KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, described the Animal-Assisted Recovery and Care (AARC) pilot project as an innovation for Jamaica in public health, as the programme will be introduced at the Bustamante Hospital for Children during the Christmas season.

The pilot will run for an initial 18 months during which children admitted to the facility will begin to receive animal-assisted therapy.

The minister also introduced the pilot dog, a golden retriever named Dr Teddy Barks, as the brand ambassador for the project. For now, Teddy, who was in the care of curator for the Hope Zoo, Joey Brown, will be the main therapy animal for the project.

AARC is a patient-centred intervention that will complement healthcare delivery to hospitalised paediatric patients undergoing procedures or who require long-term hospitalisation.

“The details of the project, in terms of objectives, is to reduce the anxiety and stress associated with hospitalisation, reduce the length of hospitalisation, reduce the need for pharmacological intervention and to improve the social environment for healthcare delivery,” Dr Tufton said Tuesday during a ministerial statement in the House of Representatives.

He noted that Animal Assisted Interventions (AAIs), which is a goal-oriented and structured intervention that intentionally includes or incorporates animals in health for therapeutic gains for humans, are recognised globally as having widespread benefits for both patients and healthcare staff.

To participate in the pilot, paediatric patients must meet the patient inclusion criteria and parents must give their consent.

Steps will also be taken to protect the animals, which will include dogs, birds, rabbits and kittens. Animals will be sourced from the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Hope Zoo and Montego Bay Animal Haven.

“The hospital has in place established infection, prevention and control protocols and the project will be implemented in keeping with these protocols. In the event that there is increased admissions of children, overcrowding and or an outbreak of a communicable disease, implementation will be suspended,” said Dr Tufton.

The South East Regional Health Authority will oversee the implementation of the project and a multi-sectoral Animal-Assisted Intervention committee has been convened to provide technical coordination and support.

He also shared that evaluations will be conducted at six-month intervals. If the pilot is successful, a Cabinet submission will be made seeking approval for the development of an AARC programme in public health facilities island-wide.

Dr Tufton made the case for more interventions to assist in the treatment of children. He cited a 2021 report from the Caribbean Policy Research Institute which pointed out that there is currently limited data available on the mental health burden faced by children. The report also noted that “the overall mental health services for children are inadequate and there is a need for specialised and consistent mental health services for children”.

He stated that the pilot provides the opportunity for further studies to be conducted on the mental health needs of children.

While voicing his support for the programme, Opposition spokesman on Health, Dr Morais Guy, who is a medical doctor, said steps must be taken to ensure that patients are not exposed to animals that may be infected with rabies. Tufton assured that all animals will undergo screening and steps taken to ensure the safety of patients and staff.