Soothing Paws®
Visits from therapy dogs can have many physical and emotional benefits for our hospital patients. Our program mission is to support Atlantic Health’s healing culture – to provide emotional comfort, improve physical well-being, and enhance the spiritual well-being of our patients and employees.
Visiting with therapy animals in a clinical environment has been proven to:
- Decrease anxiety
- Decrease a sense of isolation
- Decrease pain perception
- Decrease heart rate / lower blood pressure
- Increase a feeling of calmness
- Increase social functioning
- Increase willingness to rehabilitate
- Increase mobility
Soothing Paws® has over 90 therapy dog teams, each made up of a hospital volunteer and their trained dog, who visit with patients, visitors and our team members.
Each therapy dog team undergoes an evaluation and credentialing process by a licensed therapy dog organization. The team undergoes a secondary evaluation for the Soothing Paws® Program at our Gagnon Institute of Bioskills Training and Innovation to be sure it is a good fit for that team in a clinical environment.
Soothing Paws® fundraising
The Soothing Paws® program at Morristown Medical Center is made possible through the generosity of community donors. Charitable gifts can be made through the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center.
