Some Advice, for Health’s Sake

Children bound for camp this summer daydream of campfires, ghost stories and new friends.

Parents fret about accidents and injuries.

Not to worry, camp staffers say. The most common complaints are usually minor: sprains, strains, scrapes, sunburn, swimmer’s ear, rashes, colds, insect bites--and old-fashioned homesickness. But to minimize the risk of illness or injury to their kids, parents can take the following precautions.

* Visit and evaluate a camp before signing up.

During the tour, observe how far apart the beds are, suggests Linda Erceg, a registered nurse and president of the Assn. for Camp Nurses in Bemidji, Minn. Beds should be spaced a yard or more apart to minimize the spread of colds, she says. Likewise, kids in bunk beds should sleep with their heads at opposite ends.

Ask the director if basic health practices are observed, such as: Do your counselors monitor hand-washing among young children? Does someone remind younger children to drink water during the day? Are campers screened for health problems on the first day? Is there a balance of restful and vigorous activity? Is bedtime at a reasonable hour?

Ask about the camp’s accreditation. More than 2,000 camps are accredited by the American Camping Assn., a nonprofit education association based in Martinsville, Ind. (See accompanying box.) Other camping organizations have their own accreditation programs.

To meet ACA standards, resident camps must have a doctor or a nurse on-site daily, if only for a visit, and a first-aid expert on the premises at all times, an ACA representative says. ACA-accredited camps, which are re-evaluated during operation every three years, must also have emergency transportation to a hospital available.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also offers guidelines for parents. It recommends that camps have a licensed physician, preferably a pediatrician, to supervise medical programs; that campers be screened for health problems on arrival and departure; that a permanent medical facility be maintained at camps housing 100 or more, and that a person trained in first aid accompany campers on field trips.

Other questions worth asking: If a child is injured or ill, how soon are parents or guardians contacted? How close is the nearest dentist or orthodontist?

* Schedule a pre-camp physical.

ACA-accredited resident camps require campers to undergo a physical before arrival, and doctors also encourage the practice. The exam should include a thorough check of heart and lungs and a blood pressure reading, says Dr. Robert Kaplan, a pediatrician at Memorial Miller Children’s Hospital of Long Beach and a University of California, Irvine, pediatrics professor. The doctor should also review the child’s medications and immunizations.

“Any child with chronic medical problems (such as asthma, allergies or diabetes) has to be stabilized before (camp),” Kaplan says.