MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is working to make children feel more comfortable in medical environments — one teddy bear at a time, reports the Poughkeepsie Journal.
The hospital's emergency department hosted its annual "teddy bear clinic" Aug. 6 for young children in the community. The hospital has put on the event every summer for more than a decade.
"The teddy bear clinic is a very special event that the hospital plans to help teach and educate young children about going to the hospital; experiencing an emergency room and all the noises and the treatments that go along with it; removing the fear; and providing the support," Margaret Slomin, director of the hospital's preschool and daycare, told the Poughkeepsie Journal.
The clinic started with children learning about ambulances, firetrucks and first aid from the local fire department. The children then cared for their sick teddy bears in the hospital's ED, donning medical masks and gloves.