Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
SECOND GRADE student Blaike Paquette watches as Stacy Saari attaches the cuff of a blood pressure machine to her arm on Wednesday at Aspirus Ironwood. Kristen Home looks on in the background so she can press the button to get a reading.
By IAN MINIELLY
Ironwood - The fear of the unknown can take a person to their knees shaking over, the unknown. At other times, what we think we know that just is not so, can take people to their knees in fear and irrational thoughts. With that in mind, Aspirus Ironwood is hosting grade school aged children this week to show them areas of the hospital and aspects of physical care, before they need it, in an attempt to assuage those fears from developing.
On Wednesday, first, second and third grade students from the All Saints Academy joined second grade students from Wakefield-Marenisco, and the Washington School, like students have all week. All Saints sent 9 students yesterday while W-M sent 23, and the Washington school sent 26.
Perhaps it was the setting, or perhaps the combining of three schools together in one scary place, but the nurses and hospital staff repeatedly commented on how well-behaved the students were on Wednesday as they waited to get broken down into their three groups to begin their tours of the hospital.
David Sims, public relations, said the hospital tours are "designed to show different things to the kids because surgery can be scary." According to Sims, exposing the kids to things they normally do not encounter or see prepares them for any future trips to the hospital and gives the kids a chance to ask questions in a relaxed atmosphere.
The W-M kids were introduced to the surgical team nurses first. The surgical team demonstrated on Blaike Paquette how the blood pressure machine works and then they dressed Aden Urbas in doctor scrubs and questioned the students regarding the necessity of scrubs to keep the doctors clean and from transferring germs.
The students were also exposed to the X-Ray area, ER/Ambulance garage, met Marley the therapy dog, and were provided a snack before returning to their respective schools.
