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Sutter Tracy Puts the Fun in Health and Safety at Seventh Annual Children’s Health & Safety Fair
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4/5/05
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TRACY, CA – The seventh annual Children’s Health & Safety Fair is coming to town Saturday, May 14th, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at Sutter Tracy Community Hospital. Last year, more than 6,000 people attended the fun-filled community event.
This year's fair will be bigger than ever with nearly 80 booths and exhibits hosted by Sutter Tracy, the Tracy Hospital Foundation, community health agencies, Tracy police, fire crews and more. Local health care professionals will be on hand to answer questions and provide free hearing and vision screenings, along with free dental screenings by University of the Pacific dental students.
Children will love the fair's hands-on learning activities, including a sports warm up session with Sutter Tracy physical therapists, a martial arts lesson with moves children can use if approached by a stranger, and the Wee Care Clinic staffed by Sutter Tracy nurses. At the "clinic," children can have their blood pressure taken, be hooked up to a heart monitor and practice proper hand washing techniques. The clinic gives children a close up look at what nurses and allied health professionals do on the job.
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"Our focus this year is on teaching children, in a really fun way, some vital things they need to know about health, safety and fitness," said Children’s Health & Safety Fair Coordinator Dotty Nygard, R.N. "We want children and families to leave the fair knowing what they can do to stay safe and healthy. It's a wonderful learning experience and a great way to spend the day with your children."
New activities this year include a Tracy Fire Department obstacle course designed to teach children what to do if their house catches on fire. Children climb a ladder, slide down a pole, ring a bell and then crawl through a special play house filled with smoke. They also perform the stop, drop and roll drill used when a person's clothing catches fire.
The ever popular California Highway Patrol Bike Safety Rodeo returns just in time for national Bike Safety and Children's Safety month in May. Children are encouraged to bring their bicycles to learn how to maintain and ride them safely. The first 500 participants will receive a free bicycle helmet.
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The famous Teddy Bear Clinic will also be back. Children of all ages are invited to bring a doll, teddy bear or other stuffed animal for a free "check up." Children will work alongside Tracy physicians caring for the pint-size "patients" just like in a real doctor's office.
"The Teddy Bear Clinic gives children an opportunity to interact with physicians in a friendly setting. Even children who are scared at first, are laughing and having fun by the end of their visit," said Nygard. "It's all about decreasing a child's fear of going to the doctor and showing them that we are their friends and want to help them."
For more information, to participate or volunteer for the fair, please call 209-832-2480 or email canalejr@sutterhealth.org.
Sutter Tracy Community Hospital is a full-service, acute care hospital that offers a wide array of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as home health and hospice services through its affiliate Sutter VNA & Hospice. Founded in 1948 by a group of community residents and business members, the hospital became an affiliate of Sutter Health, Northern California’s leading non-profit provider of health care services and programs, in 1993. Visit us on the web at www.suttertracy.org.
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