Inclusion For All™
Dedicated to including ALL people with special
needs™
The Camp-For-All™ Information Center
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complete resource to help parents and professionals include ALL kids in summer camp
Anaphylaxis is life threatening
and can appear suddenly, with little or no warning. Anyone can develop
Anaphylaxis, not just those with known allergies. Working as a team, parents and recreation staff can help keep
Anaphylaxis manageable. Every child with Anaphylaxis and his/her family are counting on your help to stay safe: to
help prevent an allergic reaction from happening and to be prepared to deal with
it if it does. Here are some suggestions to help make our camp programs safer
for children with Anaphylaxis.
All staff members are
responsible to become familiar with the signs of an anaphylactic reaction and
the use of an EpiPen®.
A check-off box on the camper
registration form will indicate the need for an EpiPen® autoinjector. EpiPens®
are currently the ONLY recognized autoinjectors acceptable in CRH programs.
“ANAKITS” are not acceptable.
We will only accept children with
identified life threatening allergies into the programs if they are carrying
their EpiPen®.
A training session with the Health Care staff will take place during pre-camp. The training will educate all staff on Anaphylaxis, the use of Epinephrine auto injectors (EpiPen®), the Emergency Treatment Plan and reassure staff there are no contraindications to the use of EpiPen® for a life threatening allergic reaction.
The Health Centre staff will:
1. Contact families of campers who have indicated on the CRH
application form and returned Health Forms that his/her camper has a life
threatening allergy. The Health Centre staff will review the CRH Protocol on
Anaphylaxis (i.e. use of the Fanny Pack, 2 EpiPens® required, if suspect
anaphylactic reaction camper/staff will administer EpiPen® first – Benadryl is
not to be given first in CRH setting).
2. Meet with parents to obtain necessary information. Ensure
that the necessary information from the Camp Robin Hood Anaphylaxis Alert
Poster is completed upon program registration, copied and given to the
appropriate designated areas of camp (i.e. office, health centre). Photo ID must be updated annually. With the
child, discuss how they would indicate that they were having a reaction.
The
family is responsible for completing and handing in the following by June 15th (regardless if they
are July or August campers):
Prior
to the start of the campers camp session the family must:
The families will also be given
the opportunity to meet with their camper’s counseling staff and section head
during pre-camp to review Anaphylaxis information pertaining to their camper.
There will also be a meeting in
the afternoon in the second week of July to review the Anaphylaxis Protocol
with the families and answer any questions that may arise.
It is important to recognize
that there is no legal obligation for our staff to provide an “allergen-free”
environment. We should never assume the obligation of suggesting to the parents
of an allergic child that a risk-free environment will be created and
maintained for their child. The suggestion of a risk-free environment has the
potential to create a false sense of security. However, within our facilities
we can be proactive in educating both families and suppliers of food products
on the importance of labelling foods and reducing allergen products (i.e. Nuts,
peanuts and oil based products).
In the May Package, sent to
campers’ prior to camp, there is a friendly letter to all parents recommending
that allergic foods not be sent to CRH for snack or lunch. As well, letters to
the cabin and bus mates of a camper with identified life-threatening allergies
will also be sent home prior to the start of the camp.
As staff, you may need to be
prepared for those unforeseen circumstances where an allergic substance comes
to the facility. If food containing nut products or other allergens comes to
camp with a camper, the staff member must ensure that the child who has the
allergen in his/her lunch eats at a designated place within the unit. That
staff member will then follow-through to make sure that the camper’s hands and
face are washed well before he/she returns to the group.
The EpiPen® should be kept with
the child at all times, in a fanny pack that the camp will provide
As a matter of practice, during
extreme hot weather, encourage the camper/ counsellor/parent to check the
EpiPen® for any discolouration as a change in colour may result in an
ineffective EpiPen®.
Parents must be aware that the
camp has a limited amount of EpiPens®. In the case of a missing EpiPen® at
camp, all efforts will be made to place the camper’s spare EpiPen® (the extra
one should be stored at the Health Centre) in their fanny pack. If lost at
camp, the camper’s parents will be notified immediately that the EpiPen® is
missing and the spare EpiPen® is now in use. The camp will request that the
family replace the missing EpiPen® if all efforts to find it have been
exhausted. If missing upon arrival at camp the camper’s spare EpiPen® will be
used and sent home at the end of the day. The next camp day the camper should
bring the original EpiPen and fanny pack and the spare EpiPen® and fanny pack
back to camp.
Buses
Bus counsellors will ensure
that all children with life-threatening allergies are wearing their fanny packs
with their EpiPen® inside the pack before they board the bus both to and from
camp. If a child does not have their EpiPen® within their fanny pack best
efforts will be made to quickly locate it. If the EpiPen® cannot be located the
camp must be contacted by bus radio immediately so that arrangements can be made
to have a spare EpiPen available upon arrival (usually this will be the spare
EpiPen® that the family has stored at the Health Centre as a back-up).
If a camper were to have an
anaphylactic reaction on the bus, the bus driver will immediately pull over to
the side of the road (when safe to do so), in the mean time, the camper/staff
member will administer the EpiPen®. The driver will radio dispatch immediately
and if the bus is located close enough to a hospital, dispatch will direct them
to the nearest hospital and notify the camper’s family and the camp. If
dispatch determines that the bus is not close enough to a hospital then
dispatch will order an ambulance to meet the bus, which will be waiting at the
side of the road until the ambulance arrives. Dispatch will then notify the
camper’s family and the camp.
To reduce the risk of reactions
to children who have life threatening allergies food is NOT permitted on our
buses and notes to all campers on that bus are sent home re: “nut aware”.
Drop
Offs
When children are driven to and
from camp, the office staff responsible for attendance will ensure that the
fanny packs of campers with life-threatening allergies are checked for an
EpiPen®.
Swim
When in a swimming environment,
the fannypack containing the EpiPen® will be hung on a special hook at the
entrance of each swimming pool. Both the counsellor and the section head must
ensure that it has been placed there prior to swim and is picked up by the
camper/counsellor as they exit from swim. Together the child and the counsellor
and the swim staff need to know where the EpiPen® will be stored. It must be in
a safe and accessible area.
Program
Choose activities in which the
child with the life-threatening allergy can participate fully (i.e. do not use
acorns or egg shells in your craft program with a child who is allergic to nuts
and/or eggs).
Ensure when your groups are
leaving the facility (i.e. trips) that they (1.) meet with the health centre
staff to review medical procedures and (2.)
have contact by phones, or walkie-talkies, and/or are travelling with a
minimum of two staff.
When transporting by bus ensure
that you have an attendance form/procedure
to ensure that the child who requires an EpiPen® is carrying it with
them and it can be
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