NCH seeks lovable dogs and handlers to expand animal-assisted therapy
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (July 15, 2015) - Northwest Community Healthcare's (NCH) Animal-Assisted Therapy program is looking for more four-legged friendly volunteers and their handlers to help expand the popular program that aids patients during their recovery. Lovable canines and their volunteer owners have helped bring comfort and smiles to patients and visitors at NCH for eight years.
A team consists of a dog and its handler, who must be the owner of the pet and at least 18 years old.
All breeds are welcome, but dogs must be in good health, obedient, enjoy people and get along with other dogs.
Volunteers must complete an application. Qualifying dogs will go through a two-hour temperament and obedience evaluation by professional dog trainers on Saturday, August 15. Teams that pass will attend a three-day training course at the hospital with mock and trainer-supervised patient visits and a briefing on hospital policies and infection control practices. The training - held October 17, 18 and 25 - will prepare teams for hospital visits. Modest fees help offset the costs of the temperament evaluation and training.
Since its launch in 2007, NCH's Animal-Assisted Therapy program has achieved great success and popularity. Animal-assisted therapy is a proven method of improving a patient's physical health by providing more emotional comfort while serving as a diversion from their illness.
A loving dog can assist in reducing a patient's stress, pain, anxiety and loneliness. Interaction between patients and pets can raise a person's spirits and improve their physical well-being by lowering blood pressure and accelerating recovery times. The NCH program has grown to 70 dog and handler teams who make hospital-wide visits 365 days each year.
"The animals provide a dimension of care that is unlike any other therapy," says Kathy King, manager of NCH's Animal-Assisted Therapy program. "Patients simply love the dogs. Our teams have made nearly 60,000 patient visits in nearly eight years."
For more details on NCH's Animal-Assisted Therapy program, visit the hospital's website or call 847-618-7968. Sponsorships are available to support the dog and handler teams.
About Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH)
Serving Chicago's northwest suburbs since 1959, NCH is a comprehensive, patient-centered system of care that serves more than 350,000 outpatients each year and more than 20,000 inpatients treated annually at the 496-bed acute care hospital in Arlington Heights. The award-winning hospital holds the prestigious Magnet designation for nursing excellence, is designated as a Primary Stroke Center, earned the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval in 2014, and was awarded the Leapfrog Group's designation as one of the nation's Top Hospitals based on quality and safety criteria. NCH has four Immediate Care locations in the northwest suburbs and operates an NCH Easy Access walk-in clinic in Palatine. NCH has a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians, which includes the board-certified primary care doctors and specialists of the NCH Medical Group. These physicians have selected our facility as a place where they want to treat and care for their private patients. For more information or to find a doctor on the NCH Medical staff, visit www.nch.org.