Mini Cars Bring Smiles to Pediatric Patients at Mansfield Hospital

The sounds of honking and engine revving fill the hallways of OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital's Surgery Unit parts of the day. 

On days pediatric patients are scheduled for surgery, remote controlled cars can be seen cruising to the operating room with a child behind the wheel. 

The jeep is one of two cars now rolling the hallways of the hospital. The other is a push car for the smallest of patients.

The idea started with a conversation between nurses Josie Smith and Zoe Kalb after yet another tearful goodbye to parents as a young patient headed to surgery.

“We had a kid who was kind of anxious to come back,” said Smith. “We try to make it a fun, positive experience anyways, and we just looked at each other and were like, ‘you know what would be fun? Cars.’”

It didn't take long to make the idea happen. And once it did, the difference was immediate. 

“It just gets them really excited when they see it coming around the corner,” said Kalb. “They’re like, ‘Oh I get to ride back to surgery in that? Awesome!'”

Like a flip of a switch, the nerves disappear and the patient's faces light up.

In fact, some are ready to head to the OR early.

“It was a 7:30 a.m. start and it was like, 7:20 a.m., and he jumped in the car before the doctor was even there to say hi to mom and dad," said Kalb. "I was like ‘We gotta wait just a second buddy!’”

That excitement is one of the many reasons these cars are here to stay.

“It’s just our small way of giving back to our small patients,” said Kalb.