VITAS Healthcare - Chicagoland Northwest

VITAS^® Healthcare, a pioneer in the hospice movement since 1978, is the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care. Our name, derived from the Latin word for “lives,” symbolizes the VITAS mission: to preserve the quality of life for those who have a limited time to live.

VITAS Healthcare provided $11.9 million in genuine charity care to hospice patients nationwide in 2023. This represents an average of 1 percent of our gross revenues—a ratio that few, if any, hospice providers can match.

VITAS^® Healthcare is defined by the needs of the patients and families we serve. In 1978 our first patient, Emmy Philhour, made us this offer: “Help me stay at home, and I’ll teach you how to care for me.” We agreed, and this commitment to service and learning still drives us today. 

Like Emmy, each of the hundreds of thousands of patients and families we’ve served has taught us something about compassionate care. Today, as a leader in the hospice movement in the United States, we are continuing to evolve and meet the changing needs of those with a life-limiting illness and their families. As we adapt to the ever-changing healthcare environment, however, we are guided as always by our VITAS Values. 

The VITAS Values 

• Patients and families come first. 
• We take care of each other. 
• I’ll do my best today and do even better tomorrow. 
• I am proud to make a difference.