Giving a child the gift of comfort

November 27, 2013 · 0 Comments

Scrubs is small, brown, and furry, and doesn’t say much, but this cute teddy bear has a big mission. Scrubs has the ability to soothe a small child during a visit to Stevenson Memorial Hospital’s emergency room and he acts as an outreach ambassador to the community.

“Scrubs is our ‘It takes you… Campaign’ ambassador,” explained Fundraising Assistant Kristan Barata. “Scrubs is a way to bring awareness to our Campaign to raise funds for new equipment.”

During the Foundation’s recent mail fundraising campaign, Scrubs was offered to donors who gave at a certain level. One of the first donors to receive Scrubs graciously offered him back as a donation to a child treated in ER. This gesture became the inspiration for many other donors and over 35 bears were donated back.

Emergency Room staff have kept these donated bears on hand and when a little one is brought in for treatment this bear can help relieve the stress of a sudden hospital visit .

“As nursing staff, we look for children who will have something that might be painful such as blood work or having an arm cast,” said Joy McCarron, Stevenson’s Manager Emergency Room and Medical Surgical Unit. “We will use the bear as a distraction. Scrubs is a great reliever of stress. Sometimes fear and anxiety is even greater than the pain they will experience.”

Four year-old Tyson Lea made several visits to Stevenson’s ER and although a few minutes can seem like hours to a young child, a small distraction can help pass the time.

“It was a particularly busy time in the emergency room that day,” explained Tyson’s mom Judy of the first time Tyson made a hospital visit. “It made our stay and wait for the doctors so much more manageable. He was concentrating on the bear and not feeling any discomfort. My eyes started to water when the nurse brought it in – it made a huge difference.”

“I think it’s a great idea to have these teddy bears,” said Wina Hartman who donated her bear back to the Hospital.

Ms. Hartman knows firsthand how important a small distraction can be for a young patient.

“My grandson got a little toy,” she explained. “He had to go through some tests, but the toy was what stuck in his mind.”

As a community member, Ms. Hartman said donating to the local hospital is important. The funds, she said, “go to where ever they need it the most.”

To purchase Scrubs for someone in your life, or to buy one for Stevenson’s ER, contact the Foundation at (705) 435-6281 x1262 or foundation@smhosp.on.ca

Scrubs is also available in the Stevenson Memorial Hospital Gift Shop. For more information visit www.stevensonfoundation.ca

By Brian Lockhart