Teddy Bear Clinic

Van Wert County Hospital hosted 108 kids for its annual Teddy Bear Clinic on Friday and Saturday. A total of 22 volunteers also helped out at the clinic. Children walked their Teddy Bears through stations designed to model a regular visit to the hospital. Kids “checked in” their stuffed animals and got an ID bracelet for the bears. They then traveled to the ER (above) on a gurney, where a nurse showed them what it’s like to be a patient and provided interactive, age-appropriate health information, according to Ellen Rager, hospital patient/community coordinator. The kids then went to Teddy Bear Triage, where vital signs were taken, the bears were weighed and measured, while also receiving breathing treatments and got a cast to mend broken bones. Kids then listened to a story and had a healthy snack as well. The theme for the event was “come see us before you need us.” Above, a volunteer checks vital signs on a Teddy Bear.  Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent