The dog-tors will see you now! Thanks to our partnership with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, La Rabida now has a new Therapy Dog program based in our outpatient clinic. Every Tuesday from 10am to 12pm, patients, families, and staff will have the opportunity to interact with a therapy K9 team in the outpatient lobby or garden area.
Zilly the Therapy K9 and his partner Officer Jerry helped kick things off last week, spending time with patients outside before moving down to the clinic lobby. Zilly was a hit with the patients as well as the staff, spreading excitement and getting plenty of head scratches in return.
“One little boy was hugging Zilly with such happiness on his face, it was just pure joy,” said Lucy Mayhugh, Executive Director of Clinical Operations. “Everyone who came into contact with Zilly that day was happy to see the dog-tor!”
Maria Cardenas, Inpatient Unit Administrative Assistant at La Rabida is the one who introduced the program and subsequent partnership to the hospital. “I had a similar program for 2 years with the hospital that I came from,” shared Maria.
“We saw miracles happen with Zilly and I thought that our kids here were also in need of his special brand of therapy.”
“The program is a morale booster – if you’re going through a hard time or having a bad day, then at least for that moment Zilly is here, you can forget about all that and add some positivity to your day.” Ella the Therapy K9 and her partner Officer Renee are also scheduled to spend time in the outpatient clinic though they haven’t made an appearance yet. “She’s very gentle, calm, and will do great with the meet-and-greet.”
George Hardin, La Rabida’s Volunteer Manager, also played a part in connecting the therapy dogs to the outpatient clinic. Furthermore, as an extension of the volunteer program, the therapy K9 teams will work directly with George while they’re inside the hospital.
For the hospital as a whole, the therapy dog program offers many benefits. “Dogs are so comforting and have a calming, therapeutic effect,” said Lucy Mayhugh. “I embraced the opportunity to share this with our families because it’s a chance to not only help bring a bit of happiness to a possibly scary event for a child, but to also engage in a happy, positive experience with law enforcement and let our staff get some feel-good moments during what is usually a busy and hectic day.”
