Golden retriever promoted to “director of happiness” at Glendale hospital

GLENDALE, AZ (AZ Family) — Valley Hospital has a new furry, four-legged employee taking over the role of CHO – aka chief happiness officer!

Alex, a golden retriever, was named CHO at the Abrazo Arrowhead campus in Glendale. Alex will work closely with his owner and hospital cardiologist, Dr. Rahool Karnik.

“Many hospitals have a CEO, a chief nursing officer, a chief operating officer, but few have a chief happiness officer, and Alex certainly fits the bill,” said Stephen Garner, CEO of Abrazo Arrowhead.

Alex, a golden retriever, has been named director of happiness at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus Hospital in Glendale.(Abrazo Zdrowie)

So what will Alex’s job involve? The dog will be responsible for raising morale among patients and hospital staff.

Dr. Karnik says the puppy comes every Friday and sees hospital patients and patients in Dr. Karnik’s office.

“He will hang out while I write notes and place orders. Then he will come and take care of the patients. It’s amazing because you’ll see this very sudden and dramatic change in so many people who may be a little depressed, a little depressed, a little anxious. It just suddenly changes,” says Dr. Karnik. “Sometimes it takes a non-human to humanize a difficult experience, and he truly delivers.”

“Alex provides essential stress relief when you are going through an extremely difficult time. It is there not only for our patients, but also for our caregivers,” Garner added.

Alex has been a therapy dog in the Abrazo team for several years. To celebrate his promotion, hospital staff surprised him with cookies in the shape of a dog’s paw, balloons in the shape of dog bones and a certificate of appreciation. He even got his own hospital badge!

“We wanted to celebrate and recognize Alex’s achievements as a key member of our team, caring for our patients, visiting our nurses and our technicians,” Garner said. “When you see Alex with our nurses, you really see how influential and wonderful he is.”

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