“You need to go home and take a nap,” advised Dr. Maya P. after examining Salem Health CEO Cheryl Wolfe. “But your reflexes are pretty good.”

While Dr. Maya is still a third-grader at Englewood Elementary, she donned a lab coat and learned to use a stethoscope and a digital thermometer at the new All About Me health room grand opening at the Gilbert House Children’s Museum on Friday, Jan. 27.

Maya joined dozens of children who burst through the bright red ribbon cut by Wolfe and Alicia Bay, museum executive director, that morning. Lab coats hanging in the corner were gone in a flash as children surrounded real-life diagnostic imaging stations, microscopes, even a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit station and operation table.

Although his lab coat sleeves needed rolling up, Dr. Logan B. couldn’t wait to check his little sister Hadley’s pulse. She wasn’t amused with the poking and toddled off to the baby nursery.

All About Me is a special room sponsored by Salem Health, Diagnostic Imaging of Salem and the Juan Young Trust. Gilbert House staff consulted with medical professionals to plan and design the room. Children can use pretend play to learn about health and medicine. Wolfe came early to mingle with the new doctors, nurses and technicians, showing them how to use the equipment.

“It’s so important for children to learn about health at this early age,” she said. “I see several future doctors in this room, right now! We’re thrilled to be part of it — and our leadership team also had fun painting the room in these bright colors.”

With the open house done, children and parents continued filing in to play, look at ultrasound images, weigh themselves, listen to heartbeats and care for the NICU baby doll.