Teddy Bear Clinic Dispels Local Children's Hospital Fears
Video by Alyssa Nakamoto
Elementary school students brought toys to White Memorial Medical Center's Pediatric Unit Playroom in East Los Angeles on Wednesday to participate in the Teddy Bear Clinic.
The children and their toys played the roles of nurses and doctors and went through a series of pretend medical treatments at the cuddly clinic, in hopes to extinguish hospital hospital visit anxiety and develop knowledge of common hospital and safety procedures.
Tina Aguilera, Child Life Specialist, says that the goal is to "provide information and education, like a teacher, for [the] families [to help] cope with medical procedures, hospitalizations, surgeries, and emotional distress."
Children will learn to "associate positive feelings with hospital visits," Aguilera says.
The Teddy Bear Clinic is part of the hospital's celebration of Child Life Month, which promotes appreciation of child life professionals that help children and their families through medical hardship and sickness.
Child Life is celebrating their 31 years of service, while White Memorial Medical Center is 100 years old. The Teddy Bear Clinic is one of the many events White Memorial Medical Center is hosting in celebration of it's centennial.
