St John of God Hospital has welcomed its own furry, four-legged healthcare worker.
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The hospital is taking part in a program with Dogs Connect that will see Rosie the Groodle work at St John of Good two days a week.
The young pup's job will be to help healthcare workers deal with mental health issues due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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It is the first Dogs Connect, who have placed dogs in a number of schools to help students, has worked with a hospital. Founder Grant Shannon said the opportunity came up following a pilot program last year.
"It's new ground for us. When we ran the pilot program, the results blew us away," Mr Shannon said. "It was a no brainer to build something more sustainable.
"Out of everyone surveyed (in the pilot program), quite a few results were positive at 100 per cent. Caregivers reflected on having a dog at work, it reduces stress and anxiety around coming to work.
"It's an awesome show of support from (hospital) leadership. We found a lot of caregivers were surprised (to find the dog) was there for their well-being and not the patients'."
St John of God Bendigo chief executive Michelle Stares said the hospital began the program to help caregivers to reduce stress and make the hospital a more enjoyable place to work.
The pilot program they ran with Dogs Connect saw a Groodle named Jack become part of the team for 12 weeks.
"Jack was considered part of the team, engaged with our caregivers and received an incredible response,"
"Caregivers reported a reduction in their stress levels due to having a wellbeing dog within the hospital.
"This reduction in stress levels generated a flow-on effect, which also created a more positive experience for our patients.
"Now that we have chosen to continue with the program, caregivers are very excited to have Rosie as a permanent wellbeing dog within the hospital team."
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Ms Stares said while no COVID-19 cases had been reported at St John of God Bendigo, the situation in Victorian added stress to the healthcare system.
"Our caregivers are working hard to ensure our patients are safe and receiving the compassionate care that St John of God Health Care is known for," Ms Stares said.
"While Rosie wasn't brought in specifically to (help) during COVID-19, she is most certainly a welcome addition to our overarching strategies to support the wellbeing of our caregivers."
Nurse Laura Pierce has enjoyed having the support of a wellbeing dog and has changed how she feels about going to work during COVID-19.
"The feelings that I have knowing that Jack was coming to visit brings a smile to my face and warmth to my heart," she said.
"It brings colleagues together no matter what role they play within our workforce at St John of God, Bendigo.
"It is a form of support that brings value to the staff that cannot be matched especially in these difficult times."
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Rosie has been part of the St John of God team for about a month and will eventually take on a full-time role.
"Rosie loves getting to hospital," Mr Shannon said. "It's amazing she's become so familiar and relaxed. She visits lots of areas, some of the wards, admin areas, CEO areas, allied health and some of the thoroughfares like entry and exit points. She moves around quite a bit.
"Hospitals can be really dynamic in terms of not a lot being predictable about them. There's lots of movement, stimulation and different noises and sounds... that are different for a dog to be relaxed around.
"Also, at the moment, a lot of people are in masks which makes it hard for dogs to see what people are expressing or what their intention is."
Mr Shannon hopes to see other hospitals consider a well-being dog for their staff.
"It makes so much sense to show support for people and their well-being, espcially in a tough scenario like the one we are in now," he said.