Child Life Facility Dogs
Lee Health: Providing Compassionate Care and Support for your Child Life Service Needs
The Lee Health Child Life team helps families cope with the stress and uncertainty of acute and chronic illness, injury, and more. Through evidence-based, developmentally and psychologically appropriate interventions our team helps families prepare for procedures through education, therefore reducing fear, uncertainty and pain. Our child life facility dogs are an essential part of our child life services at no cost to you.
What is a child life facility dog and what do they do?
A facility dog, or hospital-based community service dog, is a dog that is professionally trained to work in a healthcare setting. They become partners with an employee of the hospital where they work.
These dogs are an important part of a patient’s treatment plan and can assist in meeting clinical goals, through creative interventions, determined by the healthcare team.
Dorian and Lemon are a part the child life team and works at the hospital full-time (Monday through Friday). Our facility dogs work with their handlers, two certified child life specialists, to provide support and comfort, enhance a patient and family’s coping with healthcare experiences and, overall, improves the patient experience at the hospital.
Meet Your Facility Dogs
How do our facility dogs support your child during their hospital experience?
- Provide an alternate focus and comfort for patients during painful procedures
- Teaching patients about upcoming tests and procedures
- Encourage patients to ambulate after surgery and during hospitalization
- Ease stress and anxiety of patients and families through physical contact and soft touch
- Non-pharmacological support for pain management
- Support for patient and family at end-of-life and bereavement
Contact Us
If you feel that your child would benefit from a child life facility dog’s support during their healthcare experience, please contact the child life specialist on your unit.
