HomeMy WebLinkAbout0266.094·,
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May 12, 1994
TIiE HONORABLE CITY COUNCil,
Palo Alto, California
FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDDY BEAR P.BWMM
Members of the Council:
This is an informational report. No Council actio!} is rt..'quirtd, As a result of the COllHllunity mindoone(':5
and generosity of Mollie Stone~s Market, the nOuddy near" prog.fMl is being l'e·jnsli!uiN cff((:lfw June
I. 1994. This is a program to mlnlmize the: trauma oftmergcoc)' mcdkal incidents 10 toddler; And )"OUllg
children.
Batkgroun!l
In Oruo in 1981, the Emergency Room personnel of a hospitaJ cftaleJ a program calted "Trauma Teddy".
The program consisted ('If having small fwd)' be.ars available for young patients \'\.'ho \\-ere ~\Jrrrrin& from
e1ther traumatic or physiological injury. The)' were iss!teU to the patients in the. .fme rgeoc)' room 10 help
calm them down. Since that program's inception, the C{loccpt has been adopted by ffl.l.lly more hospitals
around the COWltry.
In communities where advanced life support systems, such as paramedics. ha· ... c been created. lh~
emergency room has "gone into the field" and so has lhis concept. NumerQus fire dCJ'I.'Utm{"nl$ ha\'c
created their ()'.'it". versions of "Trauma Twdy". In 198IJ, Palo Allo started il'S. o\\lllcddy bear program
with the help of Pacific Bell. The program was funded fo, two yea'S.
R«ently, Mollie Stones Markel has purchased approximalely I ()() teddy bears to re-instil\110 ,he program.
The Palo Alto .-ire Department teddy bear program i. called "Buddy Bear", This was moro in k«ping
with the utili2.alion of the bears with a le.ss thre.alening name.
The program C(lnsists of each engine. company and paramedics carrying the bears on fire appara!vs and
ambuJanu.~ for distribution at emergency scenes. They are given to chHdren. ages on-c through ele\.'en,
\vho may be suffering physical 'or ps),chologica.1 trauma. The bear provide.s, c.omfort and distraction to
young children. This helps: fLre department personnel deliver better paH~nt catC a'ld qualil)' cuslomef
scrvic-e. .:
CMR 266:94
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JUNE FLEMlNQ I
(~Iy Manager \.