History

Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care was founded in 1981 as a non-profit, community-based organization. Founder Betty Brosius was inspired to create a hospice organization by the struggle she and her husband faced during his experience with terminal illness.

1981

  • Betty Brosius and three friends establish Rainbow Hospice as a community-based hospice serving patients in the northwest suburbs.
  • Betty was inspired by her husband’s struggle with terminal illness to provide comfort and compassion to people at the end of their lives

1987

  • Rainbow becomes state licensed as a full hospice home care agency and becomes Medicare/Medicaid certified.
  • Rainbow hosts its first Angels Ball Gala.

1990

  • Rainbow’s first President/Executive Director Carol Minarik is hired.

1996

  • Pat Ahern is hired as President/CEO.

1997

  • Rainbow becomes the sole facilitator of the Good Mourning Program after two years of partnership with Advocate Lutheran General.

1999

  • A dedicated department is formed to focus on bereavement counseling.
  • Rainbow enters clinical education agreements with local teaching institutions to train the next  generation of healthcare practitioners.

2000

  • The chaplain Residency Program begins in collaboration with Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

2002

  • Rainbow launches the LIFE (Leading Innovators for End-of-Life Education) Institute for Learning.
  • Rainbow’s community-based palliative care program begins.
  • Rainbow becomes accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP).

2003

  • Rainbow continues to build a full complement of services, adding a palliative care pharmacist and a music therapist to the staff.

2005

  • Rainbow hires its first full-time home visit physician.

2006

  • Rainbow begins offering pet and massage therapies to patients.

2007

  • The Ark Inpatient Unit opens in Park Ridge.
  • The Board approves the addition of two Community Board seats, increasing the number of Board members to six.

2008

  • Rainbow’s name is officially changed to “Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care.”
  • The President’s Council is established for donors who give $2,500 or more annually.

2010

  • Rainbow is listed as one of Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare.

2011

  • With the generous support of a family foundation, Rainbow’s main offices move from Park Ridge to Mount Prospect.

2012

  • Rainbow embarks on the Dementia with Dignity Project, a $600,000 grant to help build expert training and resources for dementia care.
  • Rainbow is again ranked as one of Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare.

2014

  • Rainbow becomes part of the Presence Health system.

2015

  • Michael McHale joins Rainbow as President and CEO.
  • State of the art 14-seat call center opens in the Mount Prospect office.
  • Presence Palliative Care is launched.
  • Rainbow launches its first Innovation Team, tasked with testing new care delivery models, including TeleHospice.
  • The first physician fellow graduates from the LIFE Institute’s Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) Fellowship Program.

2016

  • Presence Hospice becomes Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care.
  • Rainbow’s Ark Inpatient Unit moves to Presence Resurrection Medical Center.
  • Rainbow launches a Dedicated Education Partnership with Resurrection University.

2017

  • Rainbow becomes a Level Four We Honor Veterans Partner, the highest designation in the program.
  • Susan Enright becomes the Interim President of Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care.

2018

  • The first two bereavement fellows graduate from the LIFE Institute’s Grief & Loss Services Bereavement Fellowship Program.
  • Presence Health and Ascension, the nation’s leading non-profit and Catholic health system, reach an agreement for Presence Health to join Ascension and become part of AMITA Health, a joint operating company of Ascension’s Alexian Brothers Health System and Adventist Midwest Health, which is part of the Adventist Health System.
  • Rainbow becomes part of the AMITA Health system.