Hospital &  Healthcare Facility Therapy Animal Wellness Visit

🐾 Healing Hearts: Therapy Dogs in Hospitals & Healthcare Facilities

🐶 Comfort, Calm, and Connection for Patients & Staff
Healing Hearts brings certified comfort-level therapy dogs into hospitals, clinics, and healthcare settings to provide emotional support and stress relief for patients, families, and healthcare workers. Our specially trained dogs help reduce anxiety, brighten moods, and create moments of calm in high-stress medical environments.

🐕 How It Works

• Patient Visits: Therapy dogs visit patients in rooms, waiting areas, or recovery spaces to offer gentle, reassuring companionship.

• Staff Support: Dogs provide mental health breaks and morale boosts for nurses, doctors, and hospital staff.

• Specialized Comfort Dogs: Only comfort-level therapy dogs are used in clinical environments, ensuring calm, predictable behavior suited for sensitive medical settings.

• Small Group & One-on-One Sessions: Interactions are tailored to the needs and mobility of patients or staff.

• Handler Supervision: All visits are led by trained handlers who maintain strict safety, hygiene, and patient care protocols.
  
  

🌟 Who Benefits

• Patients coping with illness, stress, or hospital stays

• Families providing support to loved ones

• Healthcare Workers experiencing burnout, compassion fatigue, or high-pressure shifts

• Hospitals & Clinics seeking to enhance patient experience and staff wellness
  
  

💖 Why It Works

• Reduces stress, anxiety, and feelings of isolation for patients

• Improves mood, comfort, and overall well-being in medical environments

• Provides emotional support for healthcare staff, boosting morale and resilience

• Encourages calm, mindful interactions in fast-paced or high-stress settings
  
  

🌈 Facility Impact
Incorporating Healing Hearts therapy dog visits creates a more compassionate, patient-centered environment while supporting the mental health of both staff and patients. Hospitals and healthcare facilities that prioritize emotional well-being see benefits in patient satisfaction, staff morale, and overall workplace culture.

Backed By Science

Facility Dogs Support Patients, Families, and Staff in Pediatric Hospitals (Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2022)

Facility dogs improve stress and well-being, unit morale, and clinician–patient rapport. They also comfort and normalize the hospital environment for patients and families, contributing to a more supportive clinical setting.
"Facility dogs were described to benefit pediatric healthcare professionals’ daily lives through improving stress and wellbeing, staff relationships, and job-related morale... [and benefit] patients and families by helping build rapport, providing a comforting presence and positive resource." PMC
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Visiting Therapy Dogs Ease Pain, Anxiety, and Improve Well-Being in Emergency Departments (Controlled Trial)

Visiting therapy dog teams led to a significant reduction in patients’ pain perception and anxiety, with corresponding improvements in depression and overall well-being. These interventions act through distraction and neurochemical mechanisms like increased oxytocin and reduced cortisol.
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Therapy Dogs Lift Spirits of ICU Patients and Staff in Barcelona Hospital (Hospital del Mar, Spain)

Patients in intensive care received visits from therapy dogs twice weekly. These visits appeared to uplift morale, reduce stress, and boost well-being—with ongoing studies measuring stress indicators like cortisol, oxytocin, and serotonin. Staff also benefited from the positive atmosphere created.
"Both patients and hospital staff benefit from the presence of these dogs, experiencing lifts in morale and emotional support."
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Therapy Dogs Help Reduce Pain in Emergency Room Patients

A study published in PLOS ONE by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan found that therapy dogs can help reduce pain, including anxiety and depression, in emergency room patients. The presence of therapy dogs offers comfort and emotional support, contributing to improved patient well-being during stressful medical situations.

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Therapy Dogs Offer Comfort to Young Hospital Patients

UCLA Health reports that therapy dogs are being introduced into intensive care unit settings, helping patients, especially children, cope with the alien environment of the hospital. These animals provide emotional support, reduce anxiety, and assist both patients and staff in managing the challenges of a hospital stay.

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