“Susan Wiant and Avalanche”

When Susan’s lab had puppies, she had no intention of keeping any of them. Somehow the family couldn’t let go of the one little white ball of fur they named Avalanche. “Avy” was only a couple of years old when Susan’s husband was killed in a tragic accident. Two years later, she came to Platte Valley Medical Center looking for an opportunity to start healing. On several occasions she had asked about joining our pet partner program. She wanted to help others.

For two years now, they have helped patients who needed a friendly visitor and a dog to snuggle with. Little did Susan know the impact it would make on her own life.

Susan and Avy are a perfect fit for Platte Valley Medical Center’s Paws to Heal program. This remarkable team spends two days a week at the hospital visiting patients, visitors, and staff throughout the facility. Everywhere they go they welcome and brighten everyone’s day. They spend many hours sitting at our patients’ bedsides, comforting them and making them smile.

Over the past three and a half years, Susan and Avy have impacted the lives of many people in our community. Susan’s stories are numerous and varied. Avy has helped children in Physical Medicine overcome their fear of dogs and helped improve their speech and motor skill functions. Avy sits patiently as the kids lay on her, talk to her, pet her, count her toes and look into her soft ears. Susan has even seen parents cry when their child accomplishes a skill they’ve had difficulty with because Avy was there to make their tasks easier.

Our Intensive Care Unit is one of this team’s specialties. No matter who they see, the staff is always amazed at the positive impact Susan and Avy have on patients. They never rush. They spend as much time as the patient and family needs to provide a relaxing and enjoyable pet partner experience.

Susan and Avy are a dedicated team. Besides visiting at our hospital, they visit an area highly-skilled assisted living home and many of the businesses in Brighton and the surrounding communities. They also volunteer at outside functions, including the 9Health Fair and seasonal flu vaccination clinics.

The pet partner teams with Platte Valley Medical Center’s Paws to Heal program are registered through Delta Society (Redmond, WA) and American Humane ATT (Denver). This registration ensures our teams are trained, meet health and grooming requirements, and are appropriate for their work at the hospital.

“Words can’t express how proud we are of Susan and Avalanche,” explains PVMC’s Paws to Heal Coordinator and Director of Volunteer Services Kathie Young. “Congratulations for all the wonderful work you do at Platte Valley Medical Center and the community beyond our doors. You’re indeed special and have earned this prestigious award.”

About the Spirit of Planetree Award
The Spirit of Planetree Awards were created to promote patient-centered care by publicly recognizing individuals who personalize and demystify the healthcare experience for others as well as programs and services that support extraordinary achievement in patient-centered care.

The initiative helps communicate the character and quality of the caregivers and healthcare organizations serving the community in the Planetree network. The Awards positively impact staff morale in affiliated institutions through an award process that includes and reflects appreciation by peers and administrators and, in many cases, recognizes those who have not been in the spotlight for professional achievements.
 

What is Planetree?
Platte Valley Medical Center became one of only three hospitals in Colorado to embrace the Planetree Philosophy of Care in 2010. Founded by a patient who endured a traumatic healthcare experience, Planetree is an internationally-recognized not-for-profit organization that partners with health care providers around the globe to advance patient-centered approaches to care.

Planetree has been at the forefront of the effort to personalize, humanize, and demystify the healthcare system for 30 years. The concept of Planetree is about delivering healthcare in a manner that works best for patients. In a patient-centered environment, Platte Valley Medical
Center partners with patients and their families to satisfy the full range of patient needs and preferences.

PVMC RECOGNIZES THAT:

• a patient is an individual to be cared for, not a medical condition to be treated;
  each patient is a unique person, with diverse needs;
• patients are partners and have knowledge and expertise that is essential to their care. Patients’ family and friends are also partners;
• access to understandable health information is essential to empower patients to participate in their care;
• the opportunity to make decisions is essential to the well-being of patients;
• every staff member is a caregiver, whose role is to meet each patient’s needs.

To learn more about PVMC’s Planetree progress, visit Platte Valley Medical Center’s Facebook page, YouTube Channel, and www.pvmc.org/blog, or for a complete list of Planetree members, visit www.planetree.org.