Health and Wellness at Camp
We are sure your camper will have a great time at Camp Alleghany this coming summer. We want it to be a healthy and active experience for each child. A qualified health care person is on site 24 hours a day to meet your camper’s health needs.
In addition, emergency facilities are readily available at the Greenbrier Valley Medical Center. There are a few things that you can do to help us provide the best care possible for your camper, and we are asking your cooperation with the following items.
Health Forms
- If you have not yet submitted your camper’s Health History Form, which is to be filled out by a parent or guardian, and is available online in your CampMinder account. Please complete this in its entirety and submit it as soon as possible. (Note: this is filled out by you, the guardian; a doctor visit is NOT necessary to complete this one!)
- Have your health care provider complete the Camper Health Form and update the immunization records to provide us the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Please include comments about any and all illnesses, medical problems, restrictions, limitations, or special concerns, allergies, activity, dietary, mental, etc. The more we know about your camper, the better prepared we are to ensure she has a positive experience.
Remember to sign the Parent/Guardian Authorization box and include all pertinent emergency contact information. Also remember to include your health insurance information.
We will keep your camper’s health care information confidential. Only those staff members who need to know of your camper’s health care concerns will be informed.
Please scan and upload your camper’s Health Form, signed by her physician, to your CampMinder account by May 1. If your doctor’s appointment does not occur until after May 1, please submit your forms to us as soon as your appointment is over.
Medications
Medications are kept safely locked in the Infirmary and will be dispensed by our medical staff per your physician’s instructions. Medications are NEVER allowed in the tent or outside the Infirmary, except in very rare instances with explicit instructions from your physician.
Please label all medication appropriately (see below); we will not dispense medication labeled for another person (i.e. siblings may not share). Do not send any medication to camp with your camper that is not listed on the Camper Health Form. If your child requires any medication during camp (prescription or over-the-counter), it must be brought to the Infirmary on the first day of camp.
If the camp doctor determines that your child needs additional medicine during her stay at camp, you will be notified, we will obtain the medication at a local pharmacy, and your child’s account will be billed accordingly.
Only ESSENTIAL doctor prescribed and those medications taken daily should be sent to camp. Due to the volume of medications we receive, we are unable to accept any other vitamins or non-essential medications. Our Infirmary supplies all routinely needed non-prescription medications, so please do not send anything to camp that is not needed on a daily basis (for example, if your camper takes an allergy medication such as Zyrtec as needed, not every day, do not send this to camp, we have this in stock at the Infirmary!).
Campers who take regular, daily medications (separate from as-needed medications)
This means your camper will visit the Infirmary every day for these medications, possibly twice (or more) a day. In an abundance of safety and precaution, using absolute best practices and steadfastly following the ACA’s standards for medication dispensing, we are now requiring that regular, daily medications are brought to camp in separate dosing packets/bags for each dose, with the camper’s name, date, time of day, and medications listed on the packet. This means that if she takes medication twice a day for three weeks, you will bring 42 packets of medication to camp, fully labeled with all the pertinent information, for her entire stay (21 days) at camp. (note: for prescriptions, please also bring the empty original prescription bottle with label, as a reference for the medical staff)
There are multiple ways to achieve this:
- Amazon Prime offers a free service called Amazon PillPack.
- Many pharmacies offer a similar service, you can inquire at your local pharmacy.
- You can do the work yourself by using mini bags like these, and typing or writing on mailing labels with all the information on them.
- Alternatively, you can use blister packs such as these that you assemble on your own, making sure to also fully and clearly label these as well.
A note on liquid medications taken daily: if your camper takes a liquid medication on daily basis, simply bring the medication in its original liquid container with original label and your camper’s name on it.
Campers who take as-needed prescription medication
If your camper has a prescription medication that is only taken as needed (for example, migraine medication taken only if a migraine sets in), please bring the prescription medication in its original container from the pharmacy with your camper’s name shown clearly. Do not send medications that are not listed on your camper’s health form. These medications will also be stored and locked in the Infirmary, and dispensed by our medical staff. They must be brought to the Infirmary on Opening Day of your camper’s session.
Emergencies/Doctor Appointments
In case your camper needs medical or dental attention at a facility outside the camp setting, we will make such appointments and a staff member will transport and chaperone her to the appointment. You will be notified by an Infirmary staff member if this becomes necessary. You will also be notified if your camper has been confined to the Infirmary for more than 24 hours due to illness, if she has been put on antibiotics, or the health care provider has other concerns to discuss.
