Sep 23, 2023
Nothing takes the fear out of a situation quicker than watching one’s best friend do it first.
That’s the thought behind the Teddy Bear Clinic next week at Bradford Regional Medical Center. Events and volunteer coordinator Gabby Kelley explained the clinic is for all the kindergarten classes at George G. Blaisdell Elementary School in Bradford — and their stuffed best friends, of course.
“There is a total of eight classes and each class has about 18 students,” Kelley said. “So a total of 144 students are expected to attend the clinic.”
The clinics will be held Tuesday to Friday, with two classes each day. “One class will come in the morning from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and then another one in the afternoon from 1 to 2 p.m.,” Kelley said. “Bradford City Fire Department will provide an ambulance with EMTs to talk with students and (to give) tours of the ambulance.”
While this is the first year for the clinic, before the COVID pandemic, emergency room nurses would do “Buddy First Visit” to help kids not be afraid of a trip to the ER, she explained.
“The students this year will bring their own teddy to the hospital and they will get to leave with their own stethoscope and goodie bag,” she explained. The stethoscopes were made by BRMC volunteers — and so were the goodie bags.
The volunteers will man stations at the Teddy Bear Clinic, Kelley said, “also we do have a group of volunteers from Futures that will be helping during the event.”
The clinic will be held in the same-day surgery area. Students will begin outside with a visit to an ambulance, then make a nametag for themselves before posing for a class photo. After that, they will split into groups and visit each station.
How clean are the student’s paws? The students will visit a hand hygiene station, where they start by playing with glitter to signify germs, and then learn how to wash their hands correctly to get the “germs” off.
Is Teddy feeling icky? The stuffed animals will have a check up, sitting on a patient bed with a flashlight available for students to check eyes, ears and mouth, and a plastic mouth syringe available for “vaccinations.”
We know Teddy’s heart is as good as gold, but how do we check it? Each student will receive a stethoscope to check out the heart, and will take it home with them.
Uh-oh, what do we do if Teddy is having trouble walking? Two sets of crutches and a wheelchair will be available for students to learn how to use. They will learn how to bandage Teddy’s arm or leg, too.
The students will also leave a note for the nurses as a “thank you” message. Children will get a goodie bag, too.