PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – The hospital can be frightening, especially for the littlest patients. Now, the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh has wheeled out a way to help curb that fear.
Five-year-old Mila Lapier doesn’t need a license to drive her Mercedes Benz.
In April, Mila was one of the first patients to test-drive the new children’s electric car at CVPH. She says it made her dental surgery a little less scary.
“I like it a ton because I get to go that way and this way,” she said.
The hospital bought the car with a mini-grant, a slice of $220,000 donated this year by CVPH’s in-house donor-funded foundation.
Perioperative Support Tech Charity Frusco applied for the grant hoping to put patients like Mila at ease.
“They’re coming to a scary place and they realize it’s really not so bad,” said Frusco.
Mila was all smiles on the morning of her surgery, cruising around the pre-op area. Her mother, Catherine Lapier, a nurse at CVPH, says it was a welcome distraction for their family and other patients.
“We walked around the halls, we were laughing, she was laughing, the staff was laughing, people waiting in their rooms for their procedures were laughing– but it kind of just took our parent minds off of what was going to be happening,” said Lapier.
The hospital’s foundation funds thousands of dollars worth of equipment, training and toys every year. Even the smallest gifts like bubbles or a mini Benz can work wonders for families.
“You can see it on their faces. They don’t have to say anything. It’s the smiles,” said Frusco.
“It’s not an easy thing to know that your kid’s going under anesthesia but it kind of distracted us for the moment, so it was very much appreciated and welcomed,” said Lapier.
Hospital staff say they hope the Benz helps more patients put fear in the rearview mirror.