Literature Review

Lake Erie views from every room mark plans for new Hospice of the Western Reserve building Ideastream Public Media; by Stephen Langel; 9/18/24The Hospice of the Western Reserve broke ground Wednesday on a new 32-bed facility in Cleveland's North Collinwood neighborhood.The new, $25 million building will replace a 30-year-old facility located adjacent to it on East 185th Street and will have a different look and feel than the old site, said Laura Rayburn, president of the Hospice of the Western Reserve Foundation."It doesn't smell like a hospital, look like a hospital or sound like a hospital," Rayburn said. ... The new facility will provide patients and family members with suites that ensure quiet settings and privacy, she said. Each suite will also face Lake Erie with patio access for residents. "We have this beautiful asset of the lake, and we know the importance of water and how it can relieve stress, how it can reduce anxiety," Rayburn said. The facility also keeps medical equipment hidden from view to reduce stress and anxiety while providing the acute care patients need, she said. This can include having the ports for equipment to help with breathing located behind a picture above a bed's headboard, so it's out of sight when not needed, Rayburn said. The old facility, for which there are no current reuse plans, is being replaced due to rising maintenance and repair costs.

The Journey Home receives inaugural $20K grant from BCF Bartlesville, OK Local News; by Nathan Thompson; 9/17/24 The Journey Home, a nonprofit and free hospice facility, has received the Tell Your Story Grant of $20,000 from the Bartlesville Community Foundation. The award was announced Tuesday during the BCF's inaugural "Celebrate Together" luncheon at the Bartlesville Community Center. The competitive grant is structured to provide $10,000 of endowment support, $5,000 in operational funding and $5,000 worth of video and social media production. The Journey Home opened its doors in January 2014 as a specialized end-of-life care facility — only the second one of its kind in Oklahoma. It is a six-bedroom home staffed with professional caregivers and trained volunteers who provide continuous personal care for terminally-ill guests.

Mary Lanning hospice agency changes ownership Hastings Tribune, Hastings, NE; by John Huthmacher; 9/11/24 Sanford Health-Good Samaritan Society assumed control of its first hospice agency in Nebraska Sept. 5 after purchasing the agency from Mary Lanning Healthcare. Carrie Edwards, administrator of home- and community-based services, said all 12 of the hospice staff previously employed by the former MLH agency have been retained, including herself, three full-time nurses, two full-time aides, a full-time social worker, full-time business office coordinator, and four part-time or occasional employees. 

Agnesian HealthCare Foundation 2024 Charity Open has successful year envision - Greater Fond du Lac, WI; by Agnesian HealthCare Foundation; 9/11/24 The Agnesian HealthCare Foundation recently hosted its 36th annual Charity Open, presented by the Michels Corporation, celebrating another successful year supporting local hospice and cancer patient care. Since 1989, the Charity Open has raised more than $7.6 million. Thanks to the generosity of those attending and sponsoring the event, the Agnesian HealthCare Foundation raised approximately $455,000. Proceeds from this year’s event are supporting SSM Health at Home Hospice and SSM Health Cancer Care services within the greater Fond du Lac area – helping ensure that all patients have access to these vital services regardless of their ability to pay. “Our hospice team supports our patient’s last days by offering comfort and dignity,” according to Kim Laws, Agnesian HealthCare Foundation director of development and interim leader. “Our goal is to provide this service regardless of the family’s ability to pay." 

Leading the Way: Gilchrist and Franklin Hospice forces in landmark integration Franklin Hospice, Chambersburg, PA; by Karen M. Giffin; 9/9/24 Franklin Hospice and Gilchrist ... have announced an affiliation agreement. This partnership will unite two of Maryland’s oldest and most experienced nonprofit organizations, together with nearly 70 years of service to their communities. As the healthcare landscape continues to transform nationwide, this type of affiliation of two synergistic nonprofit organizations with similar missions, visions, and values will position both organizations for continued growth, innovation and financial strength. ... This strategic affiliation will strengthen their ability to offer compassionate care to more patients and families throughout Central and Southern Maryland, as well as Washington and Frederick Counties and South-Central Pennsylvania. Both organizations will retain their name and branding while offering a unified approach to care. 

National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation Fierce Pharma - Special Report: The Fierce 50 of 2024 - Innovation Honorees; by Fraiser Kansteiner; distributed 9/10/24 With an aging population and shifting healthcare environment, providing proper, personalized care for the U.S.’ most vulnerable patients can be a challenge.That’s why Tom Koutsoumpas, one of the masterminds behind the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), has been working to continually improve hospice and palliative care across the nation for decades. ... The goal, he explained in an interview with Fierce, was to "become the national voice for the future of hospice, palliative care, and advanced illness care." Through its efforts, NPHI seeks to work in tandem with its network of nonprofit community programs to help them innovate, thrive into the future and continue to evolve in the ever-changing U.S. healthcare system, Koutsoumpas said. While local hospice and palliative care groups exist to tackle many of these same goals, “programs in the community have no scale,” Koutsoumpas explained. “They have no opportunity to work from scale to address cost issues, rising costs, changes that occur.” In turn, NPHI was founded to help bring those programs together while allowing them to retain their identities as discrete, local providers. Editor's note: NPHI is a sponsor for our newsletter. 

