Therapy dogs bring joy to staff at HCA Florida Highlands Hospital

Sebring, FL — HCA Florida Highlands Hospital, a 126-bed facility, and part of HCA Florida Healthcare, the largest healthcare system in the state, recently partnered with Highlands County Sheriff’s Office to host a therapy dog training at the facility. Therapy dogs and their sheriff’s office K-9 teams from counties across the state of Florida gather on a quarterly basis to stay up-to-date on their ‘Paws and Stripes’ certification, run by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. This particular get-together included 15 therapy dogs.

“Today we focused on hospital familiarization, so that’s different sights and sounds, and it’s preparing the teams to help victims should they come here on a call,” said Liz Fischer, therapy dog handler at Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s acclimating dogs to different exposures and experiences.”

Kimberly Goddard, the manager of the medical/surgical/telemetry/orthopedics unit at HCA Florida Highlands Hospital, was the main facilitator of bringing the dogs to the facility. She had often encountered Liz in her previous unit, the emergency room, and once asked if the dogs could come to the hospital. Liz thought it would be beneficial for the therapy dogs as not all counties go to hospitals for their training. “It helps the dogs desensitize to the different noises and a different environment,” said Goddard. “For this area, they come to our hospital, mainly to show the staff some extra love and affection to help our staff de-stress a little bit.”

In numerous studies, therapy dogs have been proven to have a calming effect on both hospital colleagues and patients. According to UCLA’s Animal-Assisted Therapy Research, petting animals can elevate moods, lower anxiety, and increase mental stimulation.