Healing comes in many forms. At Scripps, teams of two- and four-legged volunteers help patients heal, physically and emotionally.
Pet therapy dogs come in all shapes and sizes. Scripps’ canine volunteers have all passed the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen exam and are obedient, clean and friendly. Many patients are seen on a regular basis, so they have a chance to bond with therapy dogs and their handlers. These volunteers offer patients respite from the stresses that come with a hospital stay. Pet therapy dogs reduce anxiety and provide patients a welcome distraction from pain. Some doctors even prescribe pet therapy visits.
In this episode of San Diego Health, host Susan Taylor and guests Jill Sandman, manager of volunteer services for Scripps Health’s north region, and Rosemary Van Gorder, a longtime Scripps pet therapy volunteer, discuss the health care system’s volunteer program, the different roles volunteers play and how you can help.
Volunteers are often the first person you see when entering a Scripps facility. They’re members of our community and often, grateful patients. In 2018, 2,100 volunteers donated their time to Scripps. The system’s 65 pet therapy volunteers made more than 12,000 visits and donated more than 1,200 hours.
On average, volunteers work one, four-hour shift a week and canine volunteers usually spend about two hours with patients, so it’s pretty easy to work into your schedule. If you’d like to volunteer at Scripps, visit scripps.org/volunteer, pick a hospital or clinic, and apply. No health care experience is required.