Health & Safety is Always a Priority at our Kid’s Summer Camp in Florida

Health Center

Our Health Center is staffed by registered nurses and/or a nurse practitioner throughout the summer. They screen minor complaints, provide first aid, and administer and dispense medications as needed. They are also available to respond to more serious injuries and illnesses as required until a camper or staff person can be transferred to the proper level of care. An AED is maintained in the camp medical center in the unlikely event it would be required.

Circle F Staff

All General Circle F Staff are trained in First Aid and CPR from the American Red Cross. All Waterfront staff receive their Lifeguard and Professional Rescuer CPR certification from the American Red Cross.

Medication

Anything taken to treat or manage a condition or symptoms is considered medication. All medications must be kept in the Health Center. With the exception of second inhalers for asthma, second epi-pens, and prescription dermatological creams, campers are not allowed to keep medication in their cabin, including pain relievers, vitamins, and other over-the-counter medications.

To improve the efficiency and accuracy of administering medication at camp, Circle F Dude Ranch Camp has specific guidelines for how medications are handled at camp. We require all of your child’s prescription(s) and any over-the-counter oral medications, taken on a daily basis, to be packaged and dispensed according to our guidelines.

Any medications taken on a DAILY basis require a prescription for camp, including over-the-counter medications. For example, if your child takes Claritin every day, your doctor must write a prescription for it, and it must be filled according to our guidelines. If your child may need Claritin on an occasional “as-needed” basis, you may simply bring the Claritin with you to camp. Plan to visit health check-in on opening day, with your child, to discuss any prescribed medications or “as needed” medications brought with you.

Please complete the Medication section of the online Health Form in your camper’s online account to let us know your child’s prescription(s) and how they will arrive at camp so that we are prepared and follow-up accordingly. Again, compliance with our medication policies is required.

All tablet and capsule medications are to be filled by a pharmacist in a specific type of unit-dose (blister pack) container based on the time of administration and include the prescription label on the package. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medications taken daily. If your child takes over-the-counter melatonin or Zyrtec, daily, as an example, the doctor must write a prescription and it must be filled and packaged according to our guidelines. Most doctors understand this and are happy to write a prescription.

We use 30-day unit-dose packaging at camp. If a 30-day supply of medication is sent to camp, unused medication is returned to you. Inhalers, creams and ointments, epi-pens, and liquids must be in their original packaging but must be individually labeled with the pharmacy prescription label.

Medications taken on an “as-needed” basis, such as migraine medicine, do not require unit-dose packaging but must be in the original packaging with an original pharmacy label. Common medications such as pain relievers, antihistamines, eardrops, wound ointments and creams, and antacids are stocked in our Health Center. You do not need to bring such medications to camp. Due to variances in personal preferences, camp staff will not provide or apply insect repellent. Your child may bring their own non-aerosol repellent and apply it themselves. Please contact a director should you have any questions or concerns.

Options for Medication

Following are flexible options to help you meet the camp’s medication guidelines. Please indicate your preference on the online Health form:

Option 1: Use CampMeds Inc.

• If using CampMeds you will be required to register with CampMeds to supply your child’s medicine while at camp.
• All pills will be dispensed and individually packaged in sealed packets labeled with your child’s name, medicine, dosage, date, and time to be given in compliance with Circle F medication guidelines.
• All medication will be shipped to camp prior to your child’s arrival. The CampMeds affiliated pharmacy will dispense all prescription and non-prescription meds taken daily or as needed. This includes vitamins and supplements.

Option 2: Use your local pharmacy.

Ask your local pharmacist to package a supply (enough for the length of the camp session, including Opening/Closing Days) of any prescription and over-the-counter tablet and capsule medications (prescription required) taken on a daily basis, in unit-dose (blister pack) containers that meet Circle F Dude Ranch Camp guidelines (see next section).

Daily Medication Packaging

We use 30-day unit-dose packaging at camp. A separate unit-dose package (blister pack) is used for each time of day that medication is dispensed. Please do not have multiple administration times packaged in the same blister pack. We require a 30-day supply of medications for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, packaged separately.

For example, if medication A is taken daily at breakfast, we need (1) 30-day blister-pack for medication A. If medication A is taken at breakfast and dinner, we need 2 blister packs for medication A. If 2 medications are taken at the same time of day, they may be packaged together or in separate blister packs.

You must visit the Health Center Station, with your child, on Opening Day of camp if your child takes any medication or has any health concerns. Please do not bring medications that have not been packaged according to our guidelines to camp on Opening Day. The exception would be a new prescription for an illness prescribed right before camp starts, such as an antibiotic. This would need to be in the original bottle, labeled by the pharmacy.

