Christopher Berman works with pediatric heart specialists, but these caregivers don't have an MD after their names.
Berman is director of the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (SPCA's) Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program, and his "heart specialists" are the volunteers and their dogs who visit patients at UCSF Children's Hospital.
"Patients gather around the AAT animals and volunteers like people warming their hands at a campfire," Berman said. In addition to warming patients' proverbial hearts, contact with animals has been shown to have therapeutic effects like lowering blood pressure and pulse rate, he noted.
One of his specialists is Kayla, a 7-year-old black Labrador retriever who volunteers along with her owner, Wendy Tarvyd. Tarvyd and Kayla have been participating in the SPCA program at UCSF and elsewhere for about six years, since Tarvyd learned that a neurological condition would prevent her from working.
"These kids give me such hope - it has been inspirational," Tarvyd said. "I've seen so many kids who, people have said, wouldn't make it, and they have," she said. "They are so sick. But for a brief moment while they are cuddling in bed with Kayla, they forget about everything else."
Tarvyd and Kayla visit both inpatients and outpatients in the Pediatric Treatment Center in the Ambulatory Care Center. "When I drive past UCSF, Kayla gets all excited and her tail starts wagging," Tarvyd said.
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| Roman Zabala, 12, spends some quality time with Kayla, an SPCA therapy dog, at UCSF Children's Hospital Pediatric Treatment Center.
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The SPCA visits are coordinated by the UCSF Children's Hospital Child Life program and occur twice a month, program Director Michael Towne said.
"When a dog comes, you often see a child's first smile of the day - or even of the week," Towne said. "Parents often remark on how much the visits lift their child's spirits."
The San Francisco SPCA is the first animal welfare organization in the nation to provide the therapy service. Today, more than 100 volunteers and their pets participate in the program, serving more than 89 institutions citywide. In addition to hospitals, volunteers visit geriatric programs, hospice programs, psychiatric facilities and programs for the developmentally disabled, among others. UCSF Children's Hospital has partnered with the SPCA for more than 20 years.
UCSF Children's Hospital at UCSF Medical Center is recognized worldwide as a leader in innovative medicine, advanced technology and compassionate care serving the needs of children. Its expertise covers virtually all conditions, with more than 150 physicians in more than 40 specialties, including cancer, heart disease, infertility, neurological disorders, organ transplantation and orthopedics.
Photo by Phyllis Brown
