R-1 National Hospice and Palliative Care Month

43:02I should have had one of my jewelry. Oh, right. What changes can be your day? I can wanna exactly. Okay, um now we are on to the consent agenda, right? No, R S one. Okay, R S one.

43:20Yes, ma'am. A resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County declaring the month of November as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and commending Gulfside Health Care Services for its outstanding service and dedication to the citizens of Pasco County. Whereas hospice and palliative care provide the highest quality of care to patients and families and bring comfort, love, and respect for all those they serve in communities across the nation and here in Pasco

43:50County. And whereas hospice and palliative care providers take the time to ask what's important to those they are caring for and listen to what's important. Their patients and families say. And whereas hospice and palliative care professions, including physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, counselors, health aides, and clergy, provide comprehensive and compassionate care that makes the wishes of each family and patient a priority.

44:21And whereas through pain management and symptom control, caregiver training and assistance, and emotional and spiritual support, patients can live fully until their final moments, surrounded and supported by the faces of loved ones, friends, and committed caregivers. And whereas providing quality, hospice, and palliative care reaffirms our belief in the essential dignity of every person, regardless of age, health, or

44:52social status, and that every stage of human life deserves to be treated with the utmost respect and care. And whereas every year more than 1.72 million Americans living with life-limiting illness and their families receive care from the nation's hospice programs in communities throughout the United States. With 5,693 patients cared for by Gulfside Hospice in Pasco County. And whereas

45:23more than 430,000 trained volunteers contribute 21 million hours of service. To hospice programs annually, with over 48,000 hours of service being provided locally by Gulf Side's 218 active volunteers. And whereas, hospice and palliative care providers encourage all people to learn more about the options of care and to share their wishes with family, loved ones, and their health care professionals.

45:55Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, the said board hereby declares the month of November as national hospice and palliative care in Pasco County and commends Gulfside Health Care Services for its outstanding service and dedication to the citizens of Pasco County. Done a resolved in regular session with the quorum present voting this 12th day of November 2025.

46:22Move to approved.

46:23Second.

46:24All in favor? Aye. I'm sorry, was there is there anyone here from Oh I couldn't see you, you were hidden back there. I was like, Where's Linda? Oh we would have had you come up. Yeah, bring it bring it to any anyone anyone who's here with you.

46:37Good morning everyone. Nice to see all of you. Um on behalf of our board of directors, our entire staff and our volunteers, I would just like to thank the support from the county commissioners through the years. We've been exist in existence nearly 38 years and today we serve nearly 700 hospice patients and 300 palliative care patients every single day in Pasco County alone. You have supported us through so many of our initiatives and growth through the years and we could not do it without without you. I also

47:07want to congratulate and thank JJ. Because fire uh uh Pasco County Fire Rescue has helped thousands of our patients through the years in dire situations and we couldn't do it without them either. So thank you very much for all your support. We greatly appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.

47:25I'm sorry, just for the record, can you go ahead and give us your name?

47:27I'm sorry, Linda Ward, President and CEO of Gulfside Healthcare Services.

47:31Okay.

47:32Thanks. Okay. I'd like to thank you for all the work you do here in Pasco County. It means a lot to a lot of families and it's a very sad time when they come to you and the last days of their lives, actually, that they you help them through that that time. So it's very sad issue but but one that's also very helpful to

47:58Thank you Ron. You've been very supportive too. You've come to our care center and supported us as well many times. So we appreciate it. Jack's running our hospice uh run through the years. Catherine's always around. All of you have really supported us. I started we have thirty patients in uh twenty one years ago and and now to have all of the support and the growth through Pasco we've greatly appreciate it.

48:20And and you have a new one coming up.

48:22We have a new care center opening very soon in Newport Ritchie. We have our Rucky Care Center here in in Zephyrhills and uh so and each of you have also supported our growth through the years into other counties. But this is our home, this is our foundation, Pasco County will always be the hub.

48:38Uh such a sad but wonderful thing that you do and and my My heart goes out to the people who've worked with you and and help take care of our our loved ones in in a very tough time.

48:52Yeah, the staff is they're really the champions of our organization. My job is to take care of them so they can take care of our patients.

49:00I'm I wanna take a photo with everybody. Does anyone else want to say anything? Seth? He he might not have experienced this yet. He's a youngster. No.

49:11We've experienced it several several times and it's um

49:18Hi y'all. Work with the families to take such a time of sadness and uncertainty in in in turning into a

49:30a more positive experience, if you will. I'm not really sure how to describe it, but those who've been through this situation know know the feelings that I'm trying to describe here. Um how your team and your nurses help and help the families and uh manage that um That phase of life and and and for y'all to keep your spirits about you and give the families you know confidence in in helping their loved ones through that time is something that um is a is a is a learning and growing

50:00experience and it's something that that never leaves you. So your team are are are are really special focused. folks for stepping into that that phase of folks' lives and helping folks get through it. It's something that I think most everybody will always remember. And it's truly one of those situations where people don't remember, you know, what you may have said to them, but they remember how you made them feel. And so that's the best way I describe it. So thank you all for coming here today.

50:27Thank you. Um and Commissioner Yeah.

50:31I it yeah, it just takes a special person to do that job. And a life is hard. And you all just somehow make it just this peaceful transition and the staff is absolutely amazing, so caring. Um I've I've I've been through that situation multiple times and I just can't say enough about how they make not only the patient feel but the family feel. So what you all do is just ask Absolutely amazing. So thank

51:01you.

51:01You're welcome. And I'll pass your comments on to the team because they really feel honored by being in those very intimate, private situations with patients and families. They let us into their lives and we don't take it for granted. But our team loves to do it. They

51:15just love their work. They're just amazing. They're like angels.

51:19They are. Thank you very much. much. Commissioner.

51:22Thank you. And I want to say hospice is just such a critical plays such a critical role for families. It's it's been My aunts volunteered for them many times and sadly when my uncle was passing uh they were in there to help and just made such a difference for the whole family. So uh I've seen it directly on both ends and it's been awesome. But you Linda, you've been a superstar from day one. From when you went and built your first facility over here to uh the other side over here and what you've done in I can't believe in twenty-one years. Yeah, I have

51:49I've been

51:49recorded one of

51:49the things.

51:50Yeah, you bet you've been absolutely phenomenal. Your whole team is incredible. Thank you for all the great work you do to make make Pasco a better place. Thank

51:56you so much. My pleasure.

52:16I can see.

52:28Yeah.

52:37you want that to be.

52:40no no no

52:42Come on, Gami, and then you can. Let me let me take one that's

52:46doing

52:51Alright Gabby. Yeah.

53:01Yeah.

53:07Yeah. Do you have a memory time? Yeah.

53:12Oh yeah, but

53:24Yeah.

53:41You want Paula?