Overnight Camp Health Practices
Camper Health
Updated on April 9, 2025
As parents, we want you to understand the rigorous efforts Pine Cove has always taken toward protecting the health of your child. Since 1967, Pine Cove has existed to be used by God to transform the lives of people for His purposes and His glory. This purpose is no different today.
Parents should use their best judgment regarding sending their child to camp taking into consideration any upcoming travel plans or gatherings scheduled the week following camp. An inherent risk of exposure to contagious illnesses exists in any public place where people are present.
We will update this page as we update our medical policies.
Every youth camp’s health center is staffed with a screened and experienced medical professional on site 24/7. Our clinical services are capable of administering medications, monitoring patients who are sick, and quick access to other medical services.
One of the best tools for us to keep campers well during their time at Pine Cove is by making sure our health teams have the most up-to-date medical information about them!
A Required Health Information form is available as soon as you register, then a month before your camper’s session, their health forms will become available in your online account. Please take some time to carefully fill these out so we know everything relevant to your child’s care. And if something changes regarding your child’s health history or medication between the time you fill out that information and your camper’s session at Pine Cove, please be sure those changes are reflected in those forms.
Parents should monitor the health of their children and not send them to camp if they exhibit any symptoms of contagious illness, such as fever, undiagnosed rash, vomiting, or diarrhea.
It is critical to communicate about your camper’s medical needs on the camper’s medical form. These forms become available in your account to fill out one month before your camper’s camp session. It’s important to have ALL medications (including daily over-the-counter allergy meds you intend to send) on the medical form before we can accept them at check-in. Make sure that if you make any last minute changes to your child’s medication before arrival at camp, that you also update the medical form.
If this is your first overnight camp experience, you also completed a required health information form as part of your registration. This is the form where you will make sure to let us know about any bigger picture concerns, like diabetes or individual care needs your camper may have. It’s important to let us know about these needs as soon as possible before their camp session so we can make sure both our camp teams and medical teams are prepared to serve them safely.
Put any needed prescription medication on the medical form and bring it with you. We’ll take care of making sure they get what they need! State law requires us to store all medication in the health center, so do not pack any meds in your camper’s luggage.
Please leave all non-prescription medications and vitamins at home for the week. Standing in line for meds during mealtime is not most camper’s favorite thing to do, so if it’s not essential, your camper will thank you too!
If you believe your camper must have their own over-the-counter (OTC) medication, like a daily allergy pill, please add it to their medical form, then bring it with you to drop-off and check it in with the camp nurse. Any vitamins must have a doctors note and be checked in with the nurse.
We are well stocked with most OTC medications for as-needed, occasional use!
Because of state regulations, we cannot administer prescription meds that are:
Regulations require us to follow the directions on all prescription and over-the-counter medicine.
Make sure to keep only the doses of prescription medication your camper needs in the original prescription container with current dosage instructions.
That’s a long sentence so let’s break it down. Any prescription medication should:
We cannot mail prescription medication (it’s actually a felony by law!) so only packing the dosages your camper needs helps you not to waste (potentially expensive) medication by forgetting to pick it up after camp.
It’s easy to want to consolidate when you are packing and put all their meds for the week into a baggie—we get it! However, state regulations require all medication to be in containers processed by a pharmacist or manufacturer. We cannot make exceptions.
We still need a prescription label with dosage instructions for boxed medications, like inhalers, epi-pens and prescription creams. So either pack the box, or ask your pharmacy to print you an additional label that you can stick to the inhaler, packet or tube.
We stock many over-the-counter (OTC) medications in our health center for occasional as needed use. There is no need to pack any common OTC meds for your camper – we’re fully stocked with them!
If you believe your camper must have their own over-the-counter (OTC) medication, like a daily allergy pill, please add it to their medical form, then bring it with you to drop-off and check it in with the camp nurse. Any vitamins must have a doctors note and be checked in with the nurse.
Pack your any meds needed in a separate bag from the rest of your camper’s luggage ready to check in at the nurse’s station at drop-off.
State law requires us to store all medications at the health centers. This applies not just to campers, but also to our staff, so there’s no possibility of a camper getting into a staffer’s luggage and accessing medication.
Our policy of all medication is stored at the health center includes all over-the-counter medications and vitamins. Please do not store any over-the-counter (OTC) meds or vitamins in your camper’s luggage. Exceptions are made for rescue inhalers, diabetic supplies, and epi-pens.
If your camper is going to self-carry any of those items, please mention your camper will be carrying these things with them on the medical form and check in with the nurse upon arrival. We encourage you to send a second item to keep at the health center for easy accessibility in case a camper forgets an item in their cabin.
Your camper will have access to the camp clinic if they are need of occasional medication. We stock a variety of commonly used over-the-counter medications.
Hand sanitizer is available at every meal table and passed around to each camper as part of a sanitize cheer. Sanitizing our hands (and staying hydrated!) have always been important parts of our camp culture. Check out this fun video that the Pine Cove Ranch made to remind our campers and staff how important it is to be hydrated and sanitized—and to have fun while doing it!
