(Note to Editors: Depending on the number of media outlets that attend, please be prepared to take turns filming inside hospital rooms due to limited space in patient care areas.)
WHAT:
A group of volunteers and their dogs, all members of UCLA's People-Animal Connection (PAC), will hold their annual holiday caroling event. Dressed in holiday gear, the canine volunteer teams will stroll through the pediatric unit and playroom of UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, singing songs and bringing holiday cheer to patients and staff.
WHEN:
10 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 21
WHERE:
UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital (757 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90095)
- 10 a.m.: PAC volunteers will meet at the entrance to Mattel Children's Hospital to dress in holiday gear.
- 10:1011 a.m.: Caroling on the pediatric patient floor and playroom.
BACKGROUND:
UCLA's PAC is an animal-assisted therapy program that brings trained volunteers and their dogs to UCLA hospital patients in order to provide a more humane environment for patients, family and staff and to help in the patient recovery process. Started in 1994 with one canine team, PAC has since grown to more than 50 teams that visit more than 40 diverse units of the hospital and more than 450 patients each month. The program is supported solely by donations. For more information, contact PAC director Jack Barron at 310-267-8184 or visit .
MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Albin, UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 310-794-8672 (office) or 310-597-5765 (cell).
PARKING:
Media trucks may park in the yellow loading zone on Gayley Avenue. All other vehicles can obtain a parking pass at Lot 1, located on Gayley Avenue. Passes will be under "Dog Caroling Event."
Media Contact:
Amy Albin
(310) 794-8672
Amy Albin
(310) 794-8672
