Our current Health Officer is a Registered Nurse with many years of experience. She will be available by phone before and during the season to answer any medical questions or discuss your concerns.
Annual Health and Medical Record Forms
Accepted Medical Forms
The new Annual Health and Medical Record Form is the only allowed medical form. Class 1,2, or 3 medicals will not be accepted even if they have not expired. Other forms such as sports physicals or physicals for non-Scout camps will not be accepted!
Medical Record Reminder
All physical forms require more than one signature and many blank spaces to complete, during check in our staff will check for the following:
- Physician signature and date
- Parent signature (where appropriate) and date
- Immunization history
- Allergies and chronic conditions
- Current medication
- Any other conditions of which the health officer should be aware
Physicals are merely an overview of a Scout’s health. Remember to ask Scouts how they’re feeling before they come to camp and take appropriate action. Don’t let a sick Scout ruin your troop’s stay. Scouts that miss camp due to illness that purchase the Travmark Camp Insurance are covered and will receive a refund.
Medications in Camp
During check-in, Scouts with medication will have their medications placed into a gallon size plastic bag labeled with their name, troop number and campsite, all of which will be known upon arrival to the med recheck site. There are several stock medications in the Health Office so you do not have to pack basic medication (this does not include over the counter allergy medication). The nurse asks that if someone is on emergency inhalers or has an epi-pen that they provide one for the Health Office and keep one on their person and please let their unit leader know. Storing camper medication is a National Policy not a choice of Ockanickon and we are not permitted to allow campers to hold their medications except in the case of emergency medications like an epipen or fast-acting heart medication.
Medications Storage-All medication must be checked in at the Health Lodge upon arrival at camp. Each person must check in his or her own medication which will be kept in the Health Lodge under lock and key. The Health Lodge has refrigerated storage facilities for medicines that must be kept cold.
Medication Times – Morning medications will be given out from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and evening medications will be given out from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Campers who need medication at other times please review your medication schedule with the Health Officer on the first full day of your stay. Each Camper who checks their medication into the Health Lodge will have a medication number written on their bracelet. Campers can speed up receiving their medication by using this number. Troops will receive a list of what campers take medication when within a day of arrival. Having a leader check with their Scouts that they’ve taken their medication is strongly recommended.
Returning Medications – All medications and the plastic bags will be returned to one adult leader from the Troop on Saturday morning from 7AM to 9AM. No physicals will be returned this year, so please make copies BEFORE you come to camp.
Allergies and Special Diets
Scouts with severe allergies who normally carry an Epipen the Scout should do so at all times at camp. If the Scout brings an extra Epipen, this extra unit must be stored in the Health Lodge. Scouts that suffer from an allergy attack must report this to the Health Lodge. Campers may seek treatment for non-emergency food reactions at the Health Lodge.
Camp Menu - Tentative menus may be available to aid Scouts with significant dietary needs in planning alternative food for their stay. Please note that the menu may change on short notice as supplies vary and seasonal goods become available. Otherwise, the menu for the day is posted in the Dining Hall and Scouts with allergies should consult this menu to determine what, if any, replacements need to be made at meals. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are available at every meal, and every meal has food available beyond the entree if a single meal or course is not appropriate for a camper. The kitchen can attend to simple menu changes like an uncommon ingredient allergy, the need for a vegetarian alternative, or a common allergy that’s regularly planned around if properly informed during med rechecks. Scouts who need simple replacements to single or rare ingredients should visit the kitchen counter during meal setup (15 minutes before the meal starts) to inform the kitchen staff of the needed substitution and if this need was reported during med rechecks the kitchen will prepare a replacement that will be available early in the meal time. Scouts with very stringent food requirements such as being allergic to large classes of foods or digestive issues should contact the Health Lodge before the week of their arrival. While the camp will make reasonable efforts to accommodate dietary needs, resources are finite, and campers with stringent dietary requirements may need to bring food to supplement camp’s offerings. This food must be marked with the camper’s name and unit and must be packaged for refrigerated storage. A medium-sized Igloo cooler or large lunchbox can be easily accommodated, anything larger may require special arrangements. Campers who need these special replacements must also inform the kitchen during meal setup (15 minutes before the meal starts) so they may prepare the alternative from the provided food in a timely manner. Please note, picky eating is not a sufficient reason to request alternate meals for a Scout. The Ockanickon Dining Hall efficiently serves nutritious meals to hundreds of campers and staff a week with little extra staff to prepare alternatives. Should a camper need a last minute replacement, an alternative beyond what’s available in the Dining Hall may not be possible. Questions about food allergies may be discussed with the Health Officer prior to your camp week.
Medical Emergencies
All injuries and/or illnesses must be reported to the Camp Health Officer as soon as possible. In the event that an injury requires emergency medical transportation, 911 may be dialed from any phone in camp. Emergency transportation should be requested through the Health Officer or Camp Management if at all possible and/or as soon as possible. Once an emergency has been reported and any initial care has been delivered, the parents or guardians of the injured Scout will be contacted based on the information on the provided health form. If a Scout needs to be transported to receive non-emergency care, this will be done preferentially by any parents at camp followed by a unit leader if no parent is available.