Baylor Scott & White Health to Build Canine Companions for Independence Training Center in Irving, Texas

Largest provider of highly trained assistance dogs expands to North Texas; First collaboration with a health care system

Baylor Scott & White Health and Canine Companions for Independence announce plans to build the first Canine Companions training center in Texas and the first in the nation to be connected to a health care system. This will be Canine Companions’ sixth training center in the country, and it will allow the organization to provide more highly trained assistance dogs free of charge to people with physical and developmental disabilities.

“Baylor Scott & White continually looks for innovative ways to achieve our mission: to serve all people by providing personalized health and wellness through exemplary care, education and research as a Christian ministry of healing,” said Joel Allison, CEO of Baylor Scott & White Health. “Through this unique extension of care, Baylor Scott & White Health and Canine Companions for Independence desire to give people with physical or developmental disabilities an enhanced quality of life.”

“This collaboration with Baylor Scott & White Health will allow Canine Companions for Independence to continue changing lives by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing follow-up services to adults, children, and veterans, all free of charge, for generations to come,” said Corey Hudson, CEO of Canine Companions for Independence. “An expansion to Texas in 2015 – our 40th anniversary year – is an essential step and proof that we’ll continue to be the innovators and advocates we’ve always been, standing at the vanguard of the assistance dog service sector.”

Initial construction will begin in October and will include between six and eight dormitory rooms and 24 kennels. The training center will begin operation in the summer of 2015, with the overall objective of developing a campus capable of graduating approximately 60 teams per year.

Video Announcement:

About Canine Companions for Independence
Canine Companions for Independence provides highly trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has training centers across the country, including CA, FL, OH and NY. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. There is no charge for the dog, its training and ongoing follow-up services. For more information, call 1-800-572-BARK or visit: www.cci.org


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About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com