Physical Health

The Klein Clinic, Camp Echo’s health center located on Main Camp, is staffed twenty-four hours a day by a Health Officer. All Camp Echo staff members are required to have current certifications in First Aid and CPR. When health matters require it, campers will be driven into town and seen by a local physician. Gerber Memorial Hospital in the city of Fremont is located about 15 minutes away from camp; if necessary, an ambulance will be dispatched to Camp Echo to pick up an injured person.

The Health Officer will notify parents by phone in the following cases:

A camper is confined to the clinic for 12 hours or more.
A camper spends the night in the clinic.
A camper needs to be taken to Urgent Care or Emergency Room.
A camper is injured while using Camp Echo’s equipment (i.e. horses, boats, bikes, etc.)

All medications (prescription and over the counter) are stored and locked in the Klein Clinic. This policy is for the safety and welfare of all participants at camp and to discourage misuse. This is a camp licensing requirement for the state of Michigan. Your signature on the Health Form authorizes Camp Echo to provide emergency medical care. Alternatively, a parent or guardian may sign may contact the Camp Echo Office to complete a Do Not Treat and/or Incomplete Immunizations Waiver.

We want your child to have a successful camp experience. So if you child takes a medication to help them while at school and/or when interacting with others, we highly recommend that the medication should also be taken while your child is at camp. This is recommended practice from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Association of Camp Nurses, and the American Camp Association’s Healthy Camps initiative. In our experience, campers who continue on the same year-long health regiments in the summer are more successful while at camp. }

Adventure Trips and Wilderness Programs

When on Adventure Trips, teens are in the care of staff members who have certification in Wilderness First Responder, lifeguarding and CPR. If serious injury or illness occurs in the field, the staff member with the most advanced medical training will assess the situation and formulate an effective plan. All trips carry emergency contact phone numbers for every area they use and will contact the proper authorities in the event of an emergency. They will then contact the Camp Director who will contact the family.

Medications for Rangers, Pathfinders, and Adventure Trips will be held and dispensed by their leaders as per instructions. They may also administer non-prescription medications to teen campers as needed. Parents who circle CALL FOR OTC PERMISSION on the Health Form should be aware that in the wilderness context, the counselors with the group are the first line service providers and phone permission to administer non-prescription medication may simply not be possible.

Bedwetting

Campers are urged to use the toilet before bedtime. Campers with potential bedwetting problems can be awakened for a night toilet if necessary; indicate this on the Personal History Form on your CampInTouch account. Counselors will perform ‘wet bed checks’ for the first few mornings and deal with problems tactfully. Please encourage your camper to tell their counselor if they have wet their bed. Soiled items will be laundered and discretely returned to your camper. The second time a camper wets the bed they will be asked to wear a pull up at night. Parents will be contacted prior to this discussion.

If you anticipate bed wetting will be a problem, please consider talking with your pediatrician about medication to help with this while at camp.

Head Lice

Head lice infestation is a serious health issue, especially in a close communal environment such as camp. Please examine your child before their departure for camp, and don’t send a child who has an infestation to camp. Counselors are trained to check and report signs of lice or nits to the Health Officer. If a camper is found to be harboring active lice or nits, the infected camper will be isolated from further contact with other campers or staff immediately. Parents will be called to discuss the best way to handle the situation. Alternatives include treatment and isolation until the infestation is cleared, or removal from camp.

Insurance

Camp Echo does not carry camper health or accident insurance. Parents or guardians assume all responsibility for professional services that may be required. Parents or their insurance carriers will be billed directly for hospital or clinic visits. Please be sure to pay all bills promptly so that our relationship with the medical center is not jeopardized. Insurance information must be provided on Health History Form and a copy of both sides of your insurance card must be included on the Parent Authorization Form.

Mosquito Bites, Poison Ivy, and Sunburn

We cannot guarantee that your camper will not be bitten by mosquitoes or get sunburned while they are at Camp Echo. However, we do train our staff members to encourage campers to protect themselves against both. We recommend that you send both bug repellent containing an appropriate percentage of DEET (we recommend at least 25% DEET), and sunscreen of an appropriate SPF (we recommend at least SPF 30), for your camper. Please note on your camper’s Health History form in the section on reoccurring issues if your child has a history of sunburns or sever reactions to mosquito bites.

Counselors will encourage their campers to apply sunscreen prior to exposure to the sun and to re-apply sunscreen throughout the day, and to apply bug repellent and put on long pants and shirts prior to outdoor evening programs or hiking in our woods. We keep an additional supply of sunscreen and bug spray with DEET in our health clinic so that it is available for use at any time. Above all, counselors are trained and encouraged to watch out for campers who show signs of skin irritation, and to send campers to the Health Officer if they show signs of illness.

There is poison ivy at Camp Echo. We do our best to eliminate it from areas frequented by campers, but we can’t get it all. Please note any history of significant reaction to poison ivy in the allergy section of the Health Form.

Non-Scheduled or Non-Prescription Medications

The Klein Clinic has a supply of over the counter medications for distribution by the Health Officer according to standing orders authorized by a licensed physician. The parent’s signature on the Parent Authorization Form authorizes routine medical care by the Health Officer. Routine care may include distribution of Tylenol or other pain relievers, Sudafed, or Delsyum cough syrup; common medications for upset stomachs; and other non-prescription medications. Parents who request phone contact prior to the administration of over-the-counter medications must indicate this on the Health History Form.

Scheduled or Prescription Medications

Parents of campers who bring over the counter or prescription medications to camp must include this information on the Health History Form. All medication must be in original labeled containers; send only the exact amount needed during the stay at camp. Inhalers and epi pens should be treated like meds – they should be listed on the form, along with an indication of whether it is always necessary for the camper to carry. If a new medication is prescribed for a camper while at camp, parents will be notified by phone. The Health Officer stores all medications and distributes medications at meals, at bedtime, and as needed.

Showers

Counselors are instructed to urge campers to shower regularly, either on their own time or as a cabin group. All showers have privacy curtains.

Ticks

We recognize that our programs operate in natural landscapes where Lyme’s Disease is present. Campers that are found with ticks that have attached are treated with the following care. The tick is removed and, if possible, kept and sent to the Center for Disease Control. As a parent or guardian, you will be notified that your camper has been bitten by a tick. We recommend seeing a doctor upon return home and providing this information.

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