MODESTO, Calif. — A California hospital's pediatric surgical program offers its young patients a ride to the operating room in a battery-powered toy car.
The goal: to reduce anxiety and stress, and make the experience less scary for everyone involved.
Last year, Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, California, introduced its first pediatric surgical car, a little black Mercedes. Six months later in March, a second one-seater was added to the fleet, a pink Volkswagen Beetle.
The Beetle was generously donated by an employee and her family, while the first car was purchased by the hospital — an idea brought forth by one of its own pre-op nurses, Kimberly Martinez.
"When the children find out they can go into the operating room riding in a cool little car, they light up and in most cases, their fears melt away," Martinez said. "It can be traumatizing for a young patient to be peeled away from their parents as they head into surgery. This helps both the patient and their parents."
Doctors Medical Center says the toy vehicles are both fully equipped with a stereo, pre-loaded with music and and MP3 player, and can be operated by remote control or by the kids themselves.
They also have doors that open, a safety belt, a horn and working headlights, back-up lights and dash lights.
The cars are intended for kids ages 2-7.
Children of the hospital staff – who are not patients – were the kids featured in the photos and video released by Doctors Medical Center, presumably to protect the privacy of those undergoing procedures at the hospital.