Having surgery can be scary! That’s why the team at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital is doing all it can to make the experience easy on children.

A Special Ride

When your child goes in for surgery, he or she can choose to ride into the surgical suite in a brightly-colored wagon.

A New Friend

All young surgery patients also get to choose a stuffed moose or teddy bear wearing surgical scrubs and a mask  that they can keep after the surgery. This new friend helps lessen anxiety for children, who are often intimidated by the masks that nurses and doctors have to wear in the operating room. Getting to choose their stuffed animal also helps give the children a sense of control.

Special Education

A special book, using our teddy bear mascot as the ‘patient,’ helps children understand where they will be going and what will happen to them before and after surgery.

A “Goody Bag”

Children who undergo surgery receive a “goody bag” with bubbles and other treats, including a special coloring book created by APD’s Gene Soboleski, a father and Surgical RN.