This article is based on a report published by Le Canada Français on 14 June 2026. Read the original article (in French)
Getting care in an emergency room is stressful for any adult. For a child, it's a whole different experience. The unfamiliar sounds, the bright lights, the white coats, the needles; every element can trigger intense anxiety that makes treatment harder to deliver and more painful to receive.
That reality, lived for 26 years behind the doors of the Haut-Richelieu Hospital emergency room in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, is what pushed Dr. Marylène Crépin to look for a better way. And it was a small therapeutic bear that marked the beginning of that change.
Dr. Crépin and the Start of an Idea
In 2022, Dr. Crépin woke up with a conviction: we can do better for children who arrive at the emergency room. "I woke up one morning thinking: it seems like we could do something better for the kids. There are rooms right behind us, and you can hear children crying, screaming, scared," she explains.
Her first concrete step: distributing Béké-Bobo therapeutic bears to the most anxious children, or those about to undergo an uncomfortable procedure. These therapeutic bears, classified as a medical device by Health Canada and the European Union, quickly showed a calming effect. Their secret lies in a patented grain blend sewn inside: heated for 30 seconds in the microwave, it releases a gentle, moist warmth that soothes. Placed in the freezer for two hours - or stored in the freezer at all times in a sealed bag -, it delivers targeted cold therapy for minor injuries and localized pain.
The results were good. So the team asked itself: what else can we do?
The "Tout Doux" Program: A Medical Approach That Changes Everything
While researching further, Dr. Crépin and her colleagues came across the Tout doux program, an initiative developed by the CHU Sainte-Justine hospital in Montreal. Launched in 2021, the program aims to prevent and reduce procedural pain and anxiety in young patients, equipping both caregivers and parents with better tools.
The approach rests on four pillars:
The psychological approach uses distraction and adapted communication to reduce anxiety before and during care. A well-managed conversation, or a small comforting object in a child's hands, can make all the difference.
The physical approach focuses on positioning the child comfortably during procedures. Sitting on a parent's lap rather than lying alone on an exam table, for example, completely changes how a child experiences the moment.
Prevention means anticipating pain and exploring alternatives before a procedure even begins: can the injection be replaced by another method? Can a numbing cream reduce the discomfort ahead of time?
The pharmacological approach uses targeted pain-relief medications to reduce discomfort before, during, or after a procedure, based on the child's specific needs.
CHU Sainte-Justine now offers training to other institutions so they can implement the Tout doux approach. By late 2024, the first half of the Haut-Richelieu emergency room staff had completed that training.
What It Changes in Practice, According to the Caregivers
Vicky Laviolette, head of the emergency room sector at Haut-Richelieu Hospital, is straightforward about the results. "Seeing that there's a program in place, an approach that nurses have really mastered, builds trust with parents, which makes it easier to provide care and means the child is less likely to resist. When you provide pediatric care, you're providing care to a whole family," she says.
The success rate for procedures, particularly injections and similar interventions, is higher than before. That matters. A child who is stressed, crying, and resisting means a longer procedure, a more exhausted team, and care that is often harder to deliver properly.
Dr. Crépin also points to a longer-term concern: "There are studies showing that a child who is traumatized by an ER visit will later avoid medical care. That's a child who won't want to go to the dentist. Who won't want to get vaccinated. If we can make them feel safer when they come here, they'll be more likely to keep getting the care they'll need throughout their lives."
A $15,000 Gift to Go Even Further
Thanks to a $15,000 donation from the Fondation Santé du Haut-Richelieu-Rouville, the hospital's emergency room recently added toys, games, and décor specifically designed to make the environment less anxiety-inducing. "Search and find" illustrations were installed on walls and ceilings. In the resuscitation room, ceiling tiles painted by high school students now bring color and imagination to a space that was previously as cold visually as it can feel emotionally.
Even the gas mask used in surgery was redesigned so the child can hold it against their own face, giving them a sense of agency in a moment that usually feels completely out of their control.
The program, which started in the emergency room, has since expanded to other departments within the CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre: pediatrics, mother-child centers, and local service points.
Why This Goes Beyond One Hospital
What's happening in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu reflects a broader shift in pediatric care. Healthcare teams are increasingly recognizing that a child's emotional experience in the hospital has real consequences for their long-term health. Distraction tools, comfort positioning, parental support — none of this is a "nice to have." It's a core part of good care.
Dr. Doyon-Trottier, a pediatric emergency physician at CHU Sainte-Justine who coordinates the Tout doux program nationally, puts it plainly: "Over the last five years, we've really seen a culture shift in our institution. A trained and equipped caregiver has a better chance of successfully placing a catheter or doing sutures."
To date, the program has trained more than 4,400 healthcare professionals across Canada to provide gentler care to young children.
Where Béké-Bobo Fits In
The Béké-Bobo bear didn't end up in Dr. Crépin's hands by accident. It has been designed for more than 25 years to provide both thermal and sensory comfort, classified as a medical device by Health Canada and the European Union. This is not an ordinary stuffed animal: it's a comfort aid developed for use in moments of pain or anxiety, with active hot-and-cold properties thanks to its patented grain blend.
Where other products deliver dry heat, Béké-Bobo's grain pouch releases gentle, moist warmth in 30 seconds in the microwave, the kind that mimics, in a way, the feeling of a warm compress placed with care by a steady hand. Used cold, after two hours in the freezer in a sealed bag, it provides localized relief without any harsh contact.
At the Haut-Richelieu emergency room, it didn't land in a doctor's hands by chance: it got there through 26 years of history, 1.4 million parents who trust this little bear, and a design built for the most vulnerable moments.
Does Your Facility Want to Care for Children Differently?
What started with a bear and an idea has transformed the care experience for hundreds of children in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. That same approach can find its place in any pediatric ward or emergency room, in the US, in France, or anywhere else.
If you're a healthcare professional, care coordinator, or hospital foundation director, Béké-Bobo is happy to support this kind of initiative.
Reach out at web@bekebobo.com to start the conversation.
