Emporia ? The stuffed animals got the checkups, but organizers of a teddy bear clinic in Emporia hope children came away with healthy attitudes about going to the doctor.

Emporia-based Newman Regional Health stages the annual clinic to familiarize children with medical procedures and help them overcome any fears about doctors. Dr. Derek Brown, a pediatrician, told KVOE radio that for some children, the clinic is their first experience with a doctor.

Nurses, nursing students and others at Saturday’s clinic performed some of the same examinations on the teddy bears that their young owners might get at a doctor’s office.

Bears were weighed and measured and had their blood pressure taken. Some got stitches, bandages or splints if they needed more serious treatment.