Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist resumes its animal assisted therapy program – Winston-Salem Journal

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Bella visits an antepartum patient at The Birth Center at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Bella, a therapy dog at Wake Forest Baptist, wears a volunteer badge and vest.
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has resumed its animal assisted therapy program in which trained dogs are visiting patients in its Comprehensive Cancer Center and its Birth Center, the organization said Friday in a statement.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital officials put the program on hold the past two years.
“We’re so excited to bring back this valued program for our patients, families and staff,” said Suzanne Thompson, the program’s coordinator at Wake Forest Baptist. “The power of these four-legged angels is immense.”
Patients and hospital employees are benefiting from the therapy dogs’ visits, the hospital said.
Eight dogs ranging in size from a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to a Great Pyrenees are participating in the program. Before the pandemic, the program consisted of 26 dogs.
The dogs wear volunteer badges and vests.
The dogs have visited about 140 patients, said Eryn Johnson, a spokeswoman for Wake Forest Baptist.
Bella, a 7-year-old Goldendoodle owned by Karen Pranikoff, was one of the first dogs back to visit patients.
“It’s great to be back visiting patients and staff. Bella didn’t miss a beat. She remembered exactly what to do,” Pranikoff said. “I enjoy this as much as she does.
“It’s a wonderful addition to recreational therapy,” Pranikoff said. “A lot of these patients miss their own animals, and this offers them some comfort and normalcy.”
To become certified as a therapy animal at Wake Forest Baptist, dogs must be trained and pass an accredited behavioral and temperament test, including the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen test.
These dogs must maintain current veterinary vaccinations and certification records.
“Some recreational therapists have seen patients progress in mobility, directional learning, increase in attention span and sensory integration after or during visits from a therapy animal,” Johnson said. “These animals can also assist with coping skills as patients adjust to the hospital environment.”
The visits by the dogs have benefited patients in other ways, Johnson said.
“Some medical teams have noted improvements in coping skills and a positive adjustment to the rehab setting,” Johnson said. “Some have also observed the joy certain patients get in telling their caregiver that they got to see and work with a therapy dog while in the hospital.”
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WATCH NOW: Bella the therapy dog at Wake Forest Baptist
Bella visits an antepartum patient at The Birth Center at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Bella, a therapy dog at Wake Forest Baptist, wears a volunteer badge and vest.
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