www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com | 15 “I said I’m not getting out of bed. I’m not walking your dog either,” the young patient said. “I’ve already walked a dog.” His reluctance to leave his bed was understandable. No child wants to be in the hospital – and certainly not on Thanksgiving. “But have you ever walked a turkey?” a child life specialist asked. The patient brightened as a gentle golden retriever stepped into the room dressed as a Thanksgiving bird; the youngster’s reaction was to get out of bed and walk alongside his new furry and feathered friend. Welcome to MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, where Paws4TheKids has sparked breakthroughs like this one for the last two years. Three years ago, Carolyn Donohue, former executive director of Nursing, Children’s, Women’s and Mental Health, identified the need for facility dogs in the MUSC SJCH family. “At the time, I’d read various articles about facility dogs. We’re members of the Children’s Hospital Association, and there was a discussion within that network, too,” Donohue said. The work involved in obtaining a facility dog can be daunting, but Donohue forged ahead, writing a grant to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. Donohue’s vision was a good match for the Foundation, whose mission is to provide joy and comfort for children battling hunger or illness. It awarded the grant and delivered the necessary funding. “Getting the grant was only the beginning,” Donohue said. “The next step was getting the dogs.” Few organizations train facility dogs, and it can take up to five years to receive one once a request is submitted. The Dunkin’ Joy Foundation works closely with Canine Assistants, a nonprofit in Milton, Georgia, that provided the Children’s Hospital’s first two facility dogs: golden retrievers Baskin and Agnes. A dog such as Baskin, who donned the turkey costume, starts work in the morning and begins his journey through a myriad of tasks. He might jump on a bed and ride down to the operating unit with a child to decrease anxiety and be on hand when the patient wakes. He might participate in relationship building exercises with patients and staff. And he may help a child create a “pawsitive” memory of the hospital stay – a paint-stamped paw print mingled with the patient’s handprint on a canvas. Donohue recently shared news about her “semi-retirement” and shift of the leadership reins for the program into the hands of Michelle Jeffcoat, child life specialist and facility dog program coordinator. Jeffcoat and Amy Hauser, administrator for Children’s and Women’s services, share responsibility for the care of Baskin. Jeffcoat is Baskin’s “work mom,” and Hauser is his “home mom.” “Child Life Services is all about communication through emotions and feelings through play – an outlet for the child’s anxiety. It’s fun and messy,” explained Betsy McMillan, manager of Child Life Services. “We are geared toward play to help them forget they are in the hospital. The facility dogs do an excellent job of that.” Registered Dietitian Abbie Hebron, left; Michelle Jeffcoat; and Nurse Practitioner Jess Gardner, right.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1