1,317 teddy bears tour MEGA Brain in West Texas

MEGA Brain recently did its part to help tackle a troubling health care provider shortage in El Paso, a West Texas city on the Rio Grande. A record 1,317 fifth graders from 20 school across the El Paso Independent School District met MEGA Brain at the annual Teddy Bear Clinic, an event held at a local high school gym designed to spark an interest in healthcare careers at an early age.

Stethoscopes hanging from their necks, students toured stations manned by local nurse and doctor volunteers with their teddy bear patients in tow to learn about nursing, radiology, counseling, how to check vital signs and what it’s like to be a doctor. Then, they met MEGA Brain.

Medical Inflatables donated the exhibit to event organizers for the day, and CEO Lauren Hill came along for the trip. “I realized there’s a lot that is misunderstood about mental health and where to seek resources,” Hill said in an interview.

Inside MEGA Brain, students learned about the brain’s parts and processes, brain trauma and disease. The event, organized by the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) El Paso, was covered by local T.V. stations including ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX.