Staying Healthy

The steps we take to keep our camp community healthy every year.

Your daughter’s health and safety are very important to us, and we do everything possible to maintain a healthy and safe camp environment each and every summer. This year, we want to have our healthiest summer ever! We will be adding many new Health & Safety procedures this summer and, as always, will be following the recommendations from the CDC, ACA (American Camp Association), and state and local health departments.

Below, you will find a list of the health protocols we follow every year to ensure we are taking the best possible care of our campers.

Before Camp: What You Can Do

A healthy camp starts at home! Here are some things you can do before camp to ensure your daughter has a great summer experience.

• Practice proper handwashing, especially if you have a young camper. We remind the campers constantly to wash their hands once they are with us at camp, but making this a habit before camp will be helpful once she is here!
• Send a reusable water bottle that is properly labeled with her name, and remind her not to share her water bottle or any other personal items (such as hairbrushes, toothbrushes, cups, towels, razors, etc.).
• Consider sending a small personal hand-sanitizer that clips to her backpack or that she can keep with her.
• Pack good shoes! Closed-toed shoes are required for many activities and help avoid slips, falls, stubbed toes, and injuries to feet. Flip-flops do not work well at camp.
• Send sunscreen and make sure your daughter knows how to apply it. Our counselors can help the younger campers.
• If she is young, teach her to sneeze and cough in her sleeve and not in her hands. And, start practicing (by reminding her!) to avoid touching her eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Let us know if your daughter has been exposed to anything contagious in the 2 weeks before camp, such as lice, the flu, strep throat, GI bugs, or any other virus, including COVID. DO NOT BRING YOUR DAUGHTER TO CAMP if she or anyone in your home has had a fever or any signs or symptoms of illness in the two weeks prior to camp. Please call the Health Hut (828-693-9841) and speak with our Health Director, Dr. Margaret, to make a plan.
• TRAVEL CAUTIOUSLY in the month before camp avoiding unnecessary exposure to potential illness.

Before Camp: What We Do

• We review your daughter’s Health Form and share any special medical concerns with the staff so that we are prepared to properly care for the campers.
• Train our staff! Our counselor staff goes through extensive training prior to camp, which includes a priority on keeping campers healthy and safe. Extra attention is paid to watching for signs and symptoms of illness in campers and how to alert the nurses to any concerns.

Upon Arrival and During the Session

• ALL campers and staff are screened upon arrival. We will ask about exposure to communicable diseases and current complaints, and will look for any signs or symptoms of illness. We will also check for head lice.
• Campers sleep head-to-toe in their bunks creating the greatest distance between sleeping heads.
• Handwashing! We have antibacterial soap at all of our sinks in camp and hand-sanitizer in all our program areas and on every table in the The Fort. The campers are reminded constantly of the importance of washing their hands and using the hand sanitizer.
• Campers are also reminded to not share personal items such as water bottles, brushes, towels, razors, etc.
• Campers are reminded frequently to use sunscreen, and counselors with the younger campers help remind and apply it.
• We remind campers to drink water…all the time! We are constantly reminding them to Wash, Water, Screen: Wash their hands. Drink lots of water. And apply and reapply sunscreen.
• We have first aid kits in all program areas and scattered throughout camp. Our staff have been trained on how to use them.
• Bathrooms and shared surfaces are cleaned and sanitized daily. We send our professional cleaning crew into an area to deep clean if we have any evidence of illness.
• Any camper or staff member that presents with fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or other signs or symptoms of contagious illness is isolated from the general camp community. She is admitted to our Health Hut until our Camp Doctor feels she is no longer contagious and can return to the community. We have 8 nurses and two doctors evaluating campers and caring for these campers once they are admitted to the Health Hut. We will ALWAYS notify you if your daughter is admitted to the Health Hut.
• We keep a close eye on any cabin that has a camper with a fever and watch for more cases. Our professional cleaning service or housekeeping staff will deep clean that cabin.
• We work to support our immune system with our everyday routines. We eat good and healthy food, make sure that campers rest at Rest Hour, and we go to bed early to help us all stay healthy.
• We have a “no visitor policy” which keeps our camp community close-knit and healthy.
• Every summer, we follow all of the guidelines from state and local health departments as well as the CDC and ACA (American Camp Association).

After Camp:

• We will always notify you if your daughter has been exposed to anything contagious during the camp session so that you can keep an eye on her after she gets home.