The students at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School stepped into the roles of doctors and nurses as they prepared for the teddy bear clinic last month. Kristi Ladowski of the Stony Brook University Trauma Center visited with classes to teach them about staying safe in the car by always wearing their seatbelts and on their bikes by always wearing their helmets.

Following their discussions on ways to stay safe, the students took on the role of caregivers as they put on their gloves and masks and cared for their injured stuffed animals. The clinic helps to ease fears about doctors, nurses and hospitals by showing students how to be caregivers. Students cared for their injured stuffed animals, tended to their injuries, bandaged them and gave them instructions on how long to rest. They also wrote down how they could be safer next time to prevent injuries.

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Date Added: 3/6/2023