Literature Review

Jelly Roll stops concert to help ‘cancer survivor’ find better seatYahoo!Entertainment; by Erin Carlson; 8/5/24When Jelly Roll spotted a woman at his concert using an IV drip, he pointed her out from the stage. “I've seen a lot of crazy s—t at my shows. But this young lady is out here with a full-blown IV," the country star (real name Jason Bradley DeFord) declared while performing at the Tailgates N’ Tallboys festival in Midland, Michigan in late July. In footage uploaded on TikTok, the woman told Jelly Roll, 39, that she’s a “cancer survivor.” After hearing this, he turned to his team and said, “Let’s get her a chair” to watch the rest of the show. He then looked at the fan standing in the crowd and assured, “We'll get you off your feet, baby. OK?” ... But while his career takes off, he has been known to make time for fans battling cancer. In July 2023, Taste of Country reported that Jelly Roll met with 65-year-old Suzanne Durham, a Nashville-based hospice patient with lung cancer whose dying wish was to see him perform live. He gave Durham and her friends a private show...

The recipe for effective leadership has changed, and humility is a key ingredientForbes; by Jim Dunn; 8/6/24Humility gets a bad rap in the leadership space, often seen as a sign of weakness or low self-esteem. But that’s not how I’ve learned to see it, and recent research agrees. Humility involves accurately assessing your abilities and achievements and acknowledging your mistakes and limitations. Humble leaders are open to new ideas, maintain role-based perspective with a low self-focus and appreciate the contributions of others. Luckily, there are plenty of examples of CEOs who do humility well.

4 Ways servant leaders can inspire professional development in the workplaceForbes; by Edward DeAngelis; 8/5/24Servant leadership is very important to me. As business leaders, we strive to build natural and genuine relationships with our workforce, ideally to empower them, as people within the organization, and, in a collective sense, to demonstrate to each individual that the organization, as an entity, recognizes and appreciates…everyone. To support employee retention and performance, leaders must make engaging with their teams a priority. Employees who feel appreciated and acknowledged may not only stay with an organization and be more productive and positive, but also improve customer experiences, increased sales and profitability for the entire organization. ... Here are four ways servant leaders can inspire and support employee development.

10 tips for working with the mediaMcKnight's Senior Living; by Lois A. Bowers; 7/15/24Publisher's Note: Mark Cohen, Publisher of Hospice News Today, has also discussed several of these points. Please see full article for additional detail.

Becoming time rich with physician moms: Sarah Wittry and Nicole Perrotte MarketScale - Ripple of Change; by Todd Otten; 7/30/24 In today’s high-stress healthcare environment, physician mothers face the formidable challenge of balancing demanding careers with their personal lives. The conversation on work-life balance is more relevant than ever, with more women in medicine seeking ways to manage these dual responsibilities effectively. How can physician moms navigate this landscape to reclaim time for themselves without guilt? What strategies can physician moms employ to achieve a healthier work-life balance? This pressing question lies at the heart of today’s discussion on the Ripple of Change podcast. ... Key points of discussion:

Grandad rehearsed his funeral 10 years ago – Now his final wishes come true after his passing Good News Network; 7/28/24 A British senior who pre-planned his funeral and rehearsed it on TV in 2013, had his final wishes come true after peacefully passing away in June. Malcolm Brocklehurst, who is a renowned aircraft expert, commissioned an orange airplane-shaped coffin ten years ago from Crazy Coffins, an offshoot of a Nottingham-based traditional coffin and urn maker in England that helps people customize their funeral. The grandfather-of-nine was filmed sitting in the coffin on Channel 5’s Bizarre Burials, which also featured a rehearsal of the ceremony that the former aerospace engineer coordinated to the last detail. The plane was aptly called Tango One and numbered with MB 1934—his initials and year of his birth. He also announced that he wanted the funeral procession to leave from the stadium pitch where his favorite football team, Blackpool FC, plays. ... But speaking about the rehearsal in 2013, he said it was all “light-hearted fun.”

Skagit Regional Health nurses five months into contract negotiations Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, WA; 7/27/24 Nurses at Skagit Regional Health have been negotiating a new contract for nearly five months. Their latest contract ended May 31. The contract covers more than 600 registered nurses at Skagit Valley Hospital, its clinics and at Hospice of the Northwest, said Skagit Regional Health nurse Liz Rainaud, who is the local chair of the nurses' union, the Washington State Nurses Association. She said the nurses at Skagit Regional are the lowest paid in the region. During the most recent negotiating session July 9, tentative agreements were made on items such as bonus shifts, shift rotation, calculation of shift differential and sick leave accumulation. 

‘Green burials’ grow in popularity as alternatives to traditional funerals Planet Detroit; by Erica Hobbs; 7/24/24|... [Modern] funeral practices are wreaking havoc on the environment. Bodies are embalmed with toxic chemicals and buried in caskets placed in non-biodegradable vaults that take up increasingly limited space in cemeteries. According to a Cornell University study, an estimated 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid, 20 million feet of hardwood, 1.6 million tons of concrete and 64,500 tons of steel are used in American burials yearly. Even cremation — often thought of as a green alternative to burial — requires up to 500 gallons of fuel and releases up to 250 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, according to a recent study from the Green Burial Council (GBC). However, for those looking to reduce their carbon footprints even in death, green options, though still relatively rare, are available in Michigan. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading these descriptions of "green burials."]

UVM Medical Center reaches new contract for nursing employees, 23% wage hike VB Vermont Biz; by The University of Vermont Medical Center; 7/22/24 Nurses employed by University of Vermont Medical Center who are part of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (VFNHP) voted to ratify a new three-year contract for nursing staff this past weekend. The contract includes a 23% wage increase for nurses over the next three years.

Hospital CEOs solve an old problem with new ideas Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 7/15/24 A persistent problem for health system CEOs is emerging as the most important challenge to solve this year: work/life balance. Work/life balance isn't just a "nice to have" as a "thank you" to clinicians who spent thousands of extra hours during the pandemic in a stressful workplace; it's a business imperative. And many organizations haven't invested in it enough. [Click on the title's link to continue reading identification of problems and new solutions by multiple helath system CEOs.]

Fallen nurses are honored by ‘guards’ in white uniforms, capes and caps Radio Iowa; by Radio Iowa Contributor; 7/17/24 A hospital in southwestern Iowa is joining a national volunteer organization that pays tribute to nurses who have died or who are in hospice care. Registered nurse Sara Beth Jones spearheaded the effort to launch a local chapter of the Nurses Honor Guard at Cass Health in Atlantic. Jones says part of their uniform is to wear a cape that’s black on one side and red on the other, much like those worn by nurses who tended to soldiers in the 1800s. ... The Nurses Honor Guard is a comprised of current and former nurses. In addition to the funerals of nurses, they attend parades, honor walks and living tributes. Besides the cape, Jones says Honor Guard participants don the traditional white uniform and cap. 

Rural hospitals built during Baby Boom now face Baby Bust KFF Health News; by Tony Leys; 7/15/24 ... Many of the U.S. hospitals that are now dropping obstetrics units were built or expanded in the mid-1900s, when America went on a rural-hospital building spree, thanks to federal funding from the Hill-Burton Act. “It was an amazing program,” said Brock Slabach, chief operations officer for the National Rural Health Association. “Basically, if you were a county that wanted a hospital, they gave you the money.”Editor's Note: Mark Cohen has discussed the Hilburton Act with Chris Comeaux in their monthly TCN podcasts. Closures of rural hospital services continue to increase, impacting end-of-life care awareness, referrals, and utilization throughout our nation's rural areas.