Teddy Bear event eases fear of hospital

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Approximately 140 children learned that the hospital is not such a scary place after all during Van Wert County Hospital’s Teddy Bear Clinic held Saturday morning.

Approximately 40 volunteers helped provide information and hands-on demonstrations — on Teddy Bears, of course — of a number of procedures children might have to undergo at the hospital. One of the volunteers was Van Wert Fire Chief Jon Jones, who works as a PRN nurse in the ER, who demonstrated how casts were cut off with the cast cutting saw.

“Overall, this event is intended to help take the ‘scare’ out of Emergency Care, and to get kids used to being in a medical environment,” said Ellen Rager, patient and community relations coordinator at the hospital. “We think it’s really fun for the kids and we hope that this event might also spark an interest in a future career in healthcare for some of the children.”

The volunteers manned the following stations:

Hand Hygiene Station: Children learned about germs and about the proper way to wash their hands. Hospital staff used a black light so children could actually see dirt on their hands they might not see otherwise.

Pretend Play Area: Hospital staff created a pretend play area filled with hands-on things that kids can play with: dolls, play doctor kits, child-sized lab jackets, pediatric hospital gowns, face masks, plastic syringes (no needles), and a magnetic skeleton.

X-Ray Station: Kids had the opportunity to tour the x-ray room, try on the weighted apron that they would wear if they were having a real x-ray, and examine x-rays. Staff also placed a pair of scissors in a stuffed bear and the x-ray technician pretended to take x-rays and children then saw the scissors show up on the computer screen for kids to view.

Lab Station: Kids saw what happens if they need lab work performed while at the hospital. No needles were used in the demonstration, but they saw the practice arms used by staff members to practice their phlebotomy skills. Typically, the hospital uses red fluid in the arms when using them with staff members; however, green fluid was used for the Teddy Bear Clinic.

“We hope this will be less scary for children and they will see that lab work isn’t a scary thing,” said Ellen Rager, noting that staff members are calling the arms “Hulk arms” to identify them with superheroes and make them less scary.

Casting and Splinting Station: Hospital staff will demonstrate the cast cutter for kids and also let them play with plaster and show them how real casts are made.