For those at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital who are required to spend the night,
this experience can be stressful and unpleasant for multiple reasons. To help relieve some of
the unpleasantries of this situation, some of our PAC teams have chosen to join our Tuck-in-
Teams, where dogs and owner alike go to rooms before bed and help “tuck” patients in. The
program entails one of our UCLA PAC teams visiting patients at night while they are are getting
in bed, giving them a pleasant and carefree experience before sleeping. Although this program
is for all patients, there is a special focus on the pediatric department, where PAC teams often
leave children with a stuffed animal to help comfort them through the night.
One of our most frequent teams to this program is Matt and Bear, a peanut butter loving
yellow lab. When asked why Matt choose to volunteer his time toward our Tuck-in-Team, he
stated that "sleeping at the hospital can be difficult for a variety of reasons, so its wonderful to
see Bear bring a patient a bit of happiness and joy as they are getting ready for bed.” Matt and
Bear’s dedication to this program, exemplifies the reasons for the programs creation. UCLA
People-Animal Connection is dedicated to bringing comfort to our patients and their families
during this challenging and emotionally draining time in their lives, and the Tuck-in-Teams are
one piece to toward our mission of providing compassionate, world-class patient care,
companionship, and warmth to more than 1,000 critically ill children and adults every month.
Bear, our Yellow Lab who is a dedicated four legged friend to our Tuck-in-Teams.
