Paws & Play Doggy Digest 2019 issue 4

The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department

2019 Issue 4

Richard Lichter Charity for Dogs Grant Announcement We are delighted to announce that our beloved, Moby is the recipient of a generous one-year Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) grant from the Richard Lichter Charity for Dogs. This grant will go toward supporting Moby’s at the Mount Sinai Hospital and toward ongoing research study, investigating the impact of Moby on staff burnout. The objective of the study will be to assess the impact of a Facility Dog program, Moby and art therapist on the well-being and resilience of clinical team members and support staff on high stress adult clinical environments such as the critical care units, emergency departments, and oncology units. Grant funds will also support novel educational seminars and opportunities to disseminate best practice for AAT in the hospital setting. We are grateful to the Richard Lichter Charity for Dogs for helping us make an even bigger impact for our staff, faculty, and trainees in our hospital community.

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Amos Presents to Mount Sinai Auxiliary Board On September 17, 2019, Morgan Stojanowski, Assistant Director of the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department and Tori Zucker, CCLS and facility dog handler had the great honor of presenting the Paws & Play program to Mount Sinai’s Auxiliary Board. Thanks to the generosity of the Auxiliary Board, the Paws & Play program was able to acquire Famous Amos from Canine Assistants in Alpharetta GA in 2017, expanding the programmatic reach of this innovative facility dog program. In addition to providing board members with an opportunity to meet (and cuddle) Amos, the presentation was able to convey the significant care and clinical work Amos has provided to our pediatric patients, families and staff members.

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LB 2019

Patient Spotlight– Jai Leigh & Professor Bunsen Jai-Leigh is seventeen year old who comes to the clinic for management of a bleeding disorder. When Jai-Leigh works with Professor and his clinical handler, Ali, they often engage in play, procedural support for frequent IV’s and blood draws. Another way Jai Leigh benefits from spending time with Professor, as you can see in these photos, is for comfort! Jai Leigh said I use Professor for support during blood draws and IVs. I like him because he is calm and playful. Seeing him be calm makes me feel calm, even when I am feeling anxious or nervous. I look forward to coming to clinic, even if it’s for a not fun reason, because I get to see Professor.”

PetSmart Charities Grant Announcement and Visit We are so excited that our Paws & Play facility dog program is a PetSmart Charities grantee! This generous one-year Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) grant will go directly toward supporting Professor and his handler’s AAT work at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. Professor will continue to work with his child life handlers in the Blau Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Diseases and the Pediatric Intensive and Cardiac Intensive Care Units. Grant funds will also continue to support an ongoing research study investigating the effect of AAT on patient distress during procedures. On October 30 we had a special visit from Dani from PetSmart Charities to discuss how this grant will help us to continue to reach patients, families, and staff. A big thank you to our friends at PetSmart Charities for continuing to support Professor and our program.

Happy Gotcha Day Amos On October 30th we celebrated Amos’ 2 years of bring smiles, laughter, and snuggles to our patients, families, and staff at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital.

Thank you for being

Happy 2nd Birthday Moby!

On December 10th, we celebrated the 2nd birthday of Moby! Moby and his handler had a puppy parade on all their clinical units, engaging in wellness, comfort, and socialization with faculty, staff, and trainees. We love you Moby!

We are grateful to our partners!

Paws & Play is generously supported by PetSmart Charities® and the Mount Sinai Auxiliary Board Paws & Play: Care for Clinical Teams is generously supported by the Gertrude Feil Charitable Trust, The Richard Lichter Charity for Dogs, and enCourage Kids Foundation