Ambulance Victoria's furry new recruit a 'very good boy'
Victorian paramedics have a new best friend in the pursuit of improving workplace mental health and wellbeing – a six-year-old golden labrador named Bruce.
Ambulance Victoria announced that “natural human magnet” Bruce will be its first peer support dog, and will spend three to four hours a day giving paramedics paws for thought.
“An example is the Bourke Street post, where Bruce may go along to the debrief for paramedics…when we talk to paramedics after difficult cases, they may not want to chat, but they do want some time out,” Ambulance Victoria chief executive Tony Walker told reporters.
“Patting Bruce and cuddling him can make a world of difference.”
The peer support dog is part of a pilot program to strengthen mental health and wellbeing in the Ambulance Victoria workforce, which will run across metropolitan Melbourne.
It will be reviewed after six months.
Ambulance Victoria Tweeted on Thursday: “Research indicates the suicide rate for paramedics is four times higher than the Victorian rate and three times the rate in other emergency services.”
We can’t accept that injury, including psychological injury, is part of the job. Delivery of our services to the community should not come at a cost to our people’s health, wellbeing or lives. pic.twitter.com/oZO0zMChjd
— Ambulance Victoria (@AmbulanceVic) May 10, 2018
