Nurses’ Convention Keynote Promotes Importance of Service Dogs
Albany, NY, September 25, 2014 – The second annual meeting of The American Nurses Association - New York (ANA-NY) will feature American Nurses Association award winner Cheryl Krause-Parello, PhD, RN, whose research and activism seeks to demonstrate the therapeutic value of service dogs and increase veteran’s access to service dogs. She will give the keynote address Saturday, September 27.
“Overall, the theme of the association’s educational and business meeting is Nurses: Taking Charge of Healthcare,” said Elizabeth "Betty" Mahoney, EdD, RN, President of ANA-NY. “Key to ANA-NY’s mission is to encourage and support leadership by professional registered nurses throughout the healthcare system. By better understanding the experience and needs of members of the military and veterans, we can improve care for this important and growing population.”
Krause-Parello, associate professor at the University of Colorado College of Nursing and director of Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors (C-P.A.W.W.), is the 2014 recipient of the American Nurses Association’s Jessie M. Scott Award for excellence in public health. The award recognizes Krause-Parello for work that demonstrates the interconnectedness of clinical nursing, education and research.
Krause-Parello has worked widely in the field of animal/human interaction and is currently focused on research that measures the effect of service dogs on stress markers in veterans seeking palliative care. “Many people enjoy relationships with pets, but with service animals we believe they can have a significant impact on improving care for veterans in the hospital and in their lives” Krause-Parello said. “We are continuing to develop the evidence that service dogs are an effective intervention with the goal of getting service animals to more veterans.”
The C-P.A.W.W. team is leading a multipronged effort to raise awareness about the value of service dogs, raise funds for ongoing research and increase the number of dogs that can be trained as service companions. They are advocating that service animals be a reimbursable expense (a service dog can cost as much as $30,000 fully trained), and working with existing training programs to give shelter dogs the appropriate basic training, evaluate them for service dog potential and involve veterans in advanced service dog training.”
“We really like the model of working with shelter dogs. It cuts down the wait time for a service dog – sometimes a year or more – and it gives both the people and the dogs a second chance.” Krause-Parello said.
Other sessions at the September 26 and 27 ANA-NY meeting, which is open to all professional nurses, including both ANA-NY members and nonmembers, will discuss the Affordable Care Act, care transitions from hospital to home, the looming shortage of registered nurses, and leadership topics. For more information about the ANA-NY annual meeting or membership in the organization, visit: http://ana-newyork.org .
ANA-New York is the professional association for registered nurses in the state. Launched in December 2012, ANA-New York is dedicated to promoting excellence in nursing practice, seeks to improve the quality of health care services, and promotes professional and leadership development of registered nurses. Learn more at http://ana-newyork.org
Media Contact:
Robin Wood, Punctuate Communications, LLC on behalf of ANA-NY
518-449-3454