Petscription

Hand in Paw’s Petscription program has proven beneficial in reducing the need for sedation during invasive or stressful procedures, providing professional staff a more relaxed patient and family with which to work, and reducing the length of time required to reach therapy goals. Our services are in high demand among people receiving care for acute medical conditions, cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, people living with mental disorders, students receiving special education, and patients requiring speech, occupational and physical therapy.

Petscription volunteers work with facility staff to provide medical, psychiatric and rehabilitation services via interactions between patients/clients of all ages and therapy animals.

Petscription services are provided to the following medical, early intervention and rehabilitation facilities:

The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs
Birmingham Speech and Hearing Associates
Birmingham VA Medical Center - Safe Harbor Unit
Brookwood Medical Center
Children's Hospital
The Amelia Center
Children’s Hospital South - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Clinic
Hematology and Oncology Clinic
Inpatient Hematology and Oncology
Inpatient Medical
Dialysis
Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic
Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy
DCH Cancer Center
The Exceptional Foundation
The Ronald McDonald House
St. Vincent's Camp One Nineteen
Trinity Medical Center
UAB
Center for Palliative Care 
Center for Psychiatric Medicine
Comprehensive Cancer Center
Highlands
UAB Hospital
AQUIREc Therapy (pediatric constraint-induced therapy)
YWCA Family Violence Center

Hand in Paw partners with the following schools to deliver the Petscription program:

Hall-Kent Elementary
Linda Nolen Learning Center
Rocky Ridge Elementary
UAB Engel Therapeutic Preschool and Day Treatment Center

Hand in Paw partners with the following Retirement Facilities and Nursing Homes:

Episcopal Place
Fair Haven
Golden Living Center
Kirkwood by the River
Shelby Ridge Rehab Select & Nursing Home
St. Martin's in the Pines

Petscription is made possible in part by support from Combined Federal Campaign, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Crippled Children’s Foundation, CVS Caremark, Daniel Foundation of Alabama, Harry B. & Jane H. Brock Foundation, Nelson & Charleen Kemp Foundation, and Wal-Mart Foundation.