Support Polly,
Our Facility Dog
Hospitals can be overwhelming places for children. Unfamiliar surroundings, bright lights, and noisy machines can make the experience of being sick even scarier. At Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein (CHAM), man’s best friend has become a best friend to many of those children. Polly, a two-year-old black labrador mix, offers the most special of specialized care—raising spirits and providing diversion for children facing everything from routine bloodwork to long-term hospital stays; it’s a service not all hospitals are able to provide.
Unlike more common therapy or emotional-support animals—certified to visit medical settings for a few hours at a time—Polly is a facility dog and a real employee of the hospital. Facility dogs like Polly are highly trained in specific tasks to assist professionals working with patients. In fact, multiple studies show that facility animals help lower the stress hormone cortisol, elevate mood, build rapport, and normalize the hospital environment.
But starting a facility dog program is expensive. Montefiore Einstein has been able to cover Polly’s training, certification, and ongoing care costs thanks to sponsorship of generous donors. Your support for Polly is more than a contribution to the Child Life Team at CHAM; it is an investment in each patient’s quality of life.
