Therapy dogs from the Tri-State Canine Response Team may be just what the doctor ordered for critically ill or injured children and their families who stay at the nonprofit Ronald McDonald House.
Located in San Marco, the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Jacksonville is dedicated to enhancing the overall health and well-being of critically ill or injured children by providing their lodging, meals, transportation and comforts of home so that they can focus on healing.
“We provide services to children and families in Jacksonville, from St. Augustine and other local and regional locations,” RMHC CEO Joey Leik said. “Some families lack dependable transportation or must attend daily appointments – a challenge in a city the size of Jacksonville. They need to stay at RMHC, near their medical providers.”
No matter how difficult or long their pediatric medical treatment takes, Leik said, the certified therapy dog teams bring healing comfort and silent support.
“Our guests could be here for a few days, weeks or months… it’s important that we create a normal, home-like environment,” she said. “Many have left their beloved pet behind, which is difficult when they are dealing with illness or injury plus medical treatments, procedures or surgery that may be unpleasant, painful and exhausting. Seeing the reactions to the therapy dogs is incredible to watch.”
Leik said Tri-State Canine Response Team volunteers jumped at the chance to visit the guests, who depend on RMHC’s free accommodations directly across the street from both Baptist Hospital and the nationally renowned Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Other healthcare partners include Brooks Rehabilitation, Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, University of Florida (UF) Health, UF Health Cancer Center Jacksonville, and UF Health Pediatric Proton Therapy Institute.
“Tri-State has accommodated the specific needs of these children, their families and our staff,” Leik said. “Most volunteer activities happen during the day, but our guests are busy all day at appointments and seeing their doctors, so the therapy dog teams visit in the early evenings.”
The original Tri-State Canine Response Team was founded in 2015 by mental health professional and advocate Janice Campbell to serve New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Today, 100 canine/handler teams operate in eight states.
Tri-State Canine Response also provides certified, trained handler/dog teams for community visits and crisis response emergencies. Tri-State teams can recognize and respond to mild, moderate and severe emotional disturbance; the dogs often can interact with patients when all else fails. They also provide comfort and a stabilizing presence that helps patients cope with fear, pain or trauma, according to Daniela Terrosi, Tri-State’s Florida volunteer coordinator and trainer. Terrosi’s therapy dogs are Diego – an English black labrador retriever – and Roo, a tiny tripod rescue pit bull.
Teri Rawitt, team member and owner of therapy dog Winston, noted that the all-volunteer Tri-State Canine Response Team also visits college students and staff, veterans’ facilities, libraries and schools and remain on-call for emergencies and natural disasters.
Both Leik and Rawitt say that families of all nationalities travel long distances or across the world to bring their children to Jacksonville for pediatric cancer and other medical care. Jacksonville’s cluster of top-ranked, internationally recognized healthcare treatment centers for general pediatrics, pediatric radiation oncology and proton therapy is unsurpassed.
RMHC Jacksonville has worked to create a caring community for more than 42,000 families for 35 years. Its mission is made possible through the dedication of staff, volunteers, community partners and donors. In 2023 alone, the Jacksonville facility served 1,440 families, providing 11,027 night stays and 29,200 meals.
The nonprofit needs donors, fundraisers, corporate partners, volunteer individuals, clubs and community groups for various volunteer tasks with free training. Visit their website to see ways to help, including Amazon and Target wish lists. All donations must be new, unused items to protect the immune-compromised children. There is an immediate need for French translators and many other languages, because guests arrive from countries worldwide, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain and Africa.
Resources
Ronald McDonald House Charities Jacksonville
824 Children’s Way | 32207 | (904) 807-4663 | rmhcjacksonville.org
YouTube Ronald McDonald House Jacksonville – videos.
Tri-State Canine Response Team | tri-statecanineresponse.org
