Meet Coleman, the crisis response dog who brings comfort to his Novant Health team

It’s early morning and emergency first responders for Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center are preparing for their day. There’s no way to know what the day ahead might bring. The Mobile Health team stands poised and ready to transport sick and injured individuals to the hospital by ambulance or helicopter, at any time of day or night, and provide lifesaving care during transport.

As the day begins, one team member walks the hallways of the team’s headquarters, poking his head into rooms to say hello while people work.

“Hi, Coleman,” they smile and reach out, gesturing for him to enter.

Coleman trots into one room and rests his chin on an emergency medical technician’s knee, looking up with pleading, chocolate-brown eyes. Kayla Coleman, Coleman’s handler, chuckles at him.

“He’s making his rounds looking for treats,” she says.

Coleman is the Mobile Health team’s crisis response facility dog, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever who became part of the team in June 2024. That means his official job is to do what dogs do best: give love, cuddles and emotional support. While the Mobile Health team focuses on the urgent health needs of patients, Coleman’s job is to help ensure his team remains healthy and well, too.

“Coleman is here to provide support to the team members after a stressful incident,” Kayla explains. “Our team members will come in to give him treats, have him do tricks, and play ball and fetch with him.”

It may sound like all fun and games, but it’s a serious job that Coleman was raised for. He began training when he was just three days old with paws4people, a Wilmington-based organization that trains and places assistance dogs. His doggy resume lists special skills like an unusually high tolerance for loud noises and crowds, and a strong ability to remain calm in stressful situations.

Kayla, an administrative associate with New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Medical Service, AirLink and Community Paramedics, brings Coleman home with her at night, where he relaxes after a day on the job with her two family dogs. She began working with the Mobile Health team’s wellness and resiliency program several years ago to bring Coleman on board the team.

There’s plenty of evidence that illustrates the health benefits of being around furry friends. Studies have found that interacting with animals boosts levels of feel-good hormones like oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin in our brains. Crisis response dogs, specifically, are shown to have anxiety- and stress-reducing effects on people, a study published in Frontiers in Psychology reports.

This is important for Novant Health’s Mobile Health team members, who respond daily to traumatic occurrences like car accidents and severe injuries. The department has multiple wellness and resiliency opportunities available, like a chaplain on the team who’s there to offer support. But sometimes, Kayla says, it’s helpful and reassuring to know you don’t have to say a word to Coleman to receive his comfort and affection.

When it came time to choose from three dogs to be part of the team, Kayla instantly fell in love with Coleman, and says his name sealed the deal. (He received the name Coleman from paws4people and it’s just a coincidence that Kayla’s last name is the same, if you can believe it!)

Now Coleman supports the 300 individuals who make up the Mobile Health team, with the team’s headquarters as his home base, where they know they can find him. Plus, Coleman and Kayla visit the hospital’s ambulance bay and emergency room to spend time with doctors, nurses, certified nurse assistants and other team members, too. But there’s no shortage of happy tail wags, nose boops and nuzzles to go around. One team member even picks up all 65 pounds of Coleman and bear-hugs him.

“Coleman is love,” Kayla said. “One hundred percent, his job is to be loved on. So anytime someone sees him, we love that they will be able to love on him and relieve a little bit of stress.”