Good Sam’s Sam keeps the peace

With the help of donor funds, Operations Manager of Site Security and Hospitality Services Justin Worthington started a K9 security program at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital. K9 Sam was selected out of 14 dogs for his calm disposition, love of getting pets and great focus.

Meet the newest member of MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital’s security team, Sam. Originally from Bosnia, Sam is a 3-year-old purebred German shepherd who’s sweet, sociable and takes his day job very seriously.

The K9 security dog — funded by Good Samaritan Foundation donors — has two main roles at Washington’s busiest emergency department.

“One is to be a natural de-escalator,” says Justin Worthington, operations manager of site security and hospitality services. “The presence of the canine is both soothing and de-escalating for staff, as well as any patients or visitors that come in.

“Also, he’s going to be looking for drugs that interfere with the important patient care that often find their way into the hospital,” he continues. “We can find those drugs and remove them from the situation, so we can continue to give our patients the best possible outcome.”

Sam’s handler, Security Officer Frank Fuchs, adds that safety is at the heart of everything the canine does.

“We have this epidemic of workplace violence in hospitals, and it’s important for us to make sure our hospital community is safe,” Fuchs explains. “Sam is a great way to make sure everyone’s safe, and I have received amazing remarks from staff about how Sam makes them feel safe and cared for.”

Training Sam

Sam recently returned from more than three months of extensive law enforcement training with Fuchs at Alabama K9 Law Enforcement Training Center, where he learned the skills necessary to help protect people at Good Samaritan.

While the German shepherd was put through the paces in a typical law enforcement way, Fuchs also taught Sam to handle scenarios likely to occur in a hospital setting.

“This is one of the top schools in the country,” Worthington shares. “They raised the bar in terms of quality. While training was difficult and long, I think what we’ll see is we have a dog that fits in the hospital and fits our needs the best.”

Fuchs and Sam have completed the course but will continue monthly training sessions to keep Sam in tip-top shape to serve.

Donor generosity’s role

According to both Fuchs and Worthington, if it weren’t for donors’ passion for supporting the safety of their community hospital, the emergency department simply wouldn’t have Sam.

“With the dog, the veterinary bills, making sure we’re safe, there’s a lot of time and money that goes into that,” Fuchs says. “This whole thing wouldn’t be possible without Foundation donors. I want to tell them thank you, and I can’t wait to meet and shake all their hands because this is going to be a really good program. I think it’s going to help lead a lot of hospitals in our area.”

Worthington also has these words of thanks for proponents of the program.

“We’re already seeing the benefits — we’re protecting our community; we’re protecting our staff, our patients and giving everybody the best chance to have healing,” he says. “And we couldn’t have done that without the trust and support financially from the Foundation and its donors. We’re excited to share those results and what happens with this program as it continues to grow.”

You can support Good Samaritan Hospital’s K9 security program, helping improve patient and employee safety, with a gift to the Good Samaritan Foundation.