Asthmatic Children to Attend Camp
About 40 Ventura County children suffering from chronic asthma will be attending camp today and Friday in Somis.
Called the Southern California Asthmatic Medical Program Camp, or SCAMP Camp, the event will allow children ages 8 to 14 with moderate to severe asthma to participate in swimming, running, games and crafts as well as asthma management education.
“We push them at camp to see that they can exercise,” said Dr. Chris Landon, the camp’s medical director and founder of the nonprofit Landon Pediatric Foundation Camp Time Away, which helps sponsor the asthma program. “It will give them self-esteem that yes, they can run, and yes, there are other children with asthma. They will see that when they use their inhaler properly, they can swim, run, chase and be chased.”
A UCLA study last year reported that many asthmatic children miss the camp experience because their parents are afraid they will have an asthma attack and die without medical supervision, Landon said.
The study also showed that asthmatic children limit their exercise to prevent coughing, Landon said.
At SCAMP Camp, children will learn the importance of strenuous activity and how to use their inhaler before exercise.
The free camp, for children ages 8 to 10 today and for 11- to 14-year-olds on Friday, is also sponsored by the American Lung Assn. of Ventura County. It is held at Cabrillo Racquet Club in Somis.
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