OOOh-h, don’t hurt my teddy > EMMC staff checked teddy bears in new emergency area

Teddy Bear Clinic designed to introduce young children to the new Eastern Maine Medical Center emergency area was held Saturday.

The unique clinic wrapped up a week of public events aimed at education and injury prevention. Children were encouraged to bring their teddy bears in to meet the emergency medical professionals who staff the EMMC department. The bears were weighed, measured and hugged while the children toured the new emergency department, asked questions, learned about seatbelt safety, and even made their own orange juice in a display aimed at nutrition education.

Teams from Medec and Capitol ambulance services, as well as the Bangor Fire Department were present to allow children the opportunity to see inside an ambulance.

The completed structure, which will begin serving patients in early May, includes a new Walk-In Care area, 16 general exam rooms, state of the art trauma care and critical care rooms, offices and waiting areas.

The present space was designed to serve about 25,000 patients per year. The new emergency area will be able to provide care for 65,000 or more patients per year.

The new EMMC Emergency Department features three emergency vehicle bays. Ambulances will be able to drive through enclosed garages where patients will be taken directly to the appropriate area without exposure to rain or freezing temperatures.

During the clinic, special teddy bear door prizes — donated by Nickerson and O’Day Contractors and Scott Hovey of Mahan Associates — were given away.