CIUSSS-DE l’estrie - CHUS welcomes service dogs
The "Friend of service dogs" concept is entering the CIUSSS of Estrie – CHUS, meaning that the presence of service dogs is accepted in all its installations, except for specific areas. The institution is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for those in need of animal companionship.
The accommodation component is the centerpiece of the Agency’s initiative," said Nathalie Léonard, Assistant Director of Quality and Safety of Care and Services. “Ensuring safe care and being open to the special needs of people with service dogs must now be reconciled. However, certain circumstances such as the severity of the person's medical condition, the presence of other highly immune-suppressed clients, the restricted spaces and procedures for sterility that are required do not allow the presence of service dogs,” Leonard explained. This, specifically, is the case for the operating theater and recovery rooms, intensive care units and hospitalization in hemato-oncology.
René Roy, a user with a service dog, participated in the development of the policy. "A service dog is not a whim,” he said. ”My dog Rankine is kind of my ‘living prosthesis’. In addition, this approach really takes into account the condition of people with service dogs. We see that there is a desire to find a satisfactory common ground for the user and the staff."
The Brigitte Perreault Fund of the CHUS Foundation financially supports strategies to publicize the new policy. Watch for notification of this policy at institutional entrances during the summer.