West Virginia University had a strong presence at Charleston Area Medical Center’s Teddy Bear Fair last Saturday with representatives from WVU, WVU Tech and WVU Physicians of Charleston providing fun and educational displays for attendees.
Each year, more than 1,000 people attend the fair to engage with a variety of educational displays, play games and win prizes. Children who visit are given a teddy bear to take from station to station to learn about many health and hospital-related topics.
Dr. Evelyn Klocke, Chair of WVU Nursing at WVU Tech, has been involved with this event over the years, first as a CAMC employee and now as a faculty member at Tech. Klocke shared that the event provides the additional benefit of allowing children and their families to experience the hospital in a non-threatening, comfortable way.
“Connecting with the community in this fun way allows us to educate families about healthy lifestyle habits while helping children feel comfortable around health care professionals, so that when they do need support or treatment, they won’t be afraid,” she said.