New Monash Children’s Hospital to include Visiting Pet Park

This week we welcomed patients, families and their four-legged friends to visit our new Monash Children’s Hospital Visiting Pet Park, with the Victorian Minister for Health, Jill Hennessy MP.

For many children in hospital for long-term stays, their biggest wish is to see their family pet. This wish will be a reality in the new Monash Children’s Hospital, when it opens in 2017.

Director of the new Monash Children’s Hospital Project, Kym Forrest said the hospital often has requests from patients, wanting to see their pet.

“The new Monash Children’s Hospital has been designed not just for patients, but for the whole family. Pets are an important part of many families,” she said.

“We have a request for an alpaca, horses, a sheep, and children from farms that want to bring in the family goat.”

Research has shown that patients who stay connected to their family units, friends, and pets have better health outcomes.

The Visiting Pet Park is an outdoor, shade-covered enclosure specifically designed for safe animal visits.

To find out more about the new Monash Children’s Hospital and its features click here.