Over 800 kindergarteners from Mercer County elementary schools, Versailles Elementary School in Darke County, and several homeschool cohorts recently attended Mercer Health’s Play Hospital. For nearly 30 years, Mercer Health has been inviting local kindergarten students to attend this interactive program, which allows young students to learn about healthcare and visit various parts of the hospital to learn about handwashing, healthy choices, surgery, and more. This year, students also had the opportunity to meet Ripsi, the therapy dog who works with Mercer Health Medical Group Mental Wellness patients.
Mindy Kremer, Vice President of Development, Marketing, and Communications expressed her excitement about having the local students visit. The goal of the program is to make the hospital a less scary place for children if they ever have to visit and to provide an educational and fun experience about the healthcare field. In addition to the Play Hospital program, Mercer Health also hosted a Medical Explorers program earlier in the spring. This program allowed freshman and sophomore students from local schools to explore volunteer positions, potential career paths, and learn more about the local healthcare system and its impact on the community.
