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VERSAILLES, Ohio, Oct. 12, 2026 — Midmark Corp., a leader in designing seamless clinical care experiences that millions of medical, dental and veterinary visits depend on every day, recently welcomed Dayton Children's Canine Co-Pilots to its Versailles campus as part of the company's ongoing support of the hospital.

The Oct. 8 event gave Midmark Teammates an opportunity to meet some of the facility dog handler team as well as two of Dayton Children’s facility dogs. The facility dog handlers are part of the hospital’s Child Life team, and they discussed the important role the handlers and their dogs play in supporting children and families during hospital visits. The facility dogs work alongside the handlers and are specially trained to help comfort children during medical procedures, encourage movement and activity, ease anxiety and provide emotional support during difficult or unfamiliar experiences.

“Dayton Children’s Canine Co-Pilots are an important part of the care experience we provide for children and families,” said Kristy Rowe, child life manager at Dayton Children’s. “We are grateful for Midmark’s continued support and for the opportunity to share the work of our facility dog team with Midmark Teammates. Their support helps us continue creating positive experiences for the children and families we serve.”

The event is part of a series of fundraising activities Midmark Teammates are supporting for Dayton Children's this year, including café roundups, opportunities to donate directly to the Canine Co-Pilot Program and additional fundraising activities planned in the coming months. During the Oct. 8 event, Midmark also presented a $7,500 check to Dayton Children's in support of the hospital's K99.1FM Cares for Kids Radiothon on Oct. 23. In addition to the company's sponsorship, Midmark Teammates will volunteer to answer phones during the radiothon.

“Midmark's mission is to improve the experience between the patient and the caregiver, and for Midmark, that patient may be human or animal,” said Dr. Tom Schwieterman, vice president, clinical affairs and chief medical officer for Midmark. “That creates a natural connection to the human-animal bond and to the role relationships and emotional support can play in the care environment.”

Dayton Children's Canine Co-Pilots are facility dogs trained by 4 Paws for Ability for medical procedures and situations. They work alongside their handlers to support patients in a variety of care settings.

The event also provided an opportunity to consider the human-animal bond more broadly. The emotional connection people have with animals - whether with specially trained dogs in a healthcare setting or with their own pets - can contribute to health and well-being.

Research has examined the potential benefits of animal-assisted interactions in healthcare. In a 2019 controlled clinical trial led by Indiana University School of Medicine, just 15 minutes with a certified therapy dog and handler reduced median anxiety scores among emergency-department patients from 6 to 2, while anxiety remained unchanged in the usual-care group.

“Few organizations have the opportunity Midmark has to bring human and animal healthcare together,” Schwieterman said. “The human-animal bond is one of the places where those two sides of Midmark naturally intersect around a shared idea: good care is not simply what we do to a patient; it is also the experience we create around that patient.”

About Dayton Children's Canine Co-Pilots

Dayton Children's Canine Co-Pilots are specially trained facility dogs that work with the hospital's Child Life team to support children receiving care. Trained by 4 Paws for Ability for medical procedures and situations, the facility dogs can help calm patients during certain procedures, encourage movement and activity, comfort children who have experienced trauma and provide other forms of support. Learn more at childrensdayton.org/services/child-life/canine-copilots/.

About Midmark

Founded in 1915, Midmark Corporation designs seamless clinical care experiences that millions of medical, dental and veterinary visits depend on every day. The company develops and manufactures a comprehensive ecosystem of products and solutions that harmonize space, technology and clinical workflow. Midmark is headquartered in Versailles, Ohio, which is also home to its Experience Center, Design Center, Technology Center and largest manufacturing facility. The company operates five additional U.S. locations and maintains subsidiaries in the United States, India and Italy. To learn more, visit midmark.com.