Teddy Bears During First Aid Calls: Millburn Cadet Launches ‘Comfort Program’

MILLBURN, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Millburn-Short Hills Volunteer First Aid Squad/Charles Goldstein. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

A Millburn Short Hills Volunteer First Aid Squad (MSHVFAS) cadet has launched a new pediatric comfort initiative aimed at helping young patients during emergencies — and potentially expanding the effort to EMS agencies across New Jersey.

Brave Buddies, developed and led by Squad Cadet Sydney Tavel, focuses on providing stuffed comfort items to children during stressful medical calls. Squad members say the items often help young patients stay calm and feel more secure while EMTs deliver care.

“Something as small as a comfort item can completely change how a child experiences an emergency,” Squad Captain Kevin Ryan said. “Hats off to Sydney and big thanks to Vermont Teddy Bear and their ‘Bears That Care’ program.”

Since 2002, Vermont Teddy Bear has delivered more than 18,000 “Little Hero” bears to first-responder units nationwide.

After seeing how effective comfort items can be on calls, Tavel began looking for ways to make the program accessible beyond Millburn and Short Hills. Brave Buddies will connect squad cadets from neighboring agencies with the vendor used by MSHVFAS and guide them through obtaining and distributing comfort items.

The goal is to support EMS departments that may want to offer similar help to young patients but lack resources, vendor connections or purchasing pathways to get started.

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