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Modesto hospital introduces stress-relieving 'Mercedes' for kid patients

The Doctors Medical Center of Modesto has introduced a "Mercedes" into their operating room for some of their tiniest patients.

MODESTO, Calif. — A hospital in Modesto has introduced a new tool to help reduce the anxiety for kids getting surgery.

It's a little toy car for nervous kids to drive right into the operating room.

“I just can’t imagine, as a parent, how scared my child would be if they had to have surgery and how scared I would be as a parent as well," Rena Lepard said.

The Doctors Medical Center of Modesto is working to cut down on that anxiety.

“We give them the option to ride in the Mercedes to go to the O.R.," Kimberly Martinez, a registered nurse at Doctors Medical Center, said.

Complete with music, taillights, and of course, a seatbelt.

“It’s very traumatic for children going to surgery, so with this car idea, we’re able to stay away from the medications having to sedate the child going into the surgery room," Martinez said.

Martinez found this idea from Shriners Hospitals for Children on social media.

“And I said, 'Why can’t we do that here?'” Martinez said.

Martinez pitched it to her bosses and they found a toy car on Amazon for about $260 bucks in June 2018. So far though, it's been priceless.

"It does really help with that transition," Martinez said. "You don’t have a screaming child, and mom and dad aren’t crying. It helps with that separation, no tears."

Kids have to be under 7 years old and weigh less than 66 pounds to drive the car.

“We can control it with a remote control or the child can drive it themselves," Martinez explained.

Parents in the hospital are excited about the addition.

“My kids have never had surgery before, but if they ever had I would just feel so much better knowing they had a little smile on their face, and honking into the O.R. So, it would make me feel a lot better," Lepard said.

And nurses believe it's transforming the way kids think about hospitals.

“It could make a world of difference for every child that has to come and have surgery," Martinez said. "It changes them thinking that, I have to go to surgery that I get to ride in this cool car."

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