Health and Safety

At Camp Wojtyla, your child’s health and safety is of the utmost importance! Camp Wojtyla falls under the state’s Child Care Licensing umbrella with the Department of Human Services.  We undergo inspections by the state and adhere to their rules and regulations.  Often our health and safety protocols go above and beyond what is required of us by the state. 

General HEALTH AND FITNESS requirements

To fully participate in Camp Wojtyla, campers will need to be in good health, both physically and mentally, and capable of living in outdoor, rugged conditions at an elevation of 7800 ft or more above sea level. Campers will be engaging in a considerable amount of walking, hiking, climbing, and various other activities. In addition, each camper will be assigned to a small, carefully selected group for the duration of his or her session. These groups will do everything together, including sleeping, dining and engaging in camper activities, so the ability to follow directions and cooperate with others is highly important to the group’s functionality.

Some or all of the elements of life at Camp may aggravate certain health conditions. Please be aware of this and communicate to Camp Wojtyla staff any concerns you might have. You may reference our Basecamp Essential Eligibility Criteria for specifics on the behavioral expectations, conditions and physical demands of our Basecamp programs. During online camper registration, there will be an option to “opt out” of certain camp activities specific to your child’s program; however, this is not recommended as it can significantly change both the camper’s and their group’s experience.

Our Backcountry (backpacking) excursions include unique physical challenges and living conditions; therefore, require their own set of Backpacking Essential Eligibility Criteria. It is important to be mindful of your child’s abilities, in relation to these criteria, when choosing to attend one of our backpacking programs. These trips have proven to be an extremely rewarding experience for those who are ready for it, but can be overly challenging for those who aren’t! We strongly encourage you and your camper to complete our Backpacking Readiness Questionnaire when deciding if one of these programs would be a good fit. Our backpacking programs are designed with beginners in mind, and are a great option for most teens of average or above average health and fitness levels for their age.

IMPORTANT: After your child has been offered a spot at camp, we will collect a complete camper health history during the registration process. If your child has a physical, mental, or emotional health issue that you believe could interfere with his or her ability to safely and comfortably participate in any of our camp activities, and you’d like to discuss it with us before joining our lottery or waitlist, please email us at registrar@camp-w.com. A member of our administrative team will reach out to you shortly.

KITCHEN AND FOOD ALLERGIES

Camp Wojtyla prepares all food in an outdoor kitchen. We are approved by and follow the guidelines laid out by the Colorado Department of Health. We use a rotating menu that was created with the help of a nutritionist. Our goal is to provide delicious, healthy meals to our campers to best provide for our active, high-altitude lifestyle.

In addition, a well trained kitchen manager organizes our menus and determines the best way to accommodate special dietary needs. We are able to accommodate several common food allergies and sensitivities, such as gluten-free, dairy-free or vegetarian diets, but we do require prior notice in order to best meet your child’s needs. You will be asked to provide complete information about your child’s dietary needs during registration, and for some dietary restrictions, you may be asked to provide foods specific to your child’s needs.

IMPORTANT: IF your child has a severe and/or life-threatening allergy or dietary need that you are uncertain we can accommodate, please complete our Dietary Needs Questionnaire, and someone from our administrative team will reach out to you.

Health and Medical needs

Our medical team is overseen by a licensed physician. The team will review any camper health concerns with parents before camp begins if necessary. Each summer session will have a trained nurse and aide on duty to manage medications, illnesses and injuries, and special health needs, and we also have licensed physical therapists on site.

MEDICATIONS

In order to protect children from reactions to unknown allergies and prevent overdoses, the State of Colorado is very careful when it comes to medication administration to children attending camp. Medications, whether prescription or over-the-counter, may ONLY be administered at camp according to state guidelines. This means that any medication sent to camp (including over-the counter vitamins and supplements and prescription Epipens and inhalers) MUST be accompanied by a Camp Wojtyla Medication Authorization form that has been completed and signed by both your child’s healthcare provider and a parent. We are not allowed to administer ANY medications, whether prescription or over-the-counter, without both required signatures. All medications brought to camp must be turned in to the Camp Doctor at check-in, and must meet specific guidelines that will be provided in our Medical Forms packet after registration. In addition, Camp stocks specific over-the-counter medications, such as pain relievers, antihistamines, gastrointestinal relief, sunburn relief. These medications are also listed on the Camp Wojtyla Medication Authorization form for your child’s healthcare provider to select and sign off on, allowing as needed administration at camp.

Special Considerations Regarding communicable diseases

As a summer camp licensed by both the Colorado Department of Child Care Licensing and the Boulder County Public Health, we consistently develop our policies related to Covid-19, and other communicable diseases, based on local and national recommendations. Our 2023 policy, which was based on the latest health department guidelines for summer camps, included rapid antigen testing (with written parental permission) only if a person displayed symptoms of Covid-19 while at Camp. If a person tested positive for Covid-19, or showed obvious signs or symptoms of other communicable illnesses, then he or she would isolate for a specified time period, and/or parent pick-up would be requested. Response is dependent upon both the type of illness and the timeframes involved (contagiousness, expected recovery time, length of time remaining until camp ends).

During the registration process, parents will be provided with a more complete Covid/Communicable Disease policies to review and agree to in writing.

Safety

Our staff study the human and environmental components of risks and learn how to mitigate possible risks through compliance with policy, proper planning, and sound decision making.  We take them through classroom analysis of safety related topics such as lightning, severe weather, high alpine terrain, wildlife, medical scenarios, group dynamics and sound leadership as well as in action through long, rigorous high alpine summits, rock climbing at 10,000 feet for upwards of ten hours and hours of practicing wilderness scenarios.