OCH holds teddy bear clinic

Photo by Amanda Gittlein Following the teddy bear clinic at Ozarks Community Hospital last Thursday first graders from Glenn Duffy Elementary who participated in the clinic joined OCH staff members and volunteers from Med Flight for a group photo in front of the Med Flight helicopter. The students were able to tour the helicopter and visit seven other interactive stations during the health education event, then watch the helicopter take off.
Photo by Amanda Gittlein Following the teddy bear clinic at Ozarks Community Hospital last Thursday first graders from Glenn Duffy Elementary who participated in the clinic joined OCH staff members and volunteers from Med Flight for a group photo in front of the Med Flight helicopter. The students were able to tour the helicopter and visit seven other interactive stations during the health education event, then watch the helicopter take off.

— Ozarks Community Hospital at Gravette hosted a teddy bear clinic last Thursday for first grade students at Glenn Duffy Elementary School. The students visited the hospital between 8:45 and 10 a.m. and went to eight stations, where stuffed animals were used to teach them healthy behaviors through hands-on demonstrations.

Teddy bear clinics are educational events for children ages 4-8, hosted by a medical facility. The purpose of the clinics is to promote wellness by exposing young children to healthy behaviors and giving them a fun opportunity to learn about their health. The clinics aim to eliminate anxiety and fear of healthcare professionals, procedures and being in a hospital or medical clinic. The goal of OCH's teddy bear clinic program is to remove the stigma of medical care and help children learn the importance of annual checkups.

The eight stations the first graders attended were the ER, radiology, a handwashing and infection control station, wound care, first aid, the lab, healthy nutrition/staying fit and Med Flight. The Med Flight crew brought its own volunteers to help with the program.

Children spent 10 minutes at each station. When the clinic ended, a group photo was taken and the students got to watch the helicopter take off.

Amanda Gittlein, marketing and communications manager at OCH, said "the clinic was a huge success and the kids loved it."

Another OCH teddy bear clinic will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday, May 12, for second graders at Glenn Duffy Elementary.

Community on 04/20/2016