It’s not the reaction many would have, but five-year-old Corine Moore couldn’t help but smile and jump up and down after hopping out of an ambulance Saturday afternoon.“Oh that was so neat,” she yelled to father Steve Moore. “I got to go in the ambulance, Daddy.”
The Moores said that’s exactly why they wanted to get down to Havasu Regional Medical Center’s Children’s Health and Safety Fair. The first-time event, celebrating the opening of the hospital’s new pediatric unit, featured dozens of activities for families. But Corine’s mother, Dawn, said it was the fair’s combination of fun and education that sparked their interests.
“Our daughters have never seen the ambulances or fire trucks up close,” Dawn said. “So it’s a great opportunity for them to get a look at the medical field and have some fun at the same time.”
It didn’t take long for Steve Moore to call the event a success. “This is just an awesome thing for the kids,” he said. “We wanted the kids to learn and have fun and I think it’s an awesome event for them to do that.”
While HRMC’s Pediatric Unit opened up Sept. 26, trauma coordinator and event co-coordinator Danielle Stello said it was important to allow families the chance to experience all the hospital has to offer. In addition, dozens of local health agencies and organizations joined together Saturday to make the fair possible.
“When we started planning in August, we knew we wanted to do a big celebration for the kids and the families of our community,” Stello said. “We wanted to do it in the form of a health and safety fair because, as a new level four trauma center, we wanted to focus on health awareness.”
Stello also couldn’t help but deem the event a success. “The turnout we’ve had has been phenomenal. Everybody really came together for this and it’s been amazing,” Stello said. “It’s all for the kids in the community. It’s been great seeing them having fun and learning about the hospital. I’m really glad we could do this for them.”