Health and Safety
At Camp Wojtyla, your child’s health and safety is of the utmost importance! Regulation of Camp Wojtyla falls under the state’s Child Care Licensing umbrella, as well as the Department of Public Health and Environment. We adhere to the rules and regulations of these state agencies and are inspected by them at least once a year. 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 highly 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 nut, dairy, or seafood allergies and 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/Treatment 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. If a child begins taking a new medication after the form has already been submitted to the registrar, the original form must be updated, initialed, and dated, or a new form can be completed in full, then submitted by email to medicalforms@camp-w.com.
All medications brought to camp must be turned in to the Camp Nurse at check-in, and must meet specific guidelines that will be provided in our Medical Forms packet after registration.
In addition, Camp stocks the over-the-counter medications listed below for “as-needed” administration. These medications are listed on our Medication/Treatment Authorization form for your child’s healthcare provider to select and sign off on. The medications will NOT be given if permission to do so has not been indicated on the form. There is no need to send these medications to Camp since we keep them stocked in our Nurse’s Station:
pain relievers (Ibuprofen, Tylenol), antihistamines (Benadryl, Zyrtec), gastrointestinal relief, sunburn relief, antibiotic ointments, hydrocortisone cream, fiber, cough drops.
Special Considerations Regarding communicable diseases
As a state licensed summer camp, we comply with the guidelines of Boulder County Public Health when addressing communicable illness contracted before or during camp. During the registration process, parents will be provided with a complete communicable disease policy 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. Staff are first aid trained and we have a nurse on duty during each camp session.