Healthcare During Summer Camp
Health and Safety
Camp Kawartha is proud to maintain the standards set forth, and be accredited by the Ontario Camps Association. A healthcare professional lives on-site all summer (more about our healthcare team below). All Summer Camp staff have Standard First Aid and CPR certification and wear fanny packs with first aid supplies. Staff taking campers on canoe trips are additionally certified in Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder. Fully stocked first aid packs are carried on trip, or when campers are going across the street to “The Range” which is 180 acres of forest, meadows and trails and the location of our archery site. There is an AED (automated external defibrillator) unit on-site in the dining hall.
Health Centre
The Rotary Health Centre is an eco-friendly straw bale building (2021) that has a fully equipped clinic with first aid supplies, over-the-counter medications, as well as patient assessment tools (BP cuff, thermometer, stethoscopes, oxygen saturation probe, etc.). The Camp Nurse or Paramedic lives in the Health Centre throughout the summer. There are three Wellness Rooms for campers who need rest or need a quiet space to decompress.
Healthcare Team
During the Summer Camp season, a healthcare professional (Registered Nurse, Registered Practical Nurse, or Licenced Paramedic) lives on-site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are responsible for all medication administration, and the assessment and care of campers and staff. Alongside the nurse or paramedic, works the healthcare coordinator and the healthcare assistant (more about our roles below). Camp Kawartha is connected with a local physician who will be contacted by the on-site healthcare staff if there is a need for further medical attention. In the case of advanced medical need, parents will be contacted, and will be billed for medical costs incurred or medications prescribed by the attending physician. Camp Kawartha is also connected with a local dentist who will assess and treat dental and orthodontic issues on short notice. In the event of an emergency, Camp Kawartha is 15 minutes from the Douro-Dummer Fire Hall, 15 minutes from the Lakefield ambulance station and 35 minutes from the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
Healthcare Coordinator
- Organizes healthcare providers
- Trains staff
- Develops policies and procedures
- Communicates with parents and guardians about health care questions/concerns
- Stocks Health Centre
- Ensures all camper health forms are reviewed
- If needed prior to summer, consultation occurs with parents, the Healthcare Coordinator and the Summer Camp Director to best support camper health care needs
- Assists the healthcare team throughout the summer in managing camper care and health records
Camp Nurse/Paramedic
- On arrival day, meets with parents who have campers with healthcare needs and/or medications
- Manages all prescription, homeopathic, and over-the-counter medications which are stored in the health centre and dispensed using a Medication Administration Record
- Responsible for the assessment and management of healthcare and first aid issues that arise among campers and staff
- Documents in our confidential camp software program
- Assesses groups departing for and returning from out-trips
- Provides emotional and mental health support
- Determines if further medical attention needs to be sought (e.g. medical doctor, hospital visit)
- Communicates with kitchen staff regarding food allergies
- Provides health and safety teaching to the camp
- Helps maintain the overall health and wellbeing of all individuals at Camp Kawartha
Healthcare Assistant
- Primarily works alongside the Camp Nurse/Paramedic, helping to deliver healthcare to campers and staff
- Helps prepare the health centre for summer, and provides ongoing maintenance of first aid supplies
- Prepares and maintains all first aid kits
- Helps deliver health and safety teaching to campers and staff
- Assists with screening and admitting campers on arrival day
- Assists with medication storage and management throughout the session
- Often accompanies campers or staff who are leaving site to see a physician
- Acts as a liaison with office staff, helping to review camper health forms and managing documentation throughout the summer