Missy Stover, Certified Child Life Specialist, Patient and Family Services, received two separate grants that benefit the Facility Dog Program at Children’s Mercy.
The first is a $50,000 grant from a private Omaha-area foundation that covers a period of July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025. It’s for therapy dog acquisition and support and helps to expand our Facility Dog Program.
The second is $10,000 from the American Cancer Society Pups Assisting with Support (ACS PAWS) Facility Dog Grant Program. It’s for a facility dog specifically for the Hematology/Oncology patients and covers a period of September 1, 2024-August 31, 2025.
Children’s Mercy facility dogs provide comfort, motivation and smiles to patients, families and staff throughout our hospital. Their special training and calming presence make them perfect one-on-one teammates for our Child Life specialists who support the psychosocial needs of our patients.
The Facility Dog program is one of several support services that are not reimbursed by insurance but are proven to reduce stress and improve health outcomes for children. The team added a fifth dog to the group in December 2024 that now includes Litta, Dusty, Jellybean, Hunter, and our newest pup, Patsy. This grant from a private Omaha-area foundation helps cover the daily costs, which include dog food, treats, vests, grooming, and veterinary care as well as supports the program’s expansion.
ACS PAWS is part of the American Cancer Society’s commitment to improving the lives of children and teens with cancer, along with their families and care teams.
“Research has shown that animal-assisted therapy can significantly alleviate symptoms such as anxiety, stress, depression, and pain among hospitalized children. It also enhances various aspects of their quality of life, including feelings of joy and calmness, positive recollections of hospital experiences, and an overall sense of well-being. Moreover, this therapy has demonstrated the ability to reduce parenting stress and is regarded as a safe and beneficial intervention for children with cancer,” the organization says.
This funding from ACS PAWS supports our Facility Dog Program so that it can have a full-time and specially trained facility dog to provide animal-assisted therapy to pediatric oncology patients and families. Visits can be provided to hospitalized children or children in an outpatient oncology clinic.
“Our facility dogs provide a level of unconditional support that just isn’t achievable otherwise. There’s nothing like the warm, fluffy presence of a dog to brighten a child’s day. Even in the toughest of times, our patients experience encouragement and motivation with a dog by their side. Our hospital wouldn’t be the same without our pups and we are so grateful to the generous community of donors that support the program,” said Stover.
Learn more about the ACS PAWS Program.