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Mercy fair a success
A steady stream of youngsters and adults flowed into Mercy Hospital Saturday for the first Children's Health and Safety Fair.
Along with a variety of emergency vehicles and first responders, screenings for blood pressure, advice on healthy eating and provider displays showing services offered, there was also a teddy bear clinic where kids could bring their sick or injured stuffed animals or dolls. About 150 youngsters took advantage.
"We seem to have a lot of coughs," MRI technologist Tina Easter said. "We've had a couple of fevers, but mainly coughs. We've had some dolls, some bears, a centipede, a bunny and a lobster ... came through a while ago."
The patients, while little, were quite well behaved, she said. "They're excellent patients. A lot of my smaller patients are much better than my grown-up patients."
Fitted with a surgical mask, each bear was given a check up, a Band-Aid, possibly a shot or in at least one case, a sewn up back seam. They were also x-rayed, if they had a cold or cough, and their guardian was given the photo, which sported a heart-shaped sticker that said "hug me."
Mercy spokeswoman Tina Rockhold said there were about 20 exhibit tables, plus emergency vehicles, bounce houses, games and music outside. A "huge backpack" full of school supplies was given away as a door prize, she said.
Danielle Karthals, president of the Baxter Springs Leo Club, the high school organization of the Lions Club, was offering eye screenings for kids. Karthals was joined by three Leo Club members from her group and five from Columbus.
"We enjoy doing this," Karthals said. "That's why we're in the Leo Club."
Dr. P.K. Gugnani, who donated his time to Saturday's fair along with several other physicians, said it had been busy with lots of kids coming in and out of the teddy bear clinic. "It's what we're here for, to support the community. I wish we'd thought of it sooner," Gugnani said.
Hospital President and CEO Reta Baker said the idea for the fair came up one day in her office when she and clinic director Annemarie Holmes and Mercy clinic administrative assistant Michelle Bruner were talking about ways of supporting the community and youngsters.
Baker said a lot of kids were asking some good questions about things like Mercy's MedFlight helicopter and healthy eating.
Paramedic Scott Cronister and flight nurse Jim Rusk showed kids and their parents around the inside of the helicopter, based in Nevada, Mo., which takes patients to hospitals in Joplin, Kansas City and Springfield. A normal crew includes a nurse, paramedic and pilot. The aircraft at Mercy can hold one patient. There is another helicopter in Joplin can accommodate two.
"Lately we've been really busy averaging about two (runs) a day. We're like a ground ambulance. Some days we don't do anything and other days we run all day," Cronister said.
Many of the flights involve taking cardiac or stroke patients from community hospitals to larger ones in Springfield and Joplin. If the helicopter is called to a scene, it's typically for trauma.
"What we try to do is minimize the patient's out-of-hospital time," Cronister said.
Seeing -- and sitting in -- the transport helps kids with fear of the unknown. "Some of the kids get scared when they get in," but Rusk said he and Cronister try to reassure them.
"It gives them a chance to see (it) in a not-so-scary environment. That way, if they have to ride it, they're not as scared," Cronister said.
The same was true with the Kansas State Highway Patrol and Fort Scott Police Department. Seth Lowery, 10, tried his luck with the seatbelt convincer which gives an idea of how a 5 mph crash would feel.
Lowery, who is the son of firefighter Jon Lowery and ER nurse Jalyn Lowery, said he was a little nervous at first. "It went fast," Seth said.