Paws for Healing
At UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, we believe that healing goes beyond medicine. Thanks to a generous partnership with NutriSource Pet Foods, our facility dog program is expanding to bring more comfort, courage, and smiles to help children and families facing medical challenges.
What sets our program apart is its significant therapeutic value for our patients. These highly trained dogs are partnered with credentialed child life specialists to help young patients navigate illness, injury, disability, trauma, or hospitalization. Handler and dog collaborate at the highest level to provide measurable improvements in physical, emotional, and mental health.
Benefits include:
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Relieving pain, stress, and anxiety for both patients and families
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Helping kids stay calm during uncomfortable procedures
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Bridging language barriers
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Building trust between kids and hospital staff
From inpatient rounds to rehabilitation, our facility dogs make the hospital feel more like home. Despite the impact of this therapy and its many benefits, few insurance companies will cover the cost of animal-assisted therapy, so we rely on the generosity of supporters like NutriSource.
