Grady Adds Animal-Assisted Therapy to its Renowned Patient Care

Grady celebrated National Therapy Animal Day April 30, 2018

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May 01, 2018, 12:00 ET

ATLANTA, May 1, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Grady Health System is proud to announce its latest addition to specialty care – the Grady Dog Therapy Program. Hospitalized patients can now get a helping paw from certified therapy dogs on their road to recovery, as research has shown this type of interaction can substantially ease patients' physical and emotional pain.

"Grady is committed to putting patients first, and a positive patient experience goes beyond providing excellent clinical care. Our dogs help patients heal," said Chief Experience Officer, Lindsay Caulfield.

Honey Duke and Peaches were among the first set of therapy dogs to visit Grady patients and staff as part of the Dog Therapy Program.

"Grady's centers of excellence—including Trauma, Burn, Stroke and Neuroscience and Cardiac—care for many critically ill or injured patients. Since the launch of the program, visits from the dogs have provided comfort, and in many instances encouraged patients to become engaged in their recovery."

Former patient Jaylen Richardson stayed in Grady's Burn Center for more than a year, after a near-fatal motorcycle accident in August 2016 caused third degree burns, and led to 34 surgeries, an induced coma, and the loss of his left forearm.

"I was depressed. I refused to work with the doctors and nurses to rehabilitate myself, I just wanted to stay in my bed. But then one day Honey Duke and Peaches came into my room, and something came alive in me. I focused on them, and my pain went out the window," Richardson said.

This profound transformation in Richardson and hundreds of other patients like him has made the Dog Therapy Program a staple in how Grady delivers care, Caulfield said.

"It's not only the patient who reaps the benefits from this program, family members and staff who visit with our dogs say they feel better too. We're adding more therapy dogs to the line-up so we can reach even more patients and staff with this comforting program."

All dogs involved are certified through Pet Partners or Happy Tails. For more information about Grady's Dog Therapy Program, head to https://www.gradyhealth.org/grady-furlunteer/ or call the Patient Family experience office at (404) 616-3500.

About Grady Health System
Grady Health System is one of the largest safety net health systems in the United States. Grady consists of the 953-bed Grady Memorial Hospital, six neighborhood health centers, Crestview Health & Rehabilitation Center, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, which is operated as a Children's affiliate.

With its nationally acclaimed emergency medical services, Grady has Atlanta's premier Level I trauma center - Metro Atlanta's only nationally verified Level 1 center - and serves as the 911 ambulance provider for the city of Atlanta. Grady's American Burn Association/American College of Surgeons verified Burn Center is one of only two in the state. And the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center is a Joint Commission designated Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Other key services/distinctions include Grady's Regional Perinatal Center with its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Georgia's first Cancer Center for Excellence, The Avon Comprehensive Breast Center, the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, and the Ponce de Leon Center - one of the top HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country. Grady is one of an elite group of hospitals to earn the Baby-Friendly USA international recognition as a Baby-Friendly Designated birth facility. In 2017, Grady earned the prestigious Stage 7 on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, becoming Georgia's first adult acute care hospital to earn the highest rating for improving patient care and safety through health information technology.

SOURCE Grady Health System