Ep. 58 - After Five: The Other 123 Hours of Hospice Care

Hospice care is often structured around a 40-hour workweek—but patients and families need support 24/7. In this episode, we explore what happens during the “other 123 hours”: nights, weekends, and holidays when staffing is leaner, coverage areas expand, and each clinician carries greater responsibility—even as symptom crises and end-of-life transitions unfold. Through frontline insights, we examine the risks, resilience, and resourcefulness that define after-hours care—and discuss practical strategies to strengthen continuity, safety, and support across the full week.

Djenie Helne, DNP, FNP-BC, CRNP, ACHPN® D’Jenie R. Helne, DNP, FNP-BC, ACHPN®, is a Doctor of Nursing Practice–prepared Family Nurse Practitioner and Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse with over 18 years of nursing experience and more than a decade in advanced practice. She currently serves as Director of Resource Nights & Weekend Nurse Practitioners at Chapters Health System, where she leads multi-state advanced practice teams delivering high-quality hospice and palliative care across Florida, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

Dr. Helne is recognized for her expertise in clinical operations, regulatory readiness, telehealth innovation, and interdisciplinary care models. She has held leadership, hospitalist, and academic roles, including faculty appointments at Johns Hopkins University and Santa Fe College. Fluent in Haitian Kreyòl and proficient in Spanish, she is deeply committed to equitable, patient-centered care and building collaborative clinical environments that drive excellence in outcomes and operational performance.

Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.