Therapy Dog Program Launches at Deaconess Health System with Three Furry Friends
Evansville, Ind. — Three new furry faces officially joined the Deaconess Health System workforce today: Chance, the Director of Pawsitivity at Deaconess Gateway Hospital; Jade, Chief Comfort Officer at Deaconess Midtown Hospital; and Bentley, Director of Paws at Deaconess Memorial Medical Center. These friendly animals are part of the inaugural Deaconess Comfort Crew Therapy Dog Program, funded through generous donors of the Deaconess Foundation and Deaconess Memorial Medical Center Foundation respectively.
“When a patient is feeling overwhelmed or anxious, these kind visitors help provide emotional support and lift their spirits with a comforting paw,” said Suzanne Crouch, Executive Director of the Deaconess Health System Foundation. “Even a short interaction with a therapy dog can help ease anxiety, reduce stress and lower blood pressure, helping to make a possibly difficult hospital stay a little easier.”
These sweet creatures don’t just impact patients, but team members too. Whether it is a nurse finishing a demanding shift or a doctor coping after a long day of surgery, a visit from one of these animals helps boost morale, bringing comfort and connection.
Chance, Jade and Bentley each went through a year-long training program in Kentucky before being greenlit to bring smiles to our Deaconess campuses, with the Deaconess Police Department overseeing their installation. Each animal has a special handler who spends all day with them rounding their respective hospitals and then goes home with them at night. For Kintina Chapman, Chief Nursing Officer at Deaconess Midtown Hospital, watching over Jade has been the privilege of a lifetime.
“I’ve been a nurse for a long time, but I don’t know if I’ve ever witnessed anything as special as the way Jade lights up a room,” she said. “When you feel good, you’re likely to heal faster and she just has that natural effect on people. It’s been a joy to bear witness to the power of a loving animal on our sickest patients.”
For more information and or to donate, please visit: www.deaconess.com/therapy-dog-program or www.deaconess.com/mmcf
ABOUT DEACONESS HEALTH SYSTEM: Deaconess Health System is a premiere provider of health care services to a population of more than 1.5 million in southwestern Indiana, western Kentucky and southeastern Illinois. The system, based in Evansville, Indiana, includes 23 hospitals – among them Deaconess Midtown Hospital, Deaconess Gateway Hospital, The Women’s Hospital, Deaconess Henderson Hospital, Deaconess Memorial Medical Center and numerous other hospital affiliates. Deaconess Clinic, a fully integrated multispecialty group featuring primary care physicians as well as top specialty doctors, provides patients with consistent and convenient care. Additional components include the Linda E. White Hospice House, a freestanding cancer center, urgent care facilities, near-site clinics, telemedicine, virtual visits, a network of preferred hospitals and doctors and multiple partnerships with other regional health care providers.
