BIDDEFORD, ME – Phil Johnson and his therapy dog, Ollie, are at the Southern Maine Health Care hospital campus every Tuesday morning during shift change.
Severe staffing shortages. A two-year pandemic. Incurable sickness. Frustrated families. Hospital staff has faced a lot of challenges in their daily shifts, which sparked a new program at Southern Maine Health Care’s Biddeford campus. It’s a bit of therapy, but not for patients — it’s for team members either leaving an overnight shift or just heading into work.
Ollie, a greyhound, is the newest member of the care team at SMHC. He and his handler, Phil Johnson, have been stopping by the hospital every Tuesday morning during a shift change. While they can’t roam the hallways of the hospital just yet, they stand near the employee entrance and greet staff members as they come in for work or leave for the day.
Source: newscentermaine.com
