How To Request a Visit
UCLA People-Animal Connection Visits
Ronald Reagan Medical Center (RRMC) and Santa Monica Hospital (SMH) offer patients the heartwarming opportunity of receiving PAC visits. The PAC program allows registered animal-assisted therapy teams, which are comprised of compassionate volunteers and their friendly canine counterparts to provide patients warmth and companionship as a healing tool. PAC visits have shown to improve the emotional well-being of patients through their natural bond.
Requesting a Visit
Patients staying at RRMC and SMH may receive PAC visits by asking their nurse or doctor to put in a request through the patients chart, CareConnect. After doing so, patients will stay on the request list until discharge, allowing them to receive a visit once the opportunity arises. Unfortunately, PAC visits are not always guaranteed due to high volume of requests. Although PAC teams would love to offer every patient the chance of receiving visits, hospital policy does not allow PAC visits to patients on isolation at either RRMC or SMH. PAC is also unable to visit on the following units at RRMC: 6E, 7ICU, 8ICU, and 8N.
Pets are unfortunately not allowed in the hospitals, but patients may have the opportunity to meet with their own dog or cat by taking advantage of PAC's PetPal Program.