CMH FIRST HOSPITAL IN CANADA TO DEPLOY DEDICATED FACILITY DOG

Cambridge Memorial Hospital has a new staff member.

CMH is pleased to introduce National Service Dog (NSD) Ember, as its dedicated facility dog. Ember and her handler team is specially trained to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff, physicians, midwives and volunteers.

Facility dogs provide goal directed interventions that can help staff with improvement in physical, social, emotional or cognitive abilities. At CMH, Ember’s role will be to offer stress release, provide mental health support and provide emotional comfort in a high stress environment. Facility dogs are typically deployed in high stress environments like Fire and Police Departments.

“Kim MacDougall, a CMH staff member, approached the executive team in 2019 with a proposal to have a facility dog,” said Patrick Gaskin, president and CEO Cambridge Memorial Hospital. “We thought it was a great idea and pursued the application. As health care providers, we face many challenges and daily stress that can impact our mental health. Ember is another way to support our staff’s mental health. Not only does she provide comfort, she also promotes positive conversations around mental health,” added Gaskin

CMH is the first in Canada to have a dedicated, National Service Dog certified facility dog placed in a hospital. “Ember is paving the way for future placements in the healthcare sector.We look forward to hearing about the amazing work NSD Ember will do at CMH,” said Emma Bluhm, Communications Coordinator, National Service Dogs.

Given the program is new for a hospital, discussions have started with the University of Guelph to formally evaluate the impact of the program, both on staff and on the facility dog.“We are in the early stages of exploring research opportunities with the hospital team and are excited about the potential to study the impact of program on both the staff and Ember.” says Dr. Jason Coe, Professor, VCA Canada Chair in Relationship-Centred Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph.

The cost associated with Ember is graciously funded by the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation. Over the next ten years, Ember’s food and veterinary bills will be paid for by the donation. “From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation for their generous gift to our hospital that’s made Ember’s presence possible,” said Lisa Short, Executive Director, CMH Foundation. “This donation means investing in our future and helping CMH adapt to the evolving needs of our healthcare workers. It means offering even more support to our staff so that they can provide our community with the absolute best care.”

After a two-month orientation period that included more assessments from the NSD, Ember is now deployed and is working at the hospital.