Flu Guidelines
As you all know, Camp Alleghany strives to keep our campers and staff as healthy as possible. While being in the open air and living in tents gives us terrific opportunities to stay vigorous and healthy, residing in such close quarters may also present some challenges. One such challenge is the flu.
Camp Alleghany and the American Camp Association are strongly encouraging all campers to receive the Flu vaccine prior to the camping season. If you were not able to receive it this year, please simply disclose this information to us upon check in. The flu virus is still present in the spring and summer, and because we live in close quarters at Alleghany it could be easily spread to other campers. Therefore, all of us — parents and camp staff together — need to be extra-vigilant in preparing for a healthy summer. With this in mind, we follow the American Camp Association’s guidelines for flu prevention at camp.
First, we ask that you follow these simple guidelines in the days leading up to camp as well as on Opening Day. If your camper has been (a) exposed to flu, (b) has a fever upon arrival at camp (temperature of 100.4 or higher), or (c) has had a fever (100.4 or higher) within 24 hours of arrival at camp, we require that you:
- Keep her at home until she has been fever free for 24 hours, without the use of an antipyretic (e.g. Tylenol)
- Call camp to let us know you will be delayed in arriving due to illness (at which point you may sign her
up for her activities if you wish) - Bring her to camp when she has been fever-free for 24 hours, without the use of an antipyretic (e.g. Tylenol)
Second, we conduct our health screening across the river before you enter camp. In addition to our standard check-in, which includes a temperature check and a head-lice check, you will be asked a few extra questions, including — but not limited to — your camper’s exposure to any sickness in the past week, as well as whether or not she was vaccinated this year against the flu. If she is arriving by a method of transportation other than car, you will receive this questionnaire ahead of time and you may mail it in or send it with your camper. If your camper has a fever on Opening Day , we will ask that she not come in to camp until she has recovered. If you have any questions regarding this, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
*Note: anyone with medications or special needs will still have a private check-in with the doctor in the Infirmary once crossing the river.
Lastly, on Opening or Closing Day, if you or anyone in your family has been ill or had a fever within 24 hours, we respectfully ask that you not come to camp, for the safety of your camper and all of our campers and staff.
Fever Policy
At Camp Alleghany, a fever is a temperature of 100.4 or higher. If your camper arrives at camp with a temperature of 100.4 or higher, we will ask that you take her home or to a hotel until she is fever-free for 24 hours, without the use of an antipyretic (e.g. Tylenol). A low grade fever is 99.5-100.3, and will require a follow-up check at camp, and monitoring for the first 24-48 hours at camp. If a camper develops a fever while at camp, she will be monitored by the Infirmary staff and will stay in the Infirmary until she is fever-free.
Lice Guidelines
Another challenge of living in close quarters is the quick and easy spread of head lice. Camp Alleghany partners with a professional lice screening company based in Richmond, VA, called The Nit Fairies to provide lice screenings on the Opening Day of each session, as well as the middle of the session during 1st and 2nd Terms. If a representative from The Nit Fairies finds lice or nits in your camper’s hair, one of us from the medical team will double-check to verify the finding. In this case, you have the option to pay The Nit Fairies $200.00 to treat your camper in camp, or you can take her home to treat her yourself. She will not be allowed to come in to camp until she is lice- and nit-free.
*Please see the following page links on the Forms & Info page of the Camp Alleghany website:
If your camper has been exposed to lice or currently has lice on Opening Day and you are aware of it, please do not bring her to camp or put her on the bus until she has been properly treated. Additionally, please disclose this information to our medical team so that we can provide proper follow-up treatments once she arrives at camp.
Lastly, on Opening or Closing Day, if you or anyone in your family has been exposed to lice, we respectfully ask that you not come to camp, for the safety of your camper and all of our campers and staff.
Infirmary Email Address
You can reach the Infirmary staff via email here or at the email address Infirmary AT campalleghany DOT com.
This email address is checked daily by one of the nurses or doctors during the summer, and may be used to contact parents/guardians if a phone call has not been successful. We do ask that you respect the medical team and only contact them using this address if absolutely necessary. The intent of this email is to make communication more smooth and take out the “middle man” (i.e. the camp office, which has so many other emails to reply to daily!), but our hope is that parents will not take advantage of this communication tool. Thanks for your understanding!
As always, it is our goal to ensure that all of our campers have the most positive, pleasant, and healthy camping experience possible. Working with us, you can help make this possible. Camp Alleghany’s directors and staff thank you for your partnership, understanding and diligence in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us. Open communication between you, your child, your physician, and the Camp Alleghany Infirmary staff will ensure a smooth transition into camp and a more healthy time while here.