[photo credit: Huntington Health]
Huntington Health, the Pasadena-based nonprofit hospital and Cedars-Sinai affiliate, is hosting a free Teddy Bear Clinic at La Pintoresca Branch Library on Saturday, April 25, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Children are invited to bring a favorite stuffed animal for a mock health checkup — a hands-on exercise designed to make future medical visits feel less frightening.
The event is part of Huntington Health’s community outreach program, which sends registered nurses and health educators into libraries, community centers and farmers markets across Pasadena, according to the health system. Huntington Health staff have conducted free health screenings at La Pintoresca before, making the northwest Pasadena branch a familiar venue for the hospital’s neighborhood-level programming.
The concept behind the Teddy Bear Clinic is rooted in research. A 2018 C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan found that roughly half of parents of children ages 2 to 5 reported their child was afraid of going to the doctor. Fear of getting a shot was the most commonly cited reason. One in 25 parents surveyed said they had postponed a vaccine because of their child’s anxiety, and one in five said the child’s distress made it difficult to concentrate on what the doctor or nurse was saying.
Teddy bear clinics — in which children role-play as caregivers for their stuffed animals, using real or simulated medical equipment — have emerged as one response to that problem. A peer-reviewed study published in the Israel Medical Association Journal found that preschool children who participated in a teddy bear hospital program reported significantly lower anxiety about hospitalization than a control group.
No appointment is needed for the April 25 event, and there is no cost to attend. La Pintoresca Branch Library is located at 1355 North Raymond Avenue. The library has limited parking, with eight on-site spaces available. The library can be reached at (626) 744-7268. For more information about Huntington Health’s community outreach programs, call (626) 397-3376.
The clinic runs just one hour. For some families, it may be enough to turn a stethoscope from something to fear into something familiar.
