Golden retriever promoted to ‘chief happiness officer’ at Glendale hospital
GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — A Valley hospital has a new furry, four-legged employee who is taking over the role of CHO—otherwise known as Chief Happiness Officer!
Alex, a golden retriever, has been named CHO at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus in Glendale. Alex will work closely with his owner and hospital cardiologist, Dr. Rahool Karnik.
“Many hospitals have a CEO, a chief nursing officer, a chief operations officer, but not many have a chief happiness officer, and Alex certainly fits that goal,” said Stephen Garner, Chief Executive Officer of Abrazo Arrowhead.
So, what will Alex’s job entail? The pooch will be in charge of boosting morale among patients and staff at the hospital.
Dr. Karnik says the pup comes every Friday and sees hospital patients and patients in Dr. Karnik’s office.
“He’ll hang out while I write notes and put in orders. Then he’ll come in and see the patients. It’s amazing because you’ll see this very sudden and dramatic change in so many people who might be a little down, a little depressed, a little anxious. It just suddenly changes,” Dr. Karnik said. “Sometimes it takes a non-human to humanize a difficult experience, and he’s really able to provide that.”
“Alex provides that needed stress relief when you’re going through an incredibly tough time. He is there for not just our patients, but our caregivers,” Garner added.
Alex has been a therapy dog on the Abrazo team for several years. To celebrate his promotion, hospital staff surprised him with dog-paw cookies, dog-bone-shaped balloons and a certificate of appreciation. He even got his own hospital badge!
“We wanted to celebrate and recognize Alex’s accomplishments as a key member of our team, taking care of our patients, visiting our nurses, our techs,” said Garner. “When you see Alex with our nurses you just really see how impactful and great he is.”
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