Therapy Animals/Service Animals Policy

Horizon Health Network (Horizon) supports animal therapy as the therapeutic benefit of animal assisted interventions is well documented. 

Therapy animals are permitted to enter Horizon premises only if the animal is part of an established Animal-Assisted Activity/Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAA/AAT) Program and the handler is a registered Horizon Volunteer. As these animals interact with various patient populations, infection control procedures are followed to minimize the risk of transmission of infection to susceptible patients. 

When establishing a program, consultation with Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) is required. This policy does not apply to personal pet visitation.