Nemours Launches Pet Therapy Program on Valentine's Day

Orlando, Florida
Wednesday, February 13, 2008 @ 02:50 PM EST
by: Jarod Cady

**Valentine’s Day Photo Opportunity – February 14 from 9 - 11 a.m. at Nemours Children’s Clinic, 1717 South Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando**

Orlando, FL - Nemours, one of the nation’s largest children’s health systems, today announces the launch of its pet therapy program at the new Nemours Children’s Clinic in Orlando located at 1717 South Orange Avenue. As part of the Volunteer Services Program, pet therapy is designed to help improve the physical, social and emotional well being of patients. Each week, pets will visit the Orlando clinic to help provide comfort to children awaiting treatments. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day on February 14, Nemours volunteers will greet patients and families from 9-11 a.m. in the clinic waiting areas with registered Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) dogs dressed in Valentine’s Day attire.

“We are very excited to bring this volunteer-based pet therapy program to Nemours Children’s Clinic Orlando on Valentine’s Day,” stated Jill Mondry, Nemours director of the volunteer services program. “We hope this program will warm the children’s hearts and put big smiles on the faces of those who may feel anxious about receiving treatments or seeing a physician.”

This program, while not connected, is in line with the recent announcement of Nemours’ community partnership with the Harmony Institute. The partnership will study the significant impact that nature, in the form of therapeutic gardens and animals, can have on children’s health, wellness and the overall healing process.

Pet therapy has been utilized in different ways for more than 100 years benefiting people of all age ranges. The practice has gained increasing attention in recent years, where pet therapy has been the subject of serious study for nursing and other health care disciplines concerned with emotional well-being and quality of life.

The following provides background information regarding the clinical benefits of pet therapy:

• In 1985, University of Pennsylvania researchers reported that petting a dog or cat can lower blood pressure in individuals with hypertension.
  Data Source: Veterinary Clinic of North America – Small Animal Practice
• A University of California Los Angeles Medical Center study of 76 heart failure patients showed that a visit by a dog and volunteer (usually the owner) significantly reduced patients' levels of epinephrine, a hormone the body makes when under stress, and lowered heart and lung pressure by 10 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
  Data Source: November 2007 American Journal of Critical Care
• The American Heart Association reported that researchers discovered that a 12-minute visit with an animal helped heart and lung function by lowering pressures, diminishing release of harmful hormones and decreasing anxiety among hospitalized heart failure patients.
  Data Source: November 2007 American Journal of Critical Care

modified: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 @ 03:12 PM EST
created: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 @ 02:47 PM EST

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.