Issue 35.14
After 25 years of service to hospice patients and the terminally ill, David Isom, Director of Hospice at Southern Utah Home Care and Hospice (SUHCH) will take down his Director’s shingle and hang up his “Gone Fishing” sign. He retired this past week on August 21, 2014. His wisdom and commitment to hospice patients and our agency, as well as the Southern Utah community will be sorely missed.
David’s career started in 1974 after he graduated from Arizona State with a Master’s Degree in social work. For the next 15 years, he served the LDS church as a family and marriage counselor in Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, and Sydney, Australia.
Like many who leave our state, he came back home to Utah and decided to stay. He was born and raised in Hurricane and still lives in the original home of his parents, where he raised his own family of five children. In 1988 he accepted a position with IHC where he managed the home health and hospice unit. At that time when hospice care was considered a new and innovative medical treatment, he helped IHC through the process of becoming the second hospice agency in the state to be licensed and certified by Medicare.
Working in Hospice at IHC was a life changing event for David. “I really found my love for my career. I found hospice care was my passion in providing service to the patient and their family.”
In 1996 David was hired by Southern Utah Home Care and Hospice as the Branch Manager in Hurricane. In May of 1999, SUHCH became fully licensed and certified as a hospice agency by Medicare. He has served as its Hospice Director for 15 years. During that time he helped SUHCH expand its hospice service to Mesquite, Las Vegas, and Prescott, AZ. He was instrumental in obtaining the licensing and certification as well as training the staff in all three offices.
Isom states working with families in this difficult time in their life and helping them through the process of a loved one’s dying is very satisfying work. “Helping families through their grieving process after they have lost someone is rewarding. Families are so grateful for all the services they receive from the whole hospice team,” he said.
When asked what has been his greatest joy in his career with SUHCH, David stated: “My biggest joy has been to ensure that the patient and family are not suffering physically, emotionally or spiritually. To make sure the family and patient are comfortable and experience peace and comfort in the process of hospice care is one of the greatest satisfactions of my work.”
Summing up his feeling about his career in hospice, David stated: “Just to be able to share in the individual’s and family’s life during the transition from this life to the next is a particularly poignant time. To be invited to share that experience was always an honor.”
A final word to his colleagues past and present: “It’s been a very enjoyable run and a privilege to work with really high quality individuals committed to the care of patients and their families on hospice. I am especially grateful to have been able to work with the original owners of the company who gave the same quality comfort care for patients.”
Thank you, David, for your 25 years of service to Hospice Care for our community. You will be dearly missed.
Rev. Luigi Persichetti is the chaplain for Southern Utah Home Care and Hospice and retired Unity minister from Unity Center of Positive Living in St. George. To learn more about Hospice services, call Debbie Cox (634-9300) or Lisa Ross (635-9300) in Hurricane.