TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Going to the hospital can be stressful at any age, but especially for kids. The teddy bear clinic aims to ease fears using the power of play.
- 25 children from the Twin Falls Reformed Church preschool learned about what happens in St. Luke's
- Each child received a teddy bear, which they took around to check its heart health and learn about IVs and nutrition. They even gave it some stitches and an MRI.
- The idea is that introducing concepts during play might make them less stressful for kids should they come up in real life.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Most first-time trips to the hospital .. for kids... Come after some kind of trauma - like an accident or illness..
Hallie Chancellor is the child life specialist at St Luke's, and knows that can be scary! So this week they helped calm those fears ... using play
"The teddy bear clinic is kind of to help kids normalize that hospital experience," Chancellor said.
About 25 preschoolers from Twin Falls Reformed Church stopped by St Lukes.
Each in charge of getting their assigned teddy bear all kinds of medical care.
Along the way learning from professionals in each department.
"We're going to walk the children and their teddy bear companions through an experience where that teddy bear may have hit their head on a slide," Garth Blackburn, who works in the emergency department, told me.
"We're going to talk to the kids about putting in some Steri-Strips — or some special stickers that will hold that wound together," Blackburn said.
They also learned about IVs, surgery, nutrition, even MRIs.
Teacher Hannah Fistolera said she wouldn't be surprised if after this -- the kids expressed interest in a career in medicine.
"It's really fun and the kids are really enjoying it," Fistolera said. "I think it's a great opportunity for them."
Kyli Gough is St. Luke's Magic Valley Community Outreach director. She told me that the goal is to create familiarity with the community.
"She knows that it really helps to teach kind of what is all about and comfortable and so I think they grow up knowing it's a safe place," Gough said.
