All first graders in our community are invited to come to the Hospital and Clinic and bring their stuffed animal. We take Theodore, the hospital teddy, through a check-up at the clinic, and on an emergency room visit where he gets a splint. Then we rotate through radiology, lab, and a hospital inpatient room, where the children get to see x-rays, how blood is drawn, and how a patient is cared for when admitted.

After the department tours, the students go to our Education Room, where we eat a healthy snack and discuss healthy habits: eating well, drinking water, brushing teeth, exercising, getting good sleep, washing hands, immunizations, etc. Once the students are done eating, they dress up like doctors, with a gown, mask, and gloves. There are multiple stations around the room that they visit to "check-up" their own stuffed animal. Stations include: stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, otoscope, reflex hammer, thermometer, shots, bandages, and band-aids. At the stethoscope and blood pressure cuff stations we use real stethoscopes and cuffs, and make sure that each student gets to hear a real heartbeat. Each child leaves with a coloring book and their doctor dress-up outfit.

The mission of the Teddy Bear Clinic is to decrease fear of medical professionals and the hospital environment, and to teach healthy habits at a young age.

The program has been highly regarded throughout the community, and we have had requests from parents outside the community to offer it to their schools as well. We are considering hosting two clinics for other schools to join.

We have had multiple teachers and parents thank us for this new program, saying that their child is not as fearful when going to the doctor, and some even request it. Students are carrying back their new knowledge to home and asking parents for healthy snacks, and teachers report an increase in healthy habits as well.