Rainbow Hospice

Founder Betty Brosius was inspired to create a hospice organization when dealing with the struggles of her husband's terminal illness. After her husband's death in 1979, Brosius, along with her minister, a social worker and a friend made a plan to provide end-of-life care to the terminally ill. Rainbow Hospice was officially formed in the winter of 1981-1982.

After serving a dozen families following its formation in 1981, Rainbow outgrew its space in Des Plaines. Beginning in 1990, Rainbow Hospice moved to several new locations before acquiring its former main office location at 444 North Northwest Highway in Park Ridge, Illinois. In May 2011, Rainbow Hospice moved their main office to 1550 Bishop Court, Mount Prospect.

Founder Betty Brosius continued working with Rainbow Hospice until her retirement in early 2004. In 2003, Betty was diagnosed with terminal non-alcoholic cirrhosis and became a patient of Rainbow Hospice who cared for her until her death in March 2004.[3]

In 2006, Rainbow Hospice began the creation of an Inpatient Unit, a specialized facility used by hospices to serve critical care patients in an environment where they have 24-hour access to direct care. After a year of planning and renovation, the Rainbow Hospice Ark, a 15-room Inpatient Unit, opened on November 11, 2007.

The Rainbow Hospice Ark is located in a self-contained wing at St. Matthews Center for Health in Park Ridge, IL, a long-term facility that was built in 1959. In 2008, the Ark was awarded a design merit citation by Healthcare Design Magazine.[4]

Hospice care takes place wherever the patient considers home—whether that is at their house or in a skilled nursing facility or long term care facility.

The Rainbow Hospice Ark inpatient unit is designed to offer short-term care to patients who are experiencing pain or other symptoms associated with their terminal illness that is not manageable in other settings. The goal is to stabilize patients so they may return to their home environment.

The 14-bed Ark unit currently resides at Avantara Park Ridge until July 31, 2016, when the Ark will move to Presence Resurrection Medical Center, 4th floor East.

A recent partnership with Presence Health enables Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care to deliver palliative care services to more patients throughout Illinois.

The Good Mourning staff also provides assistance to schools in need of bereavement services. Rainbow Hospice provides intervention teams for crisis consultation and debriefing for indictments in schools. In conjunction with the LIFE Institute for Learning, bereavement staff also provides grief management training to professionals in schools and colleges.

Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care is committed to educating healthcare professionals on the most current and up-to-date issues in end-of-life care. Rainbow's educational programs offer information on advanced planning, clinical care, dementia-specific issues, spirituality and integrative therapies and living with loss. Continuing Education (CEU) opportunities are available to nurses, social workers and education professionals.

Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care's trained professionals provide education and outreach to nearby communities. Rainbow offers community education about completing advanced directives, hiring a caregiver and more.

Rainbow's robust volunteer base consists of hundreds of volunteers who provide critical services and support to Rainbow's mission. At 10.4%, Rainbow far surpasses the Medicare requirement of 5% for volunteer hours.

Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care volunteers provide patient care and family support, administrative and office support, bereavement support and help with outreach and development.