GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Trinity Health has 4 new hires, and-- where you won’t see them scrubbing-in for surgery or wrapping up wounds—they may be just what’s needed to lower blood pressures and raise spirits in the ER.
Violence from patients has become a fact of life for doctors, nurses, security, and other hospital staff – with nearly 85% of ERs experiencing some form of incident, according to the healthcare provider.
Bosco, Kyro, Zan, and Marco are specially trained K9s who will work as furry therapists, putting smiles on the faces of those who help people through some terrifying situations multiple times a day, and calming those patients who may be at the most risk of losing control.
The four dogs will work to de-escalate these incidents as they happen— and, from what has been seen across the country; the method works.
Trinity Health also shared with us that programs like this are already effective in de-escalating 75% of the situations they’re involved in.
Make no mistake—these dogs are trained to protect the staff, though.
“The canines are trained in obedience, aggression control, and explosive detection. The dogs are prepared to deter violence and quickly mitigate tense situations, along with their handlers,” said Dave Kiddle, security and emergency preparedness director at Trinity Health Grand Rapids. “Emergency Departments often see more violence or disruptive behavior than other areas in hospitals due to the nature of emergencies and acting as the initial evaluation site for physical and mental health situations. Our providers treat 60,000 patients annually in our Emergency Department, so it’s pivotal we keep those patients and staff safe.”
The dogs completed a rigorous 6-week course and have been paired with a handler on Trinity Health’s security staff in Grand Rapids and will be giving the hospital the same ‘round-the-clock care you can expect from anyone on the staff.
