Can dogs help hospitals retain staff and improve well-being? Guelph researchers want to find out
The research project between the U of G and CMH is slated to begin in May
Carmen Groleau · CBC News · Posted: Apr 15, 2024
Guelph researchers will be working with Cambridge Memorial Hospital (CMH) in a new study that will look into whether having a service dog in hospitals will help retain staff and improve their mental well-being. The research will entail closely following Ember, a black Labrador service dog, who has been making her rounds at CMH since 2022 and works exclusively with hospital staff to reduce work-related stress.
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Researchers to study impact of facility dog at Cambridge Memorial Hospital
Colton Wiens, CTV News Kitchener Videographer Posted April 4, 2024
A dog at Cambridge Memorial Hospital is set to be one of the main subjects of a University of Guelph study. National Service Dogs (NSD)-certified facility dog Ember has been working at the hospital since May 2022. The Labrador retriever helps provide mental health support for staff, physicians, midwives, and volunteers.
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Canada First - NSD certified Facility Dog dedicated to a Canadian hospital
Original CMH Media Release (Aug. 2022)
CMH is pleased to introduce National Service Dog (NSD) Ember, as its dedicated facility dog. Ember and her handler team is specially trained to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff, physicians, midwives and volunteers.
Facility dogs provide goal directed interventions that can help staff with improvement in physical, social, emotional or cognitive abilities. At CMH, Ember’s role will be to offer stress release, provide mental health support and provide emotional comfort in a high stress environment. Facility dogs are typically deployed in high stress environments like Fire and Police Departments. Read more here.