Pet Partners and Covista Foundation Partner to Support Healthcare Worker Well-Being Through Therapy Animal Visits

Pet Partners is proud to announce a new partnership with the Covista Foundation that will expand access to therapy animal visits for nurses and other clinical workers in hospital settings. 

Through the partnership, Pet Partners therapy animal teams (one volunteer and their therapy animal) will provide meaningful opportunities for healthcare professionals to connect with therapy animals during the workday. The initiative is expected to reach more than 1,700 hospital staff members, helping create moments of connection, comfort, and renewal for professionals who spend their days caring for others. 

The collaboration brings together the nation’s leading organization dedicated to improving human health and well-being through the human-animal bond, and the Covista Foundation, which supports charitable initiatives in healthcare education and workforce development. 

Together, we are helping extend the benefits of the human-animal bond to the healthcare professionals who play an essential role in supporting patients and communities every day. 

Bringing the Human-Animal Bond to Healthcare Professionals 

Therapy animal visits are often associated with supporting patients, residents, students, and other members of the community. They can also offer meaningful benefits for the healthcare workforce. 

Nurses and other clinical workers regularly navigate demanding environments while providing care to others. Research has shown that even brief therapy animal visits can help lower anxiety among healthcare workers. Through the support of the Covista Foundation, more clinical professionals will have opportunities to experience these meaningful interactions with registered Pet Partners therapy animal teams. 

“Therapy animal visits create opportunities for connection, comfort, and renewal that help strengthen resilience among healthcare professionals. Pet Partners is grateful to the Covista Foundation for making it possible to expand this work and bring these restorative moments to more clinical workers in hospitals,” said C. Annie Peters, President & CEO. 

Supporting the People Who Support Others 

Healthcare professionals play an essential role in the health and well-being of communities. Supporting these professionals includes recognizing the demands of their work and creating opportunities that contribute to their own well-being. 

The Covista Foundation supports charitable initiatives focused on healthcare education and workforce development. Its partnership with Pet Partners grows that commitment by helping bring therapy animal visits directly to members of the clinical workforce. 

“Supporting the healthcare workforce extends beyond education and training—it also means investing in the wellbeing of the professionals who care for patients every day, ” said Megan Noel, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Covista and Board Chair of the Covista Foundation. “Through this partnership with Pet Partners, we are helping expand access to programs that support nurses and other clinical workers, recognizing that a healthy, resilient workforce is essential to delivering quality care.” 

Their visits may be brief, but the opportunity to connect and experience the presence of a therapy animal can offer a welcome source of support during a demanding workday. 

A Shared Commitment to the Healthcare Workforce 

The Covista Foundation is an independent public 501(c)(3) charity based in Chicago that supports charitable initiatives in healthcare education and workforce development. 

Covista, America’s largest healthcare educator, serves more than 100,000 students and is supported by a community of 400,000 alumni across five accredited institutions. Through personalized, technology-enabled education supported by 10,000 faculty and colleagues, Covista works to expand access to healthcare careers and address the healthcare workforce shortage in the United States. 

Pet Partners has seen firsthand how the human-animal bond can support health and well-being in hospitals, workplaces, schools, senior living communities, and many other settings. By partnering with organizations that share a commitment to healthier communities, Pet Partners can help bring safe and effective therapy animal interactions to more people. 

The partnership with the Covista Foundation creates an opportunity to focus specifically on the professionals working within healthcare environments and recognize that their well-being matters, too. 

Building Healthier, More Connected Communities Together 

Pet Partners is deeply grateful to the Covista Foundation for supporting this work and helping make therapy animal visits more accessible for the people who dedicate their careers to caring for others. 

This partnership reflects the impact that is possible when organizations come together around a shared commitment to health, well-being, and community. 

As Pet Partners therapy animal teams start reaching more healthcare professionals through this initiative, we look forward to the connections that will be created and the thousands of hospital staff members who will have an opportunity to experience the human-animal bond. 

We are proud to partner with the Covista Foundation and excited to see the meaningful moments this collaboration will make possible.