Teddy Bear Hospital raises more than $40,000

Brave bears, excited children and student volunteers gathered for the Good Friday Appeal Teddy Bear Hospital on Friday, April 19, to help raise funds for The Royal Children’s Hospital.

This was Teddy Bear Hospital’s eighth appearance at the Good Friday Appeal and the event was as popular as ever.

More than 3,500 children and teddies walked through the red Teddy Bear Hospital arch on the day, raising a record-breaking total of $40,940.80 for hospital care and research programs.

More than 1,300 students participated in this year’s event, making Teddy Bear Hospital one of The University of Melbourne’s largest volunteer events.

Students ran activity stations that included everything from Teddy Ambulances to Teddy X-ray, offering children a complete Teddy Bear Hospital experience.

Teddy Music Therapy was a new addition this year.

Special guests also visited the hospital on the day.

Victorian Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos toured the hospital and met with volunteers.

Children’s television character Humphrey B. Bear also made an appearance, delighting children and parents alike.

The Teddy Bear Hospital environment was designed by VISY once again, creating a wonderful and welcoming atmosphere for children and families.

Trauma teddies were donated by the emergency services and sold at the Bear Shop, with all the proceeds contributing to this year’s fantastic total.

University of Melbourne Teddy Bear Hospital was established in 2009 and will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year.

The program is run by students from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and is unique for its breadth of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Students from medicine, dentistry, nursing, physiotherapy, optometry, speech pathology, music therapy, biomedicine and science all participate.

Teddy Bear Hospital aims to promote healthy habits and health literacy among children.

Children participate in mock consultations with their teddy to decrease any fears they may have about health care or doctor’s visits.

The program also offers health professionals-in-training a valuable chance to practice working and communicating with children, and is so successful that it has been formally incorporated into the Doctor of Medicine curriculum.

Teddy Bear Hospital visits schools and community centres throughout the year and recently supported the opening of Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at Sunshine Hospital.

The Teddy Bear Hospital Winter Check-up will be at Chadstone – the Fashion Capital from Saturday 24 August to Sunday 25 August 2019.