Visitors to the emergency room of one Milwaukee hospital are being greeted by a big, friendly dog who’s there not only to lift patients’ spirits, but to keep them safe.
Wheaton Franciscan St. Joseph Hospital has the busiest ER in Wisconsin, and Director of Security Cindy Mangen says it has unique security concerns.
"St. Joseph Hospital is positioned in a community that is dealing with very complex issues on a daily basis. There has been an increase in violent crime in the City of Milwaukee, and the neighborhood of St. Joseph’s campus is no exception. So, we were looking for an interactive approach to help de-escalate crisis situations," Mangen says.
The solution they came up with makes St. Joseph’s the first of its kind in Wisconsin, though it's been used in other hospitals across the country with success. They've added two K9 Security Officers, and their handlers, to their security team.
K9 Security Supervisor Mark Cassity says the dogs are trained to detect and de-escalate threats to security and sniff out explosives, but they're also expected to interact with stressed out patients and staff, and to lift their spirits. Cassity says, "That is the big difference between our program and maybe law enforcement applications. We do encourage visitors, patients…if they want to interact with us, to approach, ask if they can pet our partner, and usually, 9-out-of-ten times it’s not a problem."
The medical staff also likes the addition of the dogs to the hospital security team, according to the chief of the emergency department, Dr. Gary Swart.
"This allows us the opportunity to create a better environment for everybody in the department, regardless of illness or emotional upset or whatever, and allows us, as providers, to know we’re working in a safe environment, which improves our ability to care for patients, as well, " says Dr. Swart.
Security chief Mangen says so far, the program is going – quote -- very, very well, and if they continue to see positive results, they may consider expanding the K9 unit.