The Canine F.E.T.C.H. (Friends Encouraging Therapeutic Coping and Healing) Unit is Prisma Health–Upstate’s animal-assisted therapy program for patients and their families. Facility dogs are expertly trained dogs who partner with a handler to care for patients at Prisma Health–Upstate.
One of the most valuable qualities of facility dogs is the unconditional love and attention they give to everyone with whom they interact. In a health care environment, activities such as grooming, feeding, snuggling and playing fetch with a facility dog can aid patients in medical rehabilitation and psychiatric programs.
Prisma Health–Upstate currently has five facility dogs: Becky, Beowolf, Bunny, Cookie, and King.
People say you can’t put a price on unconditional love, and we love all our facility dogs, but we couldn’t do what we do without the financial support of our Canine F.E.T.C.H. Unit sponsors. A big high-five paw to each of our sponsors.
Meet The Canine F.E.T.C.H. Unit
King serves on the Pediatric Supportive Care Team, as well as the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Hematology/Oncology Unit. His handlers are a Physician, a Certified Child Life Specialist and a Child Psychologist.
Cookie supports the Prisma Health Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center at Patewood alongside her handlers, Physician for Developmental Pediatrics and Certified Child Life Specialist.
Becky works to ease fears in pre-op at Greenville Memorial Hospital with her handler, a Certified Child Life Specialist.
Beowulf helps comfort and support patients on the Palliative Care team alongside his handlers, Chaplain and Physician.
Bunny works at both Greenville Memorial Hospital and Marshall I. Pickens alongside both of her handlers who are Social Workers.
Greenville Journal Article
Prisma’s FETCH facility dogs bring ‘medicine of their own’ to difficult situations
View Article Here