BLACKWOOD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Jefferson Health South Jersey says a recent therapy pet visit for employees experiencing high levels of stress was so popular that management is bringing it back on a weekly basis.
Pet therapy is popular for patients at hospitals all over the country. Some hospitals even have regular visits from specially trained dogs.
Christina Romano with Jefferson Health South Jersey says hospital staff need some relief, too. Hospital workers of all stripes have seen so much death and sickness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that the dogs’ presence alone brings relief right away, she said.
“When the dogs enter the ICU, which is a much more critical level of care, you can completely see the nurse’s demeanor immediately change,” Romano said.
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She says the program will include a weekly visit at one of the health system’s three South Jersey hospitals, and the schedule will rotate so each hospital gets at least one visit per month, for now.
“Because my goal is to have a dog in the hospital every day,” Romano said.
Romano says she’s working on lining up the funding to sustain a more robust therapy dog program for many years to come, but adds this is a good first step.