In the 1970s, two exceptional men — and an army of volunteers — forever changed how patients in our community are cared for at end of life.

 One was a man of science, Dr. Stanley Aronson, a renowned neuropathologist, researcher, and founding dean of the Brown University Medical School. The other, Rev. Charles A. Baldwin, was an interfaith chaplain, advocate for social justice, and a deeply respected presence at Brown.

Together, they shared a vision: that end-of-life care must be about the whole person, not just their illness. That it must be rooted in dignity, compassion, and humanity — values embedded from the beginning in Brown’s approach to medical education.

Inspired by the pioneering work of Dame Cicely Saunders in London, Aronson and Baldwin convened a coalition of physicians, nurses, clergy, psychologists, researchers, and community leaders across Rhode Island. Their shared goal: to launch a new kind of agency that could support people through terminal illness with comfort and respect.

The movement took hold quickly. In 1976, Hospice Care of Rhode Island — now HopeHealth — officially incorporated as a nonprofit. And the organization’s momentum helped spark national change.

In the 1980s, newly appointed Brown faculty member Vincent Mor, PhD — now HopeHealth’s Board Chair — led the first major national research study evaluating the impact of hospice care on families and Medicare. His team’s findings were powerful: hospice improved quality of life and saved costs.

That research helped convince lawmakers to act. In 1983, Congress created the Medicare hospice benefit, ensuring coverage for end-of-life care for millions of Americans. Fittingly, some of the most influential conversations happened over dinner at the Old Canteen on Providence’s Federal Hill — a classic Rhode Island moment.

What has happened since is nothing short of exceptional. HopeHealth has continuously set the standard for hospice and palliative care and today ranks second in the country for caregiver and employee satisfaction, based on a study that was published in the American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine. HopeHealth has supported patients during times of crisis and uncertainty: it was one of the first agencies to care for patients with AIDS. The Hulitar Hospice Center was one of the few places at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic where families could be with their loved ones at end of life. Unique among the nation’s hospice organizations, HopeHealth serves as the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

What started out as a collaboration between science and faith is today a nationally recognized leader in the care of more than 15,000 patients and their caregivers annually throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.