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Summer at KEY Health & Safety
Parents/guardians are encouraged to contact the camp or health office with any questions regarding Summer at KEY's Health & Safety protocols. Please take some time to review them below. They will be updated based on the current guidance available and are subject to change.
We truly appreciate your support as we all work to maintain the safest camp environment possible.
Health Office phone: 443.321.7852
Camp Office phone: 443.321.2575
Policies & Protocols
- Health Office
- Action Plans for Medical Conditions
- Medication Policy
- Immunization Policy
- Illness & COVID-19 Protocols
- Staff Training & Education
Health Office
The Health Office is a place where campers who become ill or suffer minor injuries at Camp may briefly rest while a decision is made whether they should remain at Camp or go home.
The Health Office is staffed by a camp nurse from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the first day of each week and 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. the balance of each week. The nurse is responsible for administering minor first aid to campers and contacting medical professionals and/or parents/guardians in case of serious illness or injury.
From time to time, the Camp Nurse must determine whether to send a child home. In such cases the child’s health, as well as the risk to the other members of the Camp community, is considered. When it is determined that a child cannot remain in Camp, the Nurse will contact the parent or guardian first. If they cannot be reached, the emergency contact will be called.
We require that each camper has someone that can be at Camp within one hour to pick them up. As a result, it is important to have pick-up plans with emergency contacts in place.
Action Plans for Medical Conditions
If your camper has asthma, severe food allergies, seizures, bee sting allergies, diabetes, or any other serious medical condition, the appropriate Action Plan form (see below) is required to be returned to the Health Office at least two weeks prior to the start date of their first camp.
- School Medication Administration Authorization
- Asthma Action Plan
- Food Allergy Action Plan
- Diabetes Action Plan
- Seizure Action Plan
- Bee Sting Allergy Action Plan
The completed paperwork can be emailed to Nurse Katie Anderson at kanderson@keyschool.org, faxed to 443.926.9394, or mailed to: Summer at KEY, Attn. Nurse Katie, 534 Hillsmere Drive, Annapolis, MD 21403. If mailing, please allow for transit time. Campers will not be able to attend Camp until this information is received.
Medication Policy
Parents are encouraged to administer medication at home when possible. If any medication (prescribed or over-the-counter) must be taken at Camp, a Maryland State School Medication Administration Authorization Form must be completed and signed by a medical professional and by a parent or guardian. It should be turned in to the Camp Nurse along with the medication.
The only exception will be for the non-prescription medications of acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and diphenhydramine (Benadryl). The Camp provides students with these medications, when necessary, if permission is given on the campers Medical Form, which will be filled out as part of the registration process.
Any medication to be given at Camp must be given to the Camp Nurse. The medication container should be labeled with the following:
- Name of camper
- Name of medication
- Dosage of medication to be given
- Frequency of administration
- Route of administration
- Name of authorized prescriber ordering the medication
- Date of prescription
- Expiration date (Expired medications cannot be accepted or administered by the Health Office personnel or designate. This includes inhalers and Epipens.)
Campers in grades five through eight may carry and self-administer inhalers and Epipens, once the Camp Nurse has received the appropriate documentation. The camper’s health care provider must sign the designated space on the Maryland State School Medication Administration Authorization Form (see above).
Please be aware that nebulizers, which are used to provide inhaled aerosolized medication for asthmatics, are no longer allowed at Camp for student use. The Health Office is following best practice and specifically not using nebulizers until further notice due to the potential risk of aerosolized spread of the COVID-19 virus. If your camper requires nebulized respiratory therapy, please contact their provider to discuss other options.
All medications should be picked up on the camper’s last day of Camp. If your camper is in After Care on the last day of a camp session, their medications should be picked up from the Camp office. If not picked up within one week of the close of Camp, the unused and unclaimed medication will be disposed of properly.
