Dartmouth Health member Cheshire Medical Center’s Family & Community Care Clinic invites families to a day of education and excitement at the upcoming Teddy Bear Clinic and (weather-permitting) Emergency Vehicle Touch-a-Truck Event on Saturday, April 25, from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm.
The Teddy Bear Clinic will be held at 62 Maple Ave., home of Cheshire’s West Campus. The free event is designed for children to help ease anxiety about doctor visits through interactive, play-based learning. The Teddy Bear Clinic is most beneficial for children ages 2 to 12 and provides parents with a powerful tool to decrease fear and anxiety for their children during healthcare visits. The clinic gives children the opportunity to role-play as doctors, nurses, medical assistants or technicians while caring for their favorite stuffed animal. By “treating” their teddy bears, children become familiar with medical equipment and common healthcare experiences in a supportive, engaging environment. Activities may include check-in, emergency room visits, X-rays, lab visits, casting, doctor office visits, immunizations, hand hygiene and belly breathing.
Children are encouraged to bring their favorite stuffed animal to serve as the “patient,” or a teddy bear will be provided for each child attending the clinic. While many children find the experience simply fun, others may benefit therapeutically by gaining confidence and comfort around medical settings.
Registration for Teddy Bear Clinic appointments is required and opens Wednesday, April 1. To register, families should email teddybearclinic@cheshire-med.com with the full name and age of each child being registered, along with the full name of each attending parent or adult. Space is limited to the first 74 children registered.
In addition to the clinic, families can enjoy the Emergency Vehicle Touch-a-Truck Event, which will be held in the Maple Avenue parking lot. The free event is open to children of all ages. Registration is not required for the Touch-a-Truck portion of the event.
Weather permitting, children will be able to view and explore the Dartmouth Health Advanced Response Team (DHART) helicopter and ambulance, an ambulance and firetruck from the Keene Fire Department’s West Station, and a New Hampshire State Police Troop C cruiser and BEAR vehicle.
Food and treats will also be available for purchase from Mama Maria’s Gyros and More food truck and Kona Ice of the Monadnock Region.
For more information about this and other community health education events, visit cheshiremed.org/events.
About Cheshire Medical Center
Cheshire Medical Center (Cheshire) is a Dartmouth Health member providing the communities in the Greater Monadnock Region a continuum of care spanning primary care and specialty medicine, to surgical services and acute inpatient care. For more than 130 years, Cheshire has been a key contributor to the health and vitality of the Monadnock Region. As a not-for-profit community medical center, Cheshire is deeply committed to delivering excellent care in a safe and welcoming environment. Cheshire is dedicated to being a great neighbor and serves as an integral community resource. Cheshire is the area's largest healthcare provider and leading employer. Along with the services delivered on their Keene campus and satellite locations, the Medical Center partners with local organizations to provide vital services and programs throughout the region. To learn more, call 603-354-5400 or visit the Cheshire Medical Center website.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Dartmouth Health Home Care; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.