St. Charles puts its ‘paw’ down: Leave Fido home
They are sometimes called the best form of medicine. But starting Oct. 1, St. Charles Health System is cracking down on what could be called an epidemic of unruly pets in the hospitals’ rooms and hallways.
“It’s just grown in volume, and we’ve lost some control,” St. Charles Chief Nursing Executive and Vice President Pam Steinke said Wednesday. “We see pets waiting by the deli, sanitary issues with pets in the hallways, or the patient rooms, or in the elevator.”
The new policy will ban all pets, with the only exceptions for service animals and approved certified therapy dogs.
Steinke said the rules are partly in response to the increased amount of pet traffic not related to helping patients heal.
“It just seems like it’s been an open-door policy,”Steinke said. “I about got taken out by a loose Labrador here in this corridor a few months ago.”
It’s also a response to concerns about hygiene and safety.
“We should limit those things that bring in issues about infection control,” Steinke said. “Pet dander, pet hair, pet feces — we’ve had incidents with those. We’ve had some pretty significant issues with pets not letting caregivers actually take care of patients. So we’ve had a physician or nurse that gets growled or nipped at.”
But the move is leaving some animal lovers howling.
“It (a pet) is a form of medicine in its own,” said Bend resident Destiny Jordan. “They can treat you for whatever, but I mean, smiling through the pain because of your pet is better than grimacing because you’re in pain — you know, they could take your mind off it.”
Another Bend resident recalled a time his son brought his dog to come visit him while he recovered.
“He brought my dog to see me when I was in in-house rehabilitation,” the man said. “It was nice — it cheered me up, it’s also nice to see your dog.”
Others applaud St. Charles for drawing a line; disgruntled with a world where pets are becoming people.
Christine Wilson wrote on NewsChannel 21’s Facebook page: “I think it’s a good move. A hospital is supposed to be a clean place — animals running around just doesn’t seem all that clean to me.”
And Christie Cole wrote: “If only Bend could do the same for grocery stores.”
Hospital officials said the new rules are aligned with guidelines and standards recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will apply to all facilities and clinics.
