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Publications Online Articles Is Your Camp’s Health Center the Center of Health? - 2007
Publications Online Articles Is Your Camp’s Health Center the Center of Health? - 2007 | Is Your Camp’s Health Center the Center of Health? - 2007 |
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In her 1912 book Notes on Nursing, Florence Nightingale wrote, “I use the word nursing for want of a better. It has been limited to signify little more than the administration of medicines and the application of poultices. It ought to signify the proper use of fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, and the proper selection and administration of diet—all at the least expense of vital power to the patient.” OK. I had to look up poultice (It’s a kind of absorbent, medicated wound treatment), but the rest of the quote hits the mark nearly 100 years later. It almost seems as if Nightingale is talking about camp nurses, not just nurses in general. Camp nurses don’t simply dispense meds; they work on the front lines to keep us healthy. Perhaps this is the reason most of my camp nurse friends insist on “Health Center” now instead of “Infirmary” to designate their building at camp. Some camps have even converted to a “Health & Wellness Center,” thereby signifying their holistic view and preventive stance toward human welfare. So what makes an excellent health center? Well, before I get into details, I should offer the disclaimer that I’m not a nurse or a medical doctor. I also haven’t memorized the health and wellness accreditation standards for the US or Canada. (Interested readers can visit the Association for Camp Nurses, or peruse ACA Accreditation Standards for Camp Programs and Services). What I can offer are the perspectives of a former camper, current camp staff member, father, and allied health professional. First and foremost, an excellent health center is staffed by qualified personnel. You can refer to the accreditation standards for details on certifications and degrees, but anyone in the health center needs to have experience with blood, bugs, and barf. Seriously. You’d be surprised by the number of urologists or obstetricians I’ve met who are doing a stint as “camp doctor” but haven’t a clue about emergency medicine, wilderness first aid, or even how to perform CPR. An actual quote from one of these camp docs: “Don’t worry, Chris, all the staff have CPR and first aid. I just oversee med call.” Gee, I wonder whether the director or the campers’ parents see it like that. I’ve also watched camp nurses—with specialties in areas as diverse as midwifery and geriatrics—send asthmatic campers up a mountain with their steroid inhalers (such as the Advair discus) instead of their rescue inhalers (such as Albuterol), claiming, “It’s the same thing.” Tell that to the camper who feels suddenly as if he’s breathing through a straw. Show me someone—RN, MD, PA, EMT—who knows how to stop bleeding, stabilize broken bones, treat anaphylaxis, clean up an infection, open an airway, and grab a bucket for that kid about to puke and I’ll show you someone who is ready to work at a camp health center. Camp isn’t a war zone, but it is the front lines. The next thing you need is a team player. The best camp health centers aren’t just neat, clean, centrally located, and well stocked; they’re staffed by men and women who understand children and camping. In a healthy camp culture, everyone is expected to contribute, from the skits to the clean-up and everything in between. Having health center staff who participate in camp outside of their job description pays dividends by making them visible and accessible. If campers and staff see the human—and sometimes humorous—side of the health center staff, they’re more likely to tell them about their nasty rash in that private spot or suggest policy changes that benefit the community. Camp health centers also need to collaborate. Remember that the nearest definitive care facility is also part of a camp’s health center team. The camp must cooperate with local hospital and EMS personnel to ensure ambulance drivers know the routes into camp; to create emergency action plans that factor in travel time; and to coordinate care when campers are treated by or transferred to area specialists. Health center staff should also be teachers. If you think that all campers and staff know everything there is to know about personal hygiene, then you haven’t spent much time around a 9-year-old boy or a college student lately. So much of camp health hinges on prevention, such as hand washing, proper cough technique, good sleep habits, proper nutrition, and wise use of time off. (Now I’m really starting to sound like Florence Nightingale.) Health center staff need to preach these points and more in an ongoing, entertaining fashion. That might be a tall order for someone who’s used to sitting behind a desk or roaming the hospital halls most days, but it’s a cinch for a health care professional with a camp background or kids of her own. Health center staff must also educate parents—either directly or through the mouth of the camp director. Of critical importance is accurate, candid, and thorough completion of the camp’s health form. Sadly, many parents fail to understand how helpful it is to provide the camp with a detailed profile of their child’s physical and psychological functioning. Often, parents leave camp staff struggling to figure out some behavioral, emotional, cognitive, or physical problem that it took a team of experts a decade to diagnose. A high quality health center insists on high quality information for all of their campers and staff. No form from you = no camp for you. Last but not least, a high quality camp health center needs the staff’s support. Frontline camp counselors and cabin leaders need to remind children who take medication to go to med call. They need to be trained in first aid and CPR. (By the way, “certified” is not the same as trained. Health center staff should provide instruction and practice drills for staff throughout the summer. Blitzing through a quick course on first aid CPR does not equip most people to provide care in an emergency. Staff need practice.) Camp staff can also support the health center staff by setting a sterling example of proper hygiene and sleep habits for the campers. And staff need to regulate all those adventurous activities in ways that minimize the likelihood of serious injury. Florence Nightingale was right about the scope of nurses’ duties, but she missed the mark a bit by restricting those duties to nurses. Everyone in the camp community shares some responsibility to “nurse” staff and campers in true Nightingale fashion. Seen in this light, an excellent health center is not a building. It’s a collaborative process of promoting the entire camp’s health. Author Note: For a fascinating look at recent research visit ACA Healthy Camp Study. For information on creating a healthy camp, visit ACA article: Kids and Healthy Lifestyles. For professional medical opinion from the American Academy of Pediatrics visit Health Appraisal Guidelines for Day Camps and Resident Camps. |
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