Dr. Mylène Dandavino has seen first-hand how scary it can be for kids to interact with the healthcare system — especially when needles are involved. It’s a common phenomenon that people in the field call “fear of the white coat,” a reference to the iconic lab coats that immediately communicate authority in clinical settings. Dr. Dandavino, a pediatrician and mother, knows the value of finding ways to normalize a visit to the hospital or clinic or pharmacist or dentist — or any number of other access point kids might have for healthcare. That’s one of the reasons she has chosen to be a faculty supervisor for the Teddy Bear Hospital.
The Teddy Bear Hospital is a student-run initiative first introduced in France. At McGill, medical students like Alexandra Laliberté and Madison Odabassian, co-presidents of the group, go into classrooms, often in neighbourhoods of lower economic status, to work with young children, aged four to eight. The children are invited to bring their own stuffed animals to school and are guided through a series of interactive, fun and educational exercises designed to familiarize them with the field of healthcare.
The Children get to simulate medical treatments with their stuffed animals”
The Teddy Bear Hospital events are all offered for free and rely on the work of volunteers. That means that donors play a huge role in making this work possible, from helping pay for supplies and materials to covering transport costs to reach kids in their own communities.