CINCINNATI — A hospital stay can be tough for anyone, especially a child. Cincinnati Children's Hospital has a program to help both kids and their families through the experience. It's called the canine comfort program and pairs social workers and child life specialists with trained therapy dogs.
The dogs make the rounds, visiting patients and their families in their rooms.
"We do a lot of teaching kids about the hospital, teaching kids about what’s going on with their bodies in a language they can understand and in terms they can understand," said child life specialist Katie Bradford.
Bradford has seen firsthand the difference these dogs make.
"I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve brought Chevy into a room and the parents or the staff come back and say ‘that’s the first time I’ve seen them smile in a month,'" she said.
The dogs do more than just lay with the kids on their hospital beds and get pets.
"We’ll actually let kids practice pretending to put the IV in the right spot," Bradford said. “A lot of kids, if they see the dog do it, they’re like, ‘Well, I know if Josiah can do it or I know if Chevy can do it, that means I can do it and it’s not scary.’”
Bradford said even just seeing the dogs act like dogs in the hospital can be really helpful for patients.
"I think sometimes the hospital can feel like this really serious environment," she said. "[it] really helps them to just be a kid again."
While these dogs aren't on the payroll, it does take money to make sure they can keep doing their job.
"It gets expensive. There’s grooming, there’s vet bills," said Anna Marie, an on-air personality with B105.
The radio station is holding a fundraiser all month for this program.
"If you have kids or know a kid in your life, think of them," Marie said. "Picture them in this situation and how much that could help them."
B105 is also offering incentives like country concert tickets, Skyline Chili gift cards and Xavier basketball tickets. Anyone who donates will be entered to win a prize. You can find more information or donate here.
