Resources for Camp Health
Practice Guidelines
Practice Guidelines from the Alliance for Camp Health
These guidelines provide direction and support for five of the most common activities performed by health care staff at camps.
- Communicable Disease Control in the Camp Setting PDF (ACN, 2017)
- Communicable Disease Management in the Camp Setting Practice Guideline PDF 9/2020 Update (Erceg)
- Delegation Practice Guideline PDF
- Documentation Practice Guideline PDF
- Medication Management Practice Guideline PDF
- Health Screening Practice Guideline PDF
Communicable Disease (Coronavirus, Immunizations, Measles and more)
For the latest COVID-19 information go to the ACH Coronavirus COVID-19 page
Coronavirus (COVID-19) FAQ’s for camps (March 2020)
A Healthy Camp Starts at Home (From the American Camp Association Healthy Camp Toolbox. Revised 3/2020)
Communicable Disease Management in the Camp Setting Erceg, March 2020
Measles Brief Gaslin, May 2019
2019 Measles Outbreak Ambrose, May 2019
From the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
Medication Management, CBD Oil
Managing medications at camp is regulated by each state, and is impacted by Pharmacy Regulations, state Boards of Nursing and regulations that govern camps. Below are some resources to discovering how to manage medications for your specific program.
Epinephrine at Camp (May 2021)
- Medication Management (13 Common Questions from Camps, and Their Answers) Erceg
- Medication Management Practice Guidelines PDF
- Association of Camp Nursing. Nursing Delegation to Unlicensed Assistive Personnel in Day and Resident Camps: www.ACAcamps.org/sites/default/files/images/Delegation-PG-Dec-2013.pdf
- Medication at Camp — Mitigating the Risk. Linda Erceg, RN, MS, PHN
- Managing, Monitoring and Administering Medications at Camp Mary Marugg, RN
- Online Medication Administration Course for staff assisting an RN in medication administration. American Academy of Pediatrics
- Medication Safety (page updated June 2017)
- Medication FAQ’s (Infographic)
- Challenges and Considerations of CBD Oil at Camp Tracey Gaslin, PhD, CRNI, CPNP, FNP-BC
Allergy and Anaphylaxis
Allergy and Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan
Form developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics
Epinephrine at Camp (2023)
A resource to include some details about unassigned Epinephrine at camps, a link to guidelines state by state, suggestions for purchasing and associated cost. Read more
Does your state allow stocking epi in schools? The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has a map providing state by state details for stocking epinephrine in schools. Read more
Anaphylaxis Study
ACH participated in an Anaphylaxis study in conjunction with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Ohio State University initiated in May 2016. Camp nurses provided feedback regarding anaphylaxis in the camp setting allowing us to better understand the implications of care and identify measures to address safety.
Study Findings
Food Allergy Prevalence and Management in an Overnight Summer Camp
Anaphylaxis Knowledge in Camp Personnel
Survey data were collected from camp directors, medical personnel, and camp staff concerning food allergy and anaphylaxis. Knowledge gaps were identified in these groups, particularly in identifying anaphylaxis, but recent training was associated with increased knowledge. Read the Article
Food Allergy Trends and Epinepherine Autoinjector Presence at Summer Camps Read the Article
JOURNAL ALLERGY CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY PRACT VOLUME 5, NUMBER 2
Life with Food Allergies Website
A non-profit organization committed to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) https://www.foodallergy.org
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Website
Kids With Food Allergies Website
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team
Building A Health Center
Building or Remodeling A Camp Health Center
Visit the ACH page with details about building a camp health center!
Communication
Communication With Aphasic Children. By: Tracy Canales, RN, BSN
This power point explores effective communication with aphasic children.
Download a Picture Board to laminate to facilitate communication with aphasic children.
Concussion at Camp
Resources from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Research Institute
- Concussion Care For Kids Program
- When Concussions Occur at Summer Camp: A Guide for Summer Camp Staff
- BrainSTEPS
- Concussion Research from CHOP’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention
- Nurses Get Ready for Summer Camp: Test Your Concussion Know How
From the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Environmental and Critter Concerns
Lice Treatments (a quick reference)
From the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Mosquito Bites
Bugs and Pest Control – A resource for Pests and Pest control (to include ticks, bedbugs, rodents, flies ants and more)
Ticks and Lyme Disease
Healthy Camp Research
Many resources were generated from the Healthy Camps Research Study (2006-2010.) Visit these resources to include a Policy Statement-Creating Healthy Camp Experiences, Promising Practices and Policy Implications, as well as others.
MESH Resources
ACN Members – check out all the MESH resources page. These MESH Resources are an ACN Member benefit. Log in as a member to access this page.
MESH Resources from ACNResources About Camp
New to camp nursing?
Hiring and Orienting Camp Healthcare Staff
- Hiring and Retaining a Happy Camp Nurse (Nerderman, D. 2012. CompassPoint)
- Orienting Your Camp Nurse (Erceg, L., March 2018 Camping Magazine)
- Want to be a camp nurse? Ten basics to get you out there! (Nursing 2017)
- EMT’s and Paramedics: Their Role At Camp
- ACN Delegation Practice Guideline
- Camp Healthcare Providers: A Comparison of Selected Characteristics
Incident Reports
Here are examples of incident reports intended to help you gather pertinent information about an unexpected incident at camp.
American Academy of Pediatrics
Improving Health and Safety at Camp
Additional resources are available to ACH members to include webinars.
ACH Membership
ACH welcomes Nurses, Directors, Behavioral Health Specialists and all others committed to camp health
And more resources! Find an example of Standing Orders, the Scope and Standards of Camp Nursing Practice, Basics of Camp Nursing book and more in the ACH Store.
More Resources
ACH Publications and More