All unused medication will be returned to you on Closing Day. Please remember to pick up your child’s medication from the health center table in the main office.

The nurses regularly dispense medications four times a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and prior to bedtime. When your camper is on a camp trip, their medication will be dispensed by a counselor. Unit-dose packaging helps the staff with efficient and accurate dispensing of medications.

Because some medications take 4-6 weeks to reach a therapeutic level, please speak with a director if your child’s medication has been altered within three months of the start of camp. Additionally, ADHD medications can have the same benefits for your camper in the camp community as it does in school. Helping them focus in activities, or diminish impulsive behavior in social situations could give the same advantage to succeed at camp.

Incidental treatment and supplies are handled at camp with no charge, but prescriptions or “in-town” doctor or dentist visits will be billed to your insurance company on file and parents will be responsible for payment. Parents will be invoiced for any medical or prescription charges incurred by Circle F Dude Ranch Camp.

Vacation Overrides for Medications

You may need to fill a prescription for camp before your child’s next refill is available insurance-wise. Your pharmacy may have to do a “vacation override” to satisfy the insurance company. CampMeds can work with your insurance company regarding vacation overrides, too.

Parent Communication Regarding Medical Concerns

Local & Emergency Health Care

Advanced emergency care and consultation are available at local urgent care and area hospitals that are between five to twenty minutes of camp. A camp nurse or director will communicate with parents by phone in the unlikely event of significant illness or injury.

Health Center Communication

Parents will be informed via phone if their child spends the night in the health center, visits an out-of-camp doctor/dentist, or is prescribed a medication due to illness or injury. A camp nurse or director will communicate with you via email for all other general medical issues or visits to the health center.

Health Forms

In an effort to create a happy and healthy camp community for your camper, it is critical that you complete their health forms by the due date. We request that the Health Form be filled out online and the Standing Order and Medical Health Professional Screening Form be downloaded for completion by your licensed medical professional and uploaded into your camper’s account once completed. We recommend that you bring physical copies of all forms to opening day as backups. Our medical staff reviews all forms prior to Opening Day. Campers will not be allowed to remain at camp without completed health forms. If your child’s physical is scheduled for a time after the due date of the standing order and screening form, that is okay. Submit the form when completed. In this case, complete all other forms by the due date. Please have your licensed medical health professional complete the camp Standing Order Form and Medical Health Professional Screening Form as it meets our accreditation standards.

Online Health Form

The Health Form is located in your online account. It provides us with detailed information that the camp health care staff and counselors require to properly care for your camper. When answering questions for this form, please take your time and answer in detail.

Parents/Guardians of returning campers

Sometimes we get notes like “you know him/her!” or “Same as last year.” While we do know your child, your child’s forms need to be thoroughly completed in the event your child has undergone changes during the year. Please keep us up to date.

Health Insurance

If campers are covered by a health insurance policy provided by their parents, insurance information should be provided on our online Health Form. If a family chooses a self-pay option for medical care, there will be no requirement to fill out the insurance section and just choose “Self-Pay”.

Copy the front and back of your insurance card and upload it to your campers paperwork section in your online account.

Your completion of this form along with your digital signature also authorizes medical treatment for your child in the unlikely event that it may be required.

Dining Hall & Nutrition

Our camp community is served three well-balanced meals each day. Fruit is available as a snack throughout the day in the Dining Hall.

We do not limit any of the food offered to campers or staff. If your child has a food allergy, we work to offer substitutions. We do not make modifications for food preferences as we offer a variety of food options.

Because we eat family-style, have cookouts, buffets, and offer a salad bar, it is Circle F Dude Ranch Camp’s expectation that by sending your child to camp, you are asserting to us that your child has knowledge of their diet and can manage their food choices.

Circle F Dude Ranch cannot guarantee campers or staff will not come in contact with foods he/she may be allergic to, or other allergens (see Allergen Policy below). If your child has a severe allergy or dietary restriction, contact the camp directors to discuss if Circle F Dude Ranch is properly equipped to manage it.

Allergen Policy

Circle F Dude Ranch Camp uses the following guidelines pertaining to allergens in the food offered:

• We are conscious of the ingredients in all our meals as it pertains to allergens.
• Menu items served at meals in the Dining Hall and at cookouts that contain known allergens of campers and staff are listed on an allergy board.
• We consider a food item to contain an allergen if it is listed in the ingredients or the item’s packaging states language such as it “may contain” the allergen or is “made on shared equipment”.
• We do not consider a food item to contain an allergen if the item’s packaging states language such as it is “processed in a factory that also processes” the allergen.

Substitutions for the main course and dessert are offered.