Huntsville Embraces all Employees

Huntsville Hospital Health System is the first hospital in the state of Alabama to offer a facility dog program called “Canines for Coping”.  The program launched in the summer of 2019 at the Women and Children’s Center at Huntsville Hospital and features a lovable golden retriever names Asteroid who is a professionally trained therapy dog.  Asteroid is trained to help patients cope with stressful situations including procedures and bereavements. With her goal to help create a less stressful environment within the hospital setting perfectly aligning with the NAP’s, it seemed only fitting to allow her to take part in this year’s exhibition.  Proving that everyone is important in the healing community, Coordinator Melissa Lawson, embraced the idea of Asteroid participating and even created a new category for her and future facility dogs entitled “Pupfessional”.   Asteroid (pictured) received First Place for her painting called “Pupcasso”(also pictured) which was created using her love of peanut butter.  She licked peanut butter off plastic wrap covering paint that had been applied to canvas by her handler to produce the final piece of art.

Along with Asteroid’s piece, more than 170 pieces of art where displayed along the hallways of the busy tram corridor making their second year with the program another amazing showing of the talent from the Huntsville community!  Melissa shared that everyone has loved having the opportunity to showcase their talents in the exhibition and she personally expressed her sadness via Instagram at having to take the show down stating that “artwork makes a huge difference to an environment!” 

The NAP looks forward to continuing to help transform Huntsville Hospital’s hallways into healing spaces for years to come!