Holistic Hospitals, Part Two

At one time, hospitals and holistic medicine were on opposite sides of the healing process.

But a number of medical facilities, including some in Maine, are now realizing that a pill doesn't always solve the problem.

The concept is called integrative medicine, a sort of east meets west when it comes to care.

At Maine General Medical Center's Thayer campus in Waterville, therapy comes in all forms, including four-legged.
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"Hi there, this is Jesse."

Jesse is a five-year old golden retriever. She and her owner, Janet LeClair, are an intregal part of health care at Maine General Medical Center. LeClair volunteers as a pet therapist.

"It involves just visiting patients, knocking on their door, saying would you like to visit with a therapy dog," says LeClair.

"Would you like to visit with a therapy dog?" LeClair asks a patient.

LeClair got started about 12 years ago, after she was forced to quit working due to a disability.

"I wanted to do some type of volunteering. And I love my dogs, so I wanted to incorporate them, and I found a pet therapy trainer," she says.

LeClair just retired her first therapy dog. she now makes the rounds with jesse.

"All I do is get this vest out, and she is ready to go."

LeClair says she spends anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour, visiting with patients.

"Can you say hi? Good girl, good girl," says LeClair to a patient.

"She's so pretty," the patient tells LeClair.

"They like to reminisce about their pets," says LeClair.

"I had a dog, 17, I had to put her to sleep," says Warren Ladd, a patient at Thayer.

"Did you?" asks LeClair. "17, huh?"

"A German Shepard," Ladd tells her.

"It just gives them something to focus on, other than feeling sick and miserable. And they love just to pet her, and hold her and talk to herm" says LeClair.

"Would you like to give her a treat?" LeClair asks Ladd. "She'd like that. Here you go."

"It brightens them up. They're smiling when I leave and they thank me very much for bringing her in. It's good for me, and I believe I'm doing a lot of good for them, and her," says LeClair.

"Do you think it's good medicine?" Ladd is asked.

"Oh yeah, for everybody," he answers.

"Just to have a bit of furry love for a few minutes huh?" adds LeClair.

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Many of the integrative therapies offered in hospitals are by volunteers, so there's no cost to the patient.

In some cases, the hospitals have contracts with providers, who bill the patient directly for their services.