Mar 15, 2026
179 Hospice Is About Living: Honest Conversations, Palliative vs. Hospice, and Supporting Nurses with Gina Harris MSN, MSQT
Host Marie Betcher, a registered nurse and former hospice nurse, interviews Gina Harris MSN, MSQT, Chief Clinical Officer at Marisol Health in South Carolina, about hospice education and reducing fear around end-of-life care. Gina shares her career path from mortgage banking to 25 years in nursing, including critical care leadership and work as a CMS-certified surveyor, and explains how hospice nursing is emotionally demanding and often undervalued. The conversation centers on the need for honest communication about dying, including a story of a woman with recurring cancer who pursued a third major surgery before choosing hospice and dying days later, highlighting “chasing normal” and the limits of prognostic estimates. Gina describes hospice as support for living with comfort and dignity, outlines palliative care versus hospice, and explains how Marisol trains staff through in-services, role playing, interdisciplinary visits, and certification.
00:00 Welcome and Disclaimer
00:29 Meet Host Marie
00:45 Introducing Gina Harris MSN, MSQT
02:11 Gina’s Nursing Journey
04:09 Why Hospice Matters
06:05 Coaching Nurses to Talk
08:29 Chasing Normal Story
13:42 Hard Truths and Hospice
18:21 Hospice Is About Living
20:23 Palliative vs Hospice Care
23:32 Training Staff for Truth
26:44 Hospice as a Choice
28:15 Signing Up and Opting Out
29:42 Closing Thanks and Location
30:21 Final Wrap Up
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Marie's Contact
Marie@HospiceExplained.com
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1. You can use Medicare.gov to help find a hospice agency,
This should be a list of Hospice Agencies local to you or your loved one.