About Us

History of Pathways Hospice

Pathways Hospice has true grass-roots origins in our community. In May of 1978, a terminally ill patient in Larimer County requested hospice services. At that time, no such program existed; this was at the very beginning of hospice care in the US. The first US hospice had opened in New Haven, Connecticut in 1974, and hospice care was not yet a wide-spread movement.

So in a public meeting, citizens and local officials met to determine whether sufficient need and support existed to proceed with organizing a local hospice. The response at the community meeting was very encouraging and many people volunteered their time and services.

A steering committee appointed during that first meeting took on the task of appointing a board of directors for the new hospice. The committee secured a $2,500 grant for start-up funds from the Colorado Commission on Aging. Recruitment and training of additional volunteers began immediately. And less than a year later, on February 1, 1979, Pathways Hospice was incorporated by the state of Colorado as a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation.

As the hospice industry evolved to include state licensure and oversight, Pathways Hospice became certified as a Medicare and Medicaid Home Health Agency (1984), licensed by the Colorado Department of Health (1985), certified as a Medicare Hospice (1986), and certified as a Colorado Medicaid hospice provider (1991). The organization is audited annually and regularly surveyed for compliance with state and federal regulations.

Pathways Hospice services started in Fort Collins, expanded to Loveland and Berthoud, and now cover almost all of Larimer and western Weld counties. Committed to comprehensive, universally available, 24-7 hospice care, Pathways Hospice became a charter member of the Hospice Alliance of Colorado which works to increase access and availability of hospice throughout Colorado. Pathways Hospice was also the lead agency on the Larimer County Palliative Care Project; funded by the Colorado Trust, the program improved universal access to hospice care in our community.

Very early in its development, Pathways Hospice also established a grief support program for families and friends of hospice patients and to others in our community. These support, education and outreach services evolved into today’s Pathways program—one of the leading grief and bereavement care programs in the country.

Pathways Hospice has grown steadily over the years. We started as an all-volunteer organization, serving 17 patients for a total of 466 service days in its first year of operation. We now have 120 professional staff , 213 volunteers and a budget of over $9 million. Currently we serve more than 950 patients annually, providing more than 47,000 collective days of care each year. As part of our growth we have expanded our facilities to include an in-patient unit in McKee Medical Center, an office in Windsor and dedicated space for the Pathways programs.

Throughout this growth, Pathways Hospice has maintained its non-profit status and commitment to providing exceptional, comprehensive hospice care to any person in need in its service area.

These 30 years serving our community have been a real source of organizational strength. Pathways Hospice has built strong relationships with physicians, pharmacists, specialty therapists, nursing homes, and many other human service and social service agencies. Affirming our community-based, community-focused approach, these relationships have proven an invaluable resource, helping us meet the varied needs of our patients and their families.