Hospice of the Foothills announces umbrella name, Foothills Compassionate Care YubaNet.com; by Hospice of the Foothills; 9/10/24 As we celebrate 45 years as this community’s only nonprofit hospice, Hospice of the Foothills is excited to announce that we are formalizing our structure a bit to fit all of our programs under one all-encompassing organizational name. Going forward, Hospice of the Foothills, Sierra Community Palliative Care, Foothills Gift & Thrift Stores, and our Bereavement Programs will operate under the unified umbrella of Foothills Compassionate Care. Each program/service will maintain its name and identity but will be united under one umbrella.  We feel his strategic alignment will highlight all that we do more clearly and reinforce our commitment to providing compassionate, community-centered care without changing the ownership, staff, or core mission that our community has trusted for years. ... This is not about changing what works; it’s about creating a formal structure that reflects the comprehensive care we’ve always provided.

2024 NHPCO Facts and Figures Report now available National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 9/10/242022 Data Show First Increase in Hospice Utilization Rates Since COVID The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) published the 2024 edition of National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) Facts and Figures, an annual report on key data points related to the delivery of hospice care, including information on patient characteristics, location and level of care, Medicare hospice spending, and hospice providers. Facts and Figures – the leading resource for hospice providers and others interested in understanding the work of the community – has been published annually for over two decades by NHPCO. ... The findings in this report reflect patients who received care in Calendar Year (CY) 2022, or Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, provided by hospices certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and reimbursed under the Medicare Hospice Benefit. This year COVID-19 continued to impact patient care as COVID-19 waivers were still in place through May 2023. These waivers included increased telehealth services. With 49.1% of all Medicare decedents in 2022 choosing hospice care, utilization of hospice increased in 2022 for the first time since 2019. The increase hints at a normalization of the utilization rates back to pre-COVID data. Hospice utilization rates increased across all race and ethnicity groups, with the largest increase among Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries seeing. The total number of beneficiaries enrolled in hospice care in 2022 was 1.72 million. Due to the unique impact of COVID-19 on 2020 data, those data are not included in many of the charts this year.

Photos: Grief and fond memories shared at Reflections on the River Salem Reporter, Salem, OR; by Laura Tesler; 9/6/24 As the sun fell Thursday evening, hundreds of Salemites gathered at Riverfront Park to reflect, grieve and share stories. The annual Reflections on the River event, organized by hospice provider Willamette Vital Health, included 4,600 luminarias to memorialize family and friends who have died. 

Anthony House advocates for comfort care homes and hospice care in the community Oswego County Today, Oswego, NY; by Step One Creative; 9/6/24 Anthony House of Wellhouse Ministries ... is advocating for the importance of comfort care and homes allowing for the care to hospice patients. Anthony House, an Oswego-based non-profit, who is finalizing construction plans for their new hospice care facility in Hannibal, New York, aims to raise awareness about the critical need for these specialized care settings... Kateri Spinella, Executive Director of Anthony House of Wellhouse Ministries, emphasized the significance of comfort care homes in the community, stating, “At Anthony House, we believe that every individual deserves to experience end-of-life care with dignity, respect, and compassion. Our new facility will provide a nurturing environment where patients and families can find solace, support, and comfort during their journey.”

Hospice of the Valley student volunteers gain insight into dementiaCity Sun Times [AZ]; by Lin Sue Flood; 9/4/24... Hospice of the Valley [has a] College Partners Program, an innovative collaboration with Maricopa Community Colleges, Arizona State University and other schools to provide socialization to people living with dementia and a much-needed break to family caregivers... Hospice of the Valley’s dementia and volunteer departments spearheaded this intergenerational program to help inspire careers in dementia care. Incentives include scholarship opportunities, monthly education and letters of recommendation. To date, 106 students have been trained and paired with 123 patients since College Partners launched in 2021 with a grant from Community Care Corps. Now, the program is funded by Hospice of the Valley and community donations.

Hospice of Hope names new executive director The Highland County Press, Hillsboro, OH; by Hospice of Hope Press Release; 9/3/24 Hospice of Hope has recently announced the appointment of Derek (Shawn) Flaugher as the organization’s new Executive Director. Flaugher will succeed Anthony (Tony) Trovato, who is set to retire at the end of September 2024. Flaugher obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Morehead State University and pursued a master’s degree in accounting at Clemson University. A retired Army National Guard Veteran with a combat tour in Afghanistan, Flaugher has dedicated 31 years to Hospice of Hope, progressing through roles including Staff Accountant, Controller and Director of Business Operations. Outgoing Executive Director Tony Trovato expressed his confidence in Flaugher, stating, "I am pleased to pass on the leadership to someone as committed and accomplished as Shawn. His wealth of experience and deep understanding of the healthcare landscape will be invaluable in his new capacity."  

Bon Secours Home Care and Hospice announces new name HomeCare, Richmond, VA; 8/29/24 The Bon Secours Home Care and Hospice programs, which serves the greater Richmond area, announced a new name: Bon Secours Home Care and Hospice by Compassus. The name change reflects a joint venture partnership between Bon Secours Mercy Health, a Catholic health system in the U.S., and Compassus, a national provider of integrated home-based health care services, which was finalized earlier this year.