Cheshire Medical Center’s Family & Community Care Clinic will host a Teddy Bear Clinic on April 26 from 9 am to 1:30 pm.
The Teddy Bear Clinic allows children and their caregivers opportunities to familiarize themselves with the medical setting and take the fear out of medical interactions.
Kids play the role of doctor, nurse, radiology tech, and more as they assess and “treat” the ailments of their favorite toy or provided teddy bear. Playing alongside real-life medical experts from Dartmouth Health member Cheshire Medical Center, staff will guide children and their families through several healthcare experiences.
Teddy Bear Clinics are proven to empower children by normalizing medical equipment and experiences, reducing anxiety of future doctor visits and increasing their knowledge of their bodies. For caregivers, these events give them an opportunity to address a child’s health questions and concerns.
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.
To improve the health and safety of children attending the Teddy Bear Clinic, each adult will also have the opportunity to learn about the safe storage of medication and guns. Additionally, children who are registered for the Teddy Bear Clinic will be provided with the opportunity to receive a bike helmet that will be fitted by trained staff.
New this year, the Dartmouth Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART) and other local emergency vehicles will be available for a free Emergency-Vehicle-Touch-a-Truck event in the parking lot. Registration is not required for this portion of the event.
While the Teddy Bear Clinic is free, registration is required to attend. Starting April 1, register by emailing teddybearclinic@cheshire-med.com with the full name and age of each child that you are registering, as well as the full name of each adult accompanying them. Registration is limited to the first 74 children.
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; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; 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.