Celebrating 50 Years of Compassionate Care

Honoring Our Legacy. Inspiring Our Future.

For 50 years, HopeHealth has stood at the forefront of hospice, palliative care, and grief support across Rhode Island and Massachusetts. What began in the 1970s as a grassroots initiative has grown into a regional leader serving thousands each year.

As we celebrate this milestone, we honor the visionaries who laid our foundation, the care teams who bring our mission to life every day, and the patients, families, and supporters who make our work possible.

Black and white photo of HopeHealth's Wakefield Office back in the 1980's

Our Story: 50 Years of Hope, Healing & Humanity

The Beginning: A New Model of Care (1974–1976)

HopeHealth’s story starts in 1974, when the field of hospice was only beginning to emerge in the United States.
This new model of care caught the attention of two leaders from Brown University: Dr. Stanley Aronson, founding dean of Brown University’s medical school, and the Rev. Charles Baldwin, the university chaplain. Together, Dr. Aronson and Rev. Baldwin gathered community leaders to explore bringing hospice to Rhode Island.

In 1976, this group founded Hospice Care of Rhode Island, a nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for patients at the end of life. It became just the second hospice organization in the nation.

Two black and white photos of men stacked side by side — *Dr. Stanley Aronson (left) and Rev. Charles Baldwin (right), whose partnership helped launch hospice care in Rhode Island.*

Growing to Meet Community Need (1980s–1990s)

1980s-early 1990's: Hospice Care of Rhode Island became a crucial provider for patients affected by the AIDS crisis, offering skilled, compassionate care at a time of great stigma and uncertainty.

1989: The organization merged with Island Hospice of Newport and Washington County Hospice, forming a unified, statewide entity that would eventually become known as HopeHealth.

1993: HopeHealth launched a building campaign for the Hulitar Hospice Center, establishing Rhode Island’s first dedicated inpatient hospice facility. The original center, located on Maude Street in Providence, held 10 beds.

Brick building with title "Philip Hulitar Hospice Center" — *The HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center was on Maude Street in the 1990's with 10 beds.*

Strengthening Care, Education & Support (2000s–2010s)

group of kids linking arms — *2007 marked the First Camp BraveHeart for children who have lost a loved one.*

2007: HopeHealth introduced Camp BraveHeart, a summer camp to support local children grieving the loss of a loved one. The event expanded HopeHealth’s dedicated support for children, including a long tradition of bereavement support especially for young people.

2009: A second building campaign enabled construction of the current Hulitar Hospice Center, designed as a peaceful, comforting space for patients and their loved ones to spend time together. Located on North Main Street in Providence, it is the only freestanding hospice center in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.

2012: HopeHealth became the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, deepening its commitment to training future hospice and palliative specialists. In the same year, a Hospice & Palliative Care Medicine Fellowship was established with Brown.

2016: HopeHealth expanded into Massachusetts, extending its services to patients and families in Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk Counties.

Dr. Edward Martin, HopeHealth Chief Medical Officer, stands to the left of Dr. Stanley Aronson, early founder of HopeHealth in front of cherry blossoms — *Dr. Stanley Aronson (right) standing with current HopeHealth Chief Medical Officer Dr. Edward Martin (left) at the opening of the new Hulitar Hospice Center in 2009.*

Innovation, Expansion & Resilience (2020–Today)

*The HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center expanded to 30 beds in 2021.*

2020: During the COVID-19 pandemic, when hospitals and nursing homes restricted or prohibited visitors, HopeHealth made a deliberate commitment to remain open and accessible — continuing to accept all patients and allowing 24/7 family presence at the Hulitar Hospice Center, honoring hospice’s core belief that families belong together at life’s end.

2021: The Hulitar Hospice Center expanded to 30 beds, strengthening the region’s access to inpatient hospice care. In the same year, Pediatric Supportive Services (pediatric hospice) launched, expanding crucial services for seriously ill children in our communities, including support for the unique needs of their families.

2023: HopeHealth established the Advanced Illness Care program, bringing palliative care directly to patients in the comfort of their home or nursing home.

2024: A national study, published in the American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, ranked HopeHealth second in the U.S. for hospice caregiver and employee satisfaction — reflecting the organization’s continued leadership in the field, and shining a national spotlight on its exceptional team members.

Historical black and white photo of someone presenting a poster board about hospice care

50 Years of Impact — And You

This milestone isn’t just about our past — it’s about the people and communities who shaped us. It’s about every patient comforted, every caregiver supported, every family companioned through grief, every clinician trained, and every partner who stood with us.

The heart of HopeHealth has always been human connection — and that remains our guiding light for the next 50 years.

Our 50th Anniversary Celebration

Throughout 2026, we will honor five decades of compassionate care with special events, personal stories, explorations of our history, and more.

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