Health & Safety at Camp

Our camps follow rigorous health and safety protocols designed to allow us to address the day-to-day happenings of camp life easily and safely. Below, we break down everything you need to know about our health center, policies, and procedures.

The Families’ Role in Camper Health

Families are the first line of defense in keeping our camp community healthy. You do this in two critical ways: by paying attention to your campers’ health in the run-up to camp and by supplying us with the information we need to manage their health while they are here.

A Healthy Session of Camp Starts at Home

Camp is no fun if you’re sick.

Families should evaluate their campers’ health before bringing them to camp. If they are experiencing any symptoms of illness, please consider keeping your camper home until those symptoms resolve. Often, waiting a day or two can ensure a better experience for everyone. When in doubt, please contact us for guidance from our administrators and camp physicians.

If your camper is experiencing symptoms of illness when you drop them off at camp, we reserve the right to refuse them entry until symptoms resolve in order to protect the health of our staff, campers, and camp community.

Please fill out the Health & Confidential Forms Completely

You know your campers best, and we know that you want them to have the best possible experience at Hayo-Went-Ha Camps. To provide this experience, we need accurate and comprehensive information on their health. 

Accordingly, the following are required before your session at camp:

• Camper Health History form (Be sure all information is up to date and matches the medication prescription details exactly).
• Camper physical (a copy of your camper’s last physical performed within 12 months of the start date of the camp session). 
• Confidential Information form for behavioral needs and other contextual information on your family.

Some have chosen to withhold information in hopes that it will not color their camper’s experience. Learning about their needs in advance from you is much more helpful than learning about them from your camper when they are having an unnecessarily challenging time.

The Health Center’s Role in Camper Health

Staffing

• Our health center is staffed 24/7 by two certified health officers, our mental health coordinator, and an on-call camp physician who is available at all times.
• All counseling staff members undergo training in various First Aid and CPR skills, ensuring they are prepared for any health or safety issue that may arise while in camp or on a trip.

Facilities

• Our recently updated health center is equipped with a comprehensive exam unit, including hospital-grade examination equipment and supplies, secure and temperature-controlled storage for dry, refrigerated, or frozen medications, and a stock of common over-the-counter medications.
• If a camper needs to stay overnight for any reason, our Health Center has three bedrooms, eight beds, and private bathrooms. 
• We have a designated space for mental wellness check-ins, where campers can speak with our on-site Mental Health Coordinator.
• Our formal safety agreement with local ambulatory services ensures we have rapid access to emergency services if needed. Muson Hospital is 15 minutes from our Arbutus Lake site, and hospitals in Charlevoix and Kalkaska are 30 minutes away from our Torch Lake camp.

Health Practices at Camp

Our Health Officers are dedicated to keeping your child healthy and safe throughout their camp experience. With extensive training and around-the-clock availability, they are prepared to handle everything from routine care to urgent situations.

• Routine Care and General Health Services: Our team is equipped to provide routine medical care for any camper needing attention, such as cuts, bruises, or minor musculoskeletal injuries. If we feel a camper needs further diagnosis or prescription treatments, we will coordinate with local urgent care facilities to arrange timely support.
• Medication Management and Administration: Our Health Officers are responsible for securely storing and administering all medications. We have four regular distribution times daily and will create custom schedules if those don’t fit. Our staff can carry emergency-use medications like inhalers or EpiPens for campers who may need quick access.
• Pre and Post Trip Evaluations: Before any off-camp trips, our health officers will evaluate each cabin group to ensure that each camper is in good physical health prior to departure. They also conduct health assessments upon return, making sure campers are well and receive any necessary care before rejoining regular camp activities.
• Preparedness for Overnight Care: For campers who may need further observation, we have six beds in our health center where they can stay overnight, with constant care and monitoring by our Health Officers.
• Executing Treatment Plans: If your child has a treatment plan prescribed by their physician, our Health Officers are equipped to carry it out in camp, ensuring continuity of care. Please reach out to our Health team with any questions about your child’s care needs at camp
• Emergency Response: Our team is never more than a few minutes away from any part of camp, ensuring rapid response to emergencies. Health officers are trained and equipped to manage urgent situations, providing immediate assistance while keeping parents informed. Our emergency response plan is practiced by staff and follows the best practices of the State of Michigan Department of Health and the American Camping Association.
• Commitment to Camp Health: We monitor the camp community’s health to ensure that every camper receives equal, comprehensive care. We stay on top of everyone’s health with regular check-ins with staff and a weekly review with all campers in their cabins.

With round-the-clock dedication, our Health Officers are here to provide the best care, ensuring your camper’s safety and health every day at camp.

Illness at Camp

Despite the best precautions, campers and staff will get sick from time to time over the summer. We are equipped to handle a range of mild illnesses and can contact our camp physician for guidance on illnesses that appear to be more than mild.

Respiratory Illness

As of summer 2024, and in keeping with CDC guidance, our policy on handling COVID-19 has been adapted to address the incidence of any symptoms of respiratory illness. We take respiratory illness seriously and are prepared to isolate campers and staff until they are cleared to return to activities.

Read our Respiratory Illness policy

Communication with Families

We see caregivers as critical partners in the success of your camper’s time at camp. We are not shy about calling home in any situation where we feel some more context on your camper’s home life or regular patterns could be helpful. In general, no news from camp is good news, but a call home does not necessarily indicate a critical situation.

It is our policy to contact parents when:

• We have any questions about your camper’s medications
• When they spend the night in the health center for any reason (but usually because they are sick and our policy calls for isolating them)
• When they need to leave camp to seek medical treatment

In case of an emergency our focus is on providing medical attention to those injured, we will contact caregivers as soon as possible after that first priority is met.

Special Medical or Behavioral Needs

We want camp to be available to as many campers as possible; however, some situations and levels of need are beyond our ability to accommodate. 

In general, if your camper is able to participate in public school without regular intervention or accommodation, they will be fine at camp.

If you wonder if your camper might not be a good fit because of their medical or behavioral needs, please contact us for a conversation with our directors. Working together, we can navigate many situations.

Things to consider:

• All campers do an expedition, and older campers are often away from camp for extended periods of time in areas where advanced medical care is more than 30 minutes away. Every such trip has a Wilderness First Responder on its leadership team.
• Most trips cannot maintain refrigerated medication. Please contact us before signing up if this is a concern.
• Our facilities are rustic. Campers are never far from a bathroom, but they are often not super close. We do have laundry facilities on-site and strive to help campers recover from any accidents quickly and inconspicuously.

If any of these concerns you, please contact us for a conversation about how we can best serve your camper.

On Challenge

Our programs are designed to recognize the difference between unsafe and uncomfortable. Everything we do involves a level of risk, our staff are trained to manage risks in such a way that campers are never put in an unsafe situation. However, they may be uncomfortable.  Campers may experience extended periods where they experience discomfort due to weather, physical challenges, or the natural stress of meeting new people and trying new things.

We are big believers in challenge and a little discomfort as the catalyst to growth and personal discovery. While these situations can be an opportunity for growth, they can also pose a significant challenge to campers who have trouble dealing with stressful situations.

If you do not want your camper to experience discomfort, it is possible that another camp might be a better fit for your family this year. If your camper might need a little extra care in these situations, please contact us to have a conversation.