Training Hospice Workers to Face Existential Distress, ‘Death Anxiety’

Hospice providers that integrate a deep focus on emotional well-being in their staff training efforts could see improved workforce and patient satisfaction. Hospice and palliative care workers often lack training around the complexities of death anxiety and the various emotional and physical tolls it can take on an individual, according to Dr. Keri Brenner, psychiatrist, […]

Blue Ridge Care Hospice Partners with Local College to Bolster Clinical Workforce

Blue Ridge Care Hospice is partnering with Laurel Ridge Community College to provide greater exposure to hospice care to students in its emergency medical services and nursing programs. The Virginia-based nonprofit expects the partnership to help bolster the hospice clinical workforce. Blue Ridge and the college have entered into a clinical affiliation agreement that will […]

No One Left Behind: Building a Culture of Staff Retention in Hospice

Engaged employees are a top contributor to quality and growth, and that means ensuring no one gets lost in the shuffle, according to Chapters Health System CEO Andrew Molosky. Chapters is one of the largest nonprofit hospice providers in the United States. Currently the company has achieved a turnover rate of 12% for nurses and […]

Clinical Capacity Propelling Enhabit’s Hospice Growth

Improved staffing conditions have turned hospice into a growth engine for Enhabit Inc. (NYSE: EHAB). Hospice currently represents about 20% of Enhabit’s patient volume, CEO Barbara Jacobsmeyer said at the HomeCare 100 conference in Florida. The segment is primed for more growth, driven to a large extent by increased clinical capacity. “[Hospice] is an area […]

Shoring Up the Next Generation of Hospice Chaplains

Hospice chaplains often have little recourse for upward mobility along their career ladders. This can make recruitment and retention difficult among the next generation of the spiritual care workforce. More professionals from a wider range of interfaith groups are entering the field, according to Shana Sullivan, bereavement coordinator of Texas-based Heart to Heart Hospice. Sullivan […]

Dr. Andrew Mayo: Hospice Leaders Face ‘Delicate Balance’ in Today’s Regulatory, Workforce Climate

Today’s hospice leaders need to take a wide view into the range of challenges facing their interdisciplinary care teams, according to Dr. Andrew Mayo, chief medical officer at St. Croix Hospice. Mayo joined St. Croix Hospice in 2014 as an associate medical director. The Minnesota-headquartered hospice provider is a portfolio company of the private equity […]

New Employee Support Program Launches to Strengthen Hospice Retention

The Indiana Association for Home & Hospice Care (IAHHC) has unveiled a new employee support program designed to help with retention of much needed workforce resources in end-of-life care. The association on Wednesday launched Creating Action and Resources for Employees (C.A.R.E.) Connect program, making it available to employees statewide. The program aims to help hospice […]

How Quality, Compliance, Technology Factor into Hospice Recruitment

Quality, compliance and technology investments are becoming increasingly crucial when it comes to hospices’ recruitment and retention strategies as they seek to gain an advantage in the health care labor market. Finding and keeping quality employees who are able to keep up with the fast pace of today’s hospice compliance landscape has become a challenging […]

Hospices Seek Creative Hiring, Retention Solutions as Labor Costs Rise

Fierce competition for clinical resources amid widespread workforce shortages has hospices taking nimble approaches to their recruitment strategies, including pivoting financial investments and building stronger educational partnerships. Competition in the health care market has been driving up salaries, particularly among nurses, according to Jennifer Lemere, vice president of clinical operations at St. Croix Hospice, a […]

Unionized Hospice Workers Reach Agreement with Providence Health System Amid Growing Trend

Unionized staff at Providence Hospice of Sonoma County in California have reached a labor agreement with their employer. The deal marks another instance of growing union activity in the hospice space. Unionization is uncommon in hospice, but local media reports in some communities show that the movement has gained some ground. Hospices that are affiliated […]