Stamford Health appoints canine to C-suite

Stamford Health marked the promotion of a new C-suite leader with a reception on August 26. Harrison, who goes by just one name, accepted his promotion to the role of Chief Puppy Officer (CPO).

The new CPO’s colleagues are excited about his promotion.

“Harrison has been an integral part of the Stamford Health community in the last year. He brings so much joy to our patients and our staff each day – he’s truly a ray of sunshine! We are so lucky to have him! I’m incredibly proud of his hard work and his well-deserved promotion, and I’m excited to be on the journey to see him thrive,” said Cynthia Tanacea, Patient Experience Program Administrator at Stamford Health.

Harrison, an 80-pound golden retriever began making rounds at two years old and became an invaluable member of the staff in short order. Stamford Health celebrated his first year of service with a promotion and ceremony at Third Place by Half Full Brewery.

“He has a wonderful set of skills, that really suit our needs in the organization, and he has a great personality that just fit in with our culture tremendously,” said Stamford Health President & CEO Kathleen Silard.

“He’s supported 100 percent through philanthropy,” Silard added. “Hospitals have tight budgets today and being able to afford to adopt him and continue to support his care is a cost we have been able to meet through philanthropy and that’s been terrific for us as well because a lot of people in our community love to see us provide this service to our patients.”

Silard explained that Harrison is able to respond to 51 separate cues and has advanced training “under his collar” that serves as ample qualification to serve as CPO.

Harrison’s responsibilities include demonstrating pill swallowing, taking IV lines, and putting on nebulizer masks for pediatric patients. Seeing a dog perform those actions, or at least seem to, helps many children find the courage to do the same.

“One area where I think he has been terrifically important is our rehabilitation program,” Silard continued. “We take care of patients who have had musculoskeletal injuries, stroke, and neurological conditions in our inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs. Harrison does the physical therapy exercises with them and that helps them improve their motor skills and their balance.”

Harrison can also be found assisting behavioral health patients better communicate, and even improving employee morale.

“Healthcare is a very stressful environment for people to be in,” Silard said. “If there is anything we can do to bring down the stress level for our staff it is really important to do so.”

Harrison also visits Stamford Health sites in Greenwich and Westport where his input is much requested, particularly after difficult events such as the loss of a patient.

Despite being so in-demand, Silard noted that he sticks to a strict 40-hour work week, and that his compensation is nutritionally complete and not composed of only snacks.

“He goes home every night with one of our staff members and he actually gets the opportunity to just be a puppy,” she noted.

Another perk of being a CPO is that Harrison is also seen by a staff physician who is a certified animal trainer, alongside regular checkups with a veterinarian.

Silard noted that Stamford Health, which currently has 3,900 (human) staff members and over 1,000 physicians did not intend to give the new CPO any subordinates in the near future, but that Harrison could have more canine coworkers in the future if philanthropies express interest.