HJAR Nov/Dec 2021

60 NOV / DEC 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Hospital Rounds Mercy Fort Smith Volunteers Begin Therapy Dog Program Robert Mercer may be the most popular man at Mercy Fort Smith, at least on Wednesdays. That’s when Mercer, a Mercy volunteer, is accom- panied by Baxter, a 10-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who is new on the job as a therapy dog at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith. The mild-man- nered pup spends two hours each week visiting Mercy co-workers, patients and families. Mercer is a retired police officer whose wife, Cathy, is a nurse practitioner at Mercy Fort Smith. She, along with Pamela Gaborni, MD, discussed having a therapy dog come into hospice and pal- liative care departments at Mercy Fort Smith. Bax- ter has visited those departments along with oth- ers such as infusion and ultrasound. At the same time, Volunteer Manager Jenni Powell had hoped to begin a dog therapy pro- gram as well. “Everything just kind of came together this summer,” Robert Mercer said. “We hope to get a whole slew of volunteers, but he’s the start, and I think he’s a good start.” Baxter, so far, is the only member of Mercy Fort Smith’s therapy dog program, but Mer- cer and Powell hope that will change. The pro- gram is open to any dog whose owner is willing to become a Mercy volunteer and accompany the dog on visits in the hospital. Mercer said calm, controllable dogs are a good fit to serve as therapy dogs. Mercer will assist in getting the dog trained and certified as a ther- apy dog, while Powell will work with the dog’s caretaker on the volunteer side. The Alliance of National Therapy Dogs vouches for the dog fol- lowing the certification process. “The dog and handlers are one team,” Mercer said. “It’s always a human-dog team. In a sense, he’s not a therapy dog, and I’m not a therapy dog handler. Baxter and I are a therapy dog-handler team.” A dog and its handler would both be signed up as volunteers, Powell said. “The dog would be signed up just like a human volunteer, but they of course would have differ- ent checkpoints, such as rabies shots,” she said. “We’re not looking for volunteers with perfect show dogs or perfect obedience,” Mercer added. Dogs should be receptive to strangers and not prone to nipping or barking, he said, and they should be non-reactive to other dogs. Baxter helps brighten the days of Mercy co- workers, who have enjoyed seeing him during his visits to the hospital, Powell said. “It really is a huge deal to them, to be honest,” she said. “We bring Baxter by and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Baxter remains leashed at all times during his visits, although he rides in his own custom cart, which keeps him from getting too tired and keeps him at optimum petting level for visitors. He’s also bathed before each visit. Mercer would like to expand his therapy dog days, perhaps going from one day a week to two. National service dog organizations recommend just two hours a day for therapy dogs, he said. Mercer sees Baxter as helping to humanize what can be a sterile environment inside the hospital. “I think he brings a little of the outside world in, and I think that’s nice,” he said. “Everybody else is disease-focused, from the doctors to the nurses to the families. Baxter could care less. He just wants to lick your face. It’s kind of nice to see that.” Anyone interested in Mercy’s dog therapy pro- gram can email Jenni Powell at jeanette.powell@ mercy.net. Baxter Regional, Highlands Oncology Announce NewCancer Center Highlands Oncology and Baxter Regional Med- ical Center announce a new cancer treatment facility to be located in Mountain Home. This new facility will be a joint venture between the two entities to better serve patients in Baxter, Mar- ion and surrounding counties. “The physicians at Highlands Oncology and Baxter Regional are happy to announce this new facility to better serve cancer patients in Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri,” said Highland’s CEO, Jeff Hunnicutt. The multistory, 33,000-square-foot center will be designed for the comfort and care of cancer patients without the necessity to travel long distances for their spe- cialty care. “Baxter Regional is delighted to partner with Highlands Oncology to offer world-class can- cer care to our region. This is another innova- tion to better deliver advanced treatment to our patients,” said Baxter Regional CEO, Ron Peter- son. Located on the Baxter Regional Medical Campus, across the street from the main hospi- tal, the new building is surrounded by beautiful views of hills and trees. The oncology center will be oriented with the “front” of the building fac- ing the existing hospital. Washington Regional Receives National Stroke Care Recognition Washington Regional Medical Center recently received four American Heart Association/Ameri- can Stroke Association “Get With The Guidelines” Achievement Awards for stroke care. Washington Regional earned the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus with Honor Roll Elite,