nonprofit organization u.s. postage PAID u c l a 405 Hilgard Avenue Box 956923, Wilshire Center, Suite 1850 Los Angeles, CA 90095-6923 U.S.News & World Report’s Best Hospital Survey ranks Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center as the No. 5 hospital in the country. GOLD L E V E L ACHIEVEMENT CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT e Recy as N CW P CO TA cle Ple of MANAGED HEALTH CARE UCLA Medical Group awarded Gold Level Achievement for clinical quality by the California Department of Managed Health Care. INS 10 % Dogs Help Hospitalized Patients to Heal Program Supported Through Partnership for Care Vital Signs W INTER 2 0 1 3 | V o l . 5 7 Marketing director At UCLA, People-Animal Connection (PAC) volunteer Pattie Cuen canine teams visit more than 700 hospitalized patients Marketing a year. These patient visits are more than numbers — Judi Goodfriend COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER they represent unique interactions between PAC teams EDITOR and ill children and adults. Medical research has David Greenwald shown that pet therapy brings about physiological signs Calendar EDITOR of relaxation, such as decreased blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate. As the mother of a 10-year- old girl who woke up from a five-day coma shortly after a visit reflected: “This is a miracle!” To help bring a “wagging tail and smile” to the next patient room, visit: www.uclahealth.org/pfc Tiffani Q. Mendinueto Medical editor Robert Oye, m.d. Contributors Kimberly Enard Dan Gordon ADVISORY BOARD Bernard Katz, m.d. Janet Pregler, m.d. Thomas Strouse, m.d. Design Donenfeld & Associates For a referral to a UCLA physician, call 1-800-UCLA-MD1 @ SUBSCRIBE TO VITAL SIGNS & HEALTH TIPS FOR PARENTS ELECTRONICALLY www.uclahealth.org/enews uclahealth.org/getsocial Copyright © 2013 by UCLA Health System. All rights reserved. For inquiries about Vital Signs, contact UCLA Health System Marketing Communications, Box 956923 Los Angeles, CA 90095-6923 www.uclahealth.org e-mail: VitalSigns@mednet.ucla.edu