“Everyone got so tired of me asking if they knew how we could get a therapy dog,” laughs LJ Rasi, LSW, TUH-Episcopal Campus’ Director of Behavioral Health.
He’s exaggerating, but only a little. For years, Rasi and his team were determined to bring pet therapy back to Episcopal. The once-thriving program was put on hold during the pandemic, and by the time visitor restrictions were lifted, its primary volunteer had moved away. The team tried everything to find a new dog-and-handler team, including securing a $12,000 grant for volunteers, but even that didn’t seem to help.
Still, Rasi didn’t give up. “I mentioned it at every meeting we had with colleagues from other campuses,” he says. “Almost everyone had heard my pitch—but one day, Anita reached out with a potential lead.”
That would be Anita Murphy, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, NE-BC, Temple Health-Chestnut Hill Hospital’s Director of Education and Professional Development. “I found Berni and his handler Jane because I had been looking for a therapy dog to bring to our campus during Patient Experience Week,” Murphy explains. “I saw the way people changed when they interacted with Berni. Petting a therapy dog can take a lot of stress off someone’s mind.”
Jane and Berni had become official volunteers at TH-CHH when Murphy learned that Episcopal needed a therapy dog. “I got an email from LJ saying there was a stipend for volunteers who could bring their pets to campus,” Murphy says. “I didn’t want to lose Jane and Berni because I was so excited that we had a therapy dog. But I thought, ‘Boy, Jane still has to pay for gas and feed her puppy. Maybe she would be interested in this opportunity.’ That’s when I connected her to LJ.”
“Without our friends at Chestnut Hill, we would still be without a therapy dog,” says Rasi. “This is a great example of different parts of the Health System coming together to help each other."
“I’m an educator, and I’m used to thinking about, ‘Who’s the right person who can teach something?’ or ‘What’s the right connection I can make here?’” Murphy says. “I’m always looking for what the need is. That’s what we do in healthcare, right? It’s about not being afraid to help other people. Some folks were like, ‘Oh no! You’re going to let Jane and Berni go?’ But I told them, ‘No, no, no! This is a great opportunity for her.’ And it will really benefit the patients and staff at Episcopal. That’s what we’re here for: to help heal and guide people.”
Making an Immediate Impact
Jean Francois Feristin, one of Episcopal’s Behavioral Health and Recreational Therapists, has already seen that impact firsthand. Feristin escorted Jane and Berni on their first visit to campus on November 10th, when they spent time on the Behavioral Health units.
“So many of our patients have been pet owners, and seeing Berni was very therapeutic for them,” Feristin says. “You could see the change in their affect: the way they were smiling and how they spoke. They could relax and pet the dog and ask questions about him.”
“We have one patient who usually sits by himself,” Feristin continues. “He’s a little quiet. Before Berni’s visit, I asked him if he would come to pet therapy, and he said, ‘Yes, I used to have a dog.’ When we went to the recreation room, he sat in a corner, but when Berni went up to him, you could see the change in his face. His eyes got bigger, and he started smiling. He held Berni and pet him, and he was very happy.”
Staff also participated in the pet therapy session. “Two of our Environmental Services team members stopped by, as did a woman from Security,” Feristin says. “The Security employee talked about her pets at home, and how similar they were to Berni. A nurse and a tech also came by, and said, ‘We didn’t know we had pet therapy!’ And I told them, ‘Yes, we had it before COVID, and now it’s starting again.’”
Jane and Berni returned to Episcopal on December 1st and will continue to visit on a regular basis. And, thanks to Murphy, there may be another dog-and-handler team on campus soon.
“I have an additional volunteer signed up at Chestnut Hill, and I’m also going to offer her the opportunity to go to Episcopal,” Murphy says. “I think you should always remain mindful of which departments have a need, and if you find yourself in a place where you can make that connection and link people together, then you’ve done the work.”
