The stress of the people these days is heightened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everybody feels anxious about getting the virus and not being able to fight it off. Besides, the pressure is on the nurses and doctors in taking care of these patients and, at the same time, doing all the necessary precautions so that they won’t get the disease.
These days, healthcare workers are working double time. Some of their comrades had contracted the disease, and sadly, their bodies were not able to fight the virus. The death of their fellow health worker adds up to their stress, thinking that they might be the next victim.
At Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, the mental well-being of the hospital staff is being taken care of by Wynn, a therapy dog.
Wynn, a year-old yellow Labrador Retriever, received her early training from Dr. Susan Ryan, an emergency room physician at Rose Medical Center. Wynn has been with Dr. Ryan since she was eight weeks old. Dr. Ryan brings Wynn to the hospital regularly so that she would gain experience and exposure in taking care of patients who needed support.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wynn has started to extend her services in providing emotional support to doctors and nurses who are frontliners. Wynn is stationed at the social worker’s office and patiently waits for visits from the hospital employees should they need some comfort. Wynn would let these people touch her while taking some time off from their stressful job. Wynn is the on-demand therapy dog at Rose Medical Center.
Wynn is not yet a full-fledged therapy dog. When she turns 18-22 months old, she will have her intensive training at Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). CCI is a non-profit organization that matches therapy and service dogs with adults, veterans, and children with disabilities free of charge.
Once Wynn completes her training, she will be assigned to take care of someone who needs support.
While Wynn is waiting for her formal training, she can gain experience at Rose Medical Center.
Good job, Wynn! We can’t wait to see you be a certified therapy dog soon!
Photos courtesy of rosemedicalcenter via Instagram