People Animal Connection (PAC Program)
Aiding in the comfort and healing of critically ill patients and their families since 1994
The Growing Need for Animal-Assisted therapy and Activity
While medical advancement has resulted in shorter hospitalization for many patients, it also offers treatments and procedures for previously terminal diseases and injuries that may require long-term hospital care. Patients may experience stays of weeks or months, causing separation from loved ones and familiar surroundings. Prolonged pain, discomfort, and boredom often lead to loneliness, depression and even hostility.
Dogs are naturally interactive and provide relief from long days in the hospital, helping patients to shift their focus from discomfort to enjoyment. The animals' unconditional love and attention brighten everyone's day - patients, visitors, and staff alike. Medical research has shown that AAT/A brings about physiologic signs of relaxation such as decreased blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate. In addition, AAT/A stimulates activity in Alzheimer's patients, and in physical therapy and rehabilitation.
About UCLA's People-Animal Connection / PAC
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA have one of the most comprehensive animal-assisted therapy and activity (AAT/A) programs in the nation: People-Animal Connection, known as PAC.
PAC volunteer-dog teams offer companionship and warmth to more than 400 critically ill children and adults per month. The program was founded to enhance physical healing and emotional well-being through the canines' instinctive bond with patients of all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic levels.
Each PAC team (consisting of the canine and his/her human parent) must meet UCLA's strict eligibility criteria and successfully complete a nationally standardized behavioral exam. Following the exam is a lengthy period of screening and training, which includes classroom studies and supervised on-site visits. Only then may a volunteer-dog team qualify to be a PAC team.
PAC provides care for a large proportion of underserved and indigent individuals within our multicultural community. The success of the PAC program at the Westwood campus has led to expansion of AAT/A at many UCLA medical facilities. PAC also offers program guidelines and materials for export to medical institutions nationally and abroad.
PAC has been given national recognition in Newsweek, Los Angeles Business Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and numerous local printed media. Recently, the program was featured on The Today Show. Several PAC teams have been the recipients of special awards for their work at UCLA. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations uses PAC protocols to promote AAT/A, both nationally and internationally.
Your Tax-Deductible Donation
Your gift to the UC Regents in support of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center People-Animal Connection is tax-deductible. We gratefully accept charitable contributions of all denominations. Unrestricted donations of cash, securities, or property are particularly beneficial, because they can be used wherever the need is greatest. Your generosity will help support this important program.
How Can I Find Out More?
For additional information about the PAC Program, please contact:
Jack Barron, Director UCLA People-Animal Connection 757 Westwood Plaza, 7th Floor, Office No. 7267 Los Angeles, CA 90095-7159 Phone (310) 267-8184 Fax (310) 267-3672 Web www.uclahealth.org/PAC Email jackbarron@mednet.ucla.edu
|