NEW ORLEANS – Wellness among physicians begins with a focus on reducing stress. Attendees of the CHEST annual meeting were given the opportunity to spend some time with the ultimate stress reliever - puppies. A local animal rescue organization, “Take Paws Rescue,” set up a venue for visiting with (and holding and petting) a litter of adoptable puppies. Several attendees decided on the spot to adopt one of these pups. Others just took the opportunity to cuddle.
Therese Borden/MDedge News
Dr. Christopher Carroll
Christopher Carroll, MD, a specialist in pediatric critical care with Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, knows the value of animals to relieve stress in both patients and doctors. He convinced his medical center to allow dogs into the pediatric ICU, with appropriate cautions, to provide stress relief and joy to both young patients and staff.
The puppies will be in the Exhibit Hall every day at the meeting between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.