Chemed

VITAS began in 1978 as a nonprofit hospice in South Florida, founded in part by Hugh Westbrook, a Methodist minister, and Esther Colliflower, a nurse.Their first patient was Emmy Philhour. The organization then became known as Hospice Care, Incorporated, and eventually, VITAS Healthcare.In 1979, Florida became the first state to have a hospice licensure law. Westbrook and another VITAS founder, Don Gaetz, played a crucial role in passing the Hospice Care Reimbursement Act in 1982 that made hospice a Medicare benefit.In 2004, VITAS was acquired by Cincinnati-based Chemed for $400 million. Timothy S. O'Toole served as Chief Executive Officer from 2004 when Chemed purchased VITAS until his retirement in June 2016 and Nick Westfall was named CEO.