Rev. Ulas D. Butler’s father, Ulas Butler, was a patient at Suncoast Hospice before he passed away at the South Pinellas Care Center at Bayfront Health.
BY KAREN DAVIS-PRITCHETT M.Ed. | Empath Health Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
PINELLAS COUNTY — For more than two years, I have been privileged to inform readers about the care and services Empath Health and its affiliate organizations provide in the community. I thought it might be meaningful for the next few articles to let those who have benefited from those services share their stories.
Today, I’d like to introduce the Rev. Ulas D. Butler, whose father, Ulas Butler, was a Suncoast Hospice patient before he passed away at the South Pinellas Care Center at Bayfront Health on Nov. 9, 2023. Rev. Butler was gracious enough to answer a few questions about how Suncoast Hospice helped him and his family through an extremely difficult period.
Question: How did you hear about Suncoast Hospice services for your loved one?
Butler: It was brought up by the hospital and his doctor’s office. I’ve known about hospice for quite some time; however, it was presented to us by his primary care doctor and the hospital once things started looking like he wasn’t going to return home with us.
Question: Which Suncoast Hospice support was the most helpful for you or your family?
Butler: The Care Center at Bayfront was absolutely amazing. They were wonderful to us. They allowed us to come in and gave us space. It honestly was a sanctuary. My father’s room was filled with so much joy every day, all day. It wasn’t a place of sorrow. It was just a place to be with him while he went through this transition. We didn’t want to be anywhere else. It was so comforting to know we could come and go because he was being cared for. We didn’t have to worry about that part. The way they cared for him was so intentional.
Question: What do you want to share about your Suncoast Hospice experience with our communities?
Butler: There are so many taboo things we have allowed ourselves to believe and so many fears around death. It stops us from having a much better transition experience for us and our families. When it’s time, it’s going to happen. Our thoughts were on our dad. It was, ‘What would he want?’ Supporting him was our biggest thing. I’m so grateful that we did take the courageous road. I will talk about Suncoast Hospice forever. You feel the concern from them.
Question: What was something that you learned about Suncoast Hospice that you didn’t know until they started taking care of your loved one?
Butler: I didn’t know we had a location at Bayfront. It felt like it was in my backyard. When I went through the double doors (of the Care Center) in that hospital, it was like I left Bayfront. I didn’t feel like I was in a hospital. It felt like I was in a Care Center. The facility and staff are so amazing. It was a really amazing experience.
Question: What would you like to share with families that may need Suncoast Hospice services?
Butler: Please listen. Please talk to people who have had these experiences. I know this is a sensitive and scary time, and I know you need to do what’s best for your family. But don’t shut the door because you might be closing your blessing off. Allow people to explain and give yourself the opportunity to gain information. We were supported. They took every care and effort to be attentive to us and let us know it was not an imposition. If you need to call us 50 times tonight, it’s not an imposition. Hospice was there in such a profound way.
To learn more about Suncoast Hospice, visit SuncoastHospice.org or call (727) 467-7423.
