Heal a Teddy Bear, Help a Child!
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It’s not unusual for a child to be nervous about a visit to the doctor. Doctors’ offices can seem scary to children who are especially attuned to noticing new faces and strange-looking instruments, and who often worry that something unfamiliar may result in pain. For some kids, memories of past experiences with needles or other “pokes and prods” also may lead to trepidation about stepping foot in a hospital or doctor’s office again.
That’s precisely why the staff at Swedish Pediatrics hosts “Teddy Bear Clinics” at local community events. With its cuddly teddy bears and super friendly staff, Swedish wants to show kids that its medical providers not only work to help and heal kids, they also know how to play and have fun.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, we asked permission from the families who attended a recent Teddy Bear Clinic (held in the lobby of Seattle’s McCaw Hall during a Pacific Northwest Ballet performance of “The Nutcracker”) to take photos, allowing us to illustrate what our Teddy Bear Clinics are all about!
When a child walks up to the Teddy Bear Clinic “booth,” he’s encouraged to try out a real stethoscope and hear his own heart beat. Pictured here are two of Swedish’s primary care pediatricians, Milan Mulye, M.D., and Sophia Conley, M.D. (from Swedish Children’s Clinic - Redmond), eagerly helping our junior doctor while patient service representative Jene (from Swedish Pediatric Specialty Care) provides encouragement with a smile. Swedish Medical Center sports medicine specialist Terrence Cronin, M.D., looks on as another junior doctor successfully applies a head bandage to Mr. Bear and prepares to auscultate his heart. A child offers a second opinion on Mr. Bear’s cardiac status while Uma Pisharody, M.D., a Seattle pediatric gastroenterologist with Swedish Medical Group, looks on with a smile.
Now that he knows Mr. Bear’s heart is strong, this little doctor moves on to fixing the patient’s broken leg with neon-green bandage tape. Children love the attention they receive from health care providers like Doree, one of Swedish Pediatric Specialty Care's radiology technicians. Our team members volunteer their personal time at these Seattle Teddy Bear clinics. Sophia Conley, M.D. (Swedish Children’s Clinic - Redmond), and Melissa Genualdi, M.D. (Swedish Richmond Beach Primary Care), help these children learn the basics of good pediatric care.
Melissa Genualdi, M.D. (Swedish Richmond Beach Primary Care), helps children learn the basics of good pediatric care. We hope you’ll bring your child to a Seattle Teddy Bear Clinic, where Swedish’s amazing team of primary and specialty care providers helps children of all ages learn about pediatric medicine in a fun, welcoming setting.