Saint Vincent's Pax Christi Hospice is the result of the merger of Pax Christi Hospice, founded in 1989 on Staten Island as part of Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, and Cabrini Hospice, founded in 1980 in Manhattan. The widely known Cabrini Hospice was formed by the pioneering Father Vincent Pulicano. Through his own struggle with cancer, Father Vincent understood the special needs of people coping with very serious illness. He spent the last months of his life working toward the successful opening of what is now New York City's oldest and largest hospital-based hospice program. When Cabrini Medical Center ceased operations in 2008, and Cabrini Hospice was faced with closure, Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers stepped in to assure the continuation of the Cabrini mission and tradition.