serious illness.

Central Texas loses only pediatric hospice-at-home care as Dell Children's program closes Austin American-Statesman, Austin, TX; by Nicole Villalpando; 10/31/26 Four years after it opened, Dell Children's Medical Center is closing its Hospice at Home program Friday. The program was designed to bring care to the home of a dying child, rather than to have the family go to a clinic for that care. In a statement from Dell Children's, the hospital said the program "is transitioning from home-based care to an outpatient clinic setting. That care will be provided through the Comprehensive Care Clinic, which specializes in children with complex diagnoses, many of whom might need hospice or palliative care. ... This move leaves Central Texas without a pediatric hospice provider for in-home care.

Over 1,400 industry leaders convene for the National Alliance for Care at Home Annual Meeting & Exposition, Alliance awards presented National Alliance for Care at Home (The Alliance), Alexandria, VA; Press Release; 11/2/26 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) successfully hosted its second Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, DC, from Oct. 27-30. The event brought together leaders from across the care at home community to learn, connect, and explore the trends, innovations, and strategies shaping the future of care delivery. Over 1,400 attendees and exhibitors joined the event, which included award presentations, leadership-centered programming, continuing education, real-world skill building, a solutions-focused expo hall, and networking.

Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Archbold Hospice hosts 20th annual Camp HEAL Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Thomasville, Archibold, GA; by Staff; 11/2/26 Archbold Hospice hosted the 20th edition of Camp HEAL, an annual bereavement day camp for children, earlier this month at Camp Pineywoods in Thomas County. Camp HEAL (Healing and Encouragement After Loss) helps children ages 6 to 12 learn to cope with the loss of a loved one by providing a safe, fun environment where they can express themselves and meet others facing a similar situation. “Activities at camp focused on play, balanced with discussions of loss and activities geared toward remembrance of loved ones,” shared Linda Conti, Bereavement Coordinator at Archbold Hospice. “Campers enjoyed activities like hay rides, archery, journaling, pet therapy, and interactions with animals from Chehaw Park and Zoo.”

National Hospice and Palliative Care Month: Air ambulance specialist offers perspective on end-of-life transportation support Cision PRWeb, Albuquerque, NM; Press Release by AirCare1; 11/1/26 ... Air transport allows a medically stable hospice patient to travel long distances to be near family, either at home or in a facility closer to loved ones. ... Patient wishes sometimes include a change of place. A medical flight for a hospice patient can transport them from a hospital to their home in another state, avoiding the strain of a long drive or a commercial flight. Departure happens only once the patient is stable, so the trip becomes a planned step in care. Families weighing an air ambulance for end-of-life transport should make an informed decision before choosing a provider. The type of air transport matters. Jets handle long-range trips, while helicopters suit shorter distances, so they must weigh up the type of transport. An air ambulance should also carry the equipment needed to act as an intensive care unit in flight, helping patients receive appropriate care while in transport.

Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote ... that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country. ~ Samuel Adams

Employee spotlight: Andy Hart shows how a little time can make a big difference City of Toledo, OH; 10/30/26For Andy Hart, an electrical inspector with the City of Toledo’s Division of Building Inspection, last year’s Customer Service Week inspired him to take his volunteer work a step further. What began as helping with office tasks at a local hospice grew into spending time directly with hospice patients, where he discovered how much a little time and attention can mean to someone. Already volunteering at a local hospice, Hart saw Customer Service Week as an opportunity to become even more involved. He completed the necessary paperwork and background check just before the 2025 Service Week and began spending time directly with hospice patients.

ECU Health hospice services transitioning to Liberty Home Care and Hospice WITN, Greenville, NC; by WITN Web Team; 10/30/26 ECU Health say its hospice and home health business units have been sold to a healthcare provider that’s served the Carolinas for more than 150 years. Effective Sunday [11/1], all ECU Health home health and hospice operations will be transferred to Liberty Home Care and Hospice. Those include home health officers in Greenville, Windsor, Washington and Kenansville, hospice offices in Greenville, Ahoskie and Kenansville, and the Service League of Greenville hospice house.

Why is community-based palliative care so hard to get?KevinMD.com | Physician Voices; by Jill Schwartz-Chevlin, MD, MBA; 10/30/26 After my grandmother fell and fractured her cervical spine, she lived another four years thanks to incredible caregivers, family members, and my own home-based primary care practice, which I started because of her. Twelve million patients in the U.S. living with serious illness need, but cannot access, the palliative care that saved, extended, and improved my grandmother’s life. The U.S. health care system is not set up to support patients with serious illnesses and their families and caregivers who are trying to navigate chronic care at home. It is optimized for episodes of care. ...

Hospice doesn’t have to happen at home Hometown Stations ABC-FOX-NBC-CBS; by LeAnne Gendreau, Katherine Ambrose, Sondra 'Sam' Cradduck, Amy Cameron O’Rourke and Dr. Rhea Rogers; 10/23/26 Hospice care is often misunderstood as “giving up,” but it’s really about comfort, dignity and quality of life. For some families, that care doesn’t have to happen inside the family home — and knowing the alternatives can take the pressure off an already difficult decision.

Medicare freeze on new hospice and home health agencies expires November 13 as CMS stays silent Medical Daily; by Joseph James; 10/29/26 A Deadline Two Weeks Away and No Word From CMS: A nationwide freeze that has blocked new hospices and home health agencies from enrolling in Medicare since May is set to expire on Nov. 13, and the federal government has not said whether it will keep the freeze in place. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told providers it would give at least 60 days' notice before the moratoria expire, according to Home Health Care News. As of Oct. 30, no extension notice had been published, leaving hospitals, discharge planners, and families without a clear picture of what the end-of-life and in-home care market will look like in two weeks.

Urban and rural hospital closures in Georgia, 2022-2024JAMA Network Open; by Sara D. Turbow, Kajal Patel, Young-Rock Hong, Jennifer Lom, Mohammed K. Ali; 9/26Hospital closures are a growing concern with a marked increase in both urban and rural hospital closures seen in recent years. These closures, often due to financial strain, decline in patient volumes, and inequities in health care funding, can result in loss of access to critical medical services. The purpose of this study was to examine postclosure changes in discharge volume, charges, and length of stay at hospitals near urban vs rural hospital closures in the state of Georgia. Urban hospital closures are an emerging area that will only become more relevant as policy changes are expected to lead to more urban closures in the coming years.