Immunization Policy
As long as your camper is currently enrolled in a public or private school in the United States, simply supply the name of the school on the registration form. If your camper has not yet entered school or is enrolled in a school outside of the United States, a complete immunization record must be submitted to the Health Office as soon as possible. The Camp Nurse must verify that the camper is in compliance with the immunization requirements for Maryland.
If the camper is exempt from immunizations due to medical contraindication, an immunization record signed by a licensed health care provider must be submitted. Please note: Campers not immunized according to Maryland state guidelines due to religious objections will not be permitted to attend Summer at KEY.
Illness & COVID-19 Protocols
Campers with any symptoms of an infectious illness such as COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and gastrointestinal infections should not attend Camp and should be tested for COVID-19 if appropriate. Please contact the Health Office to develop a return-to-camp plan, which may require testing.
If the test is negative, they may return when symptoms have improved and they are without a fever (less than 100°F) for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
Children who become ill at Camp must be picked up within one hour.
Mask Wearing
Individuals should wear a mask indoors for ten full days if:
- They have tested positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms, regardless of vaccination status. Reminder: Individuals who test positive must contact the Health Office and isolate, according to CDC guidelines, for at least five full days.
- There is an individual in their household who has tested positive for COVID-19.
- They have a known exposure to a positive individual. Day 0 is the last date of exposure.
Except for the circumstances listed above, masks are optional for all campers and staff.
If your camper should be wearing a mask please notify the Health Office.
Exposure, Isolation & Quarantine Guidelines
Exposure
Exposure is defined as fifteen minutes or more (cumulative in a 24-hour period) within six feet of the infected individual when either or both individuals are not wearing masks.
Isolation
For positive individuals, their isolation timeline should be as follows:
Day 0: Onset of symptoms (or, if asymptomatic, date the positive test was obtained)
Days 1-5: Isolate away from others
Days 6-10: May return to Camp/be around others only if wearing a well-fitting mask and symptoms have resolved. Masks do not need to be worn while eating, drinking, sleeping, or being outside.
Quarantine
Asymptomatic persons, regardless of vaccination status, are not required to quarantine following exposure to someone with COVID-19 (even if they were not wearing a mask) but should wear masks for ten full days from the last potential exposure and take a COVID-19 test five to seven full days after exposure, or sooner if they become symptomatic.
In the event of an exposure, all of the following must be adhered to:
- Daily symptom monitoring continues through Day 10, AND
- Correct and consistent face mask use through Day 10; AND
- Immediate isolation and contact of their healthcare provider and Key’s Health Office if any symptoms develop.
This policy applies to campers living within the same household. For example, camper A receives a positive COVID-19 test result. Their sibling, camper B, can come to Camp as long as the guidelines are followed.
Contact Tracing & Communication
Universal contact tracing is no longer recommended in schools and childcare programs. When a COVID-19 case has been identified, the positive individual or their parents/guardians are asked to notify the Summer at KEY Health Office.
The Health Office will contact trace in response to an outbreak. An outbreak is defined as three cases that are epidemiologically linked.
The Health Office will notify families when there is a positive case or an outbreak in their camper’s camp.
International Travel
According to CDC guidelines, individuals traveling internationally, regardless of vaccination status, should adhere to the following recommendations:
- Get tested with a viral test three to five full days after returning to the United States, and
- Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if symptoms develop.
Staff Training & Education
Staff will have required health training, including the following:
- How and when to use epinephrine auto-injectors and AEDs and the steps to managing emergency situations.
- Instructed to wash hands prior to and after each activity, snack time, bathroom use, usage of gloves, before and after breaks, cleaning, after coughing, sneezing or blowing nose, after touching frequently touched surfaces, sports equipment, etc.
- How to monitor for and report signs and symptoms of illness and injury.
Parents/Guardians are encouraged to educate their campers to use appropriate precautionary measures to stop the spread of germs. Campers will be informed at the beginning of the camp session about hand hygiene including washing hands and use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer upon entering any building at Camp, after any activity, before and after snack time, after coughing, sneezing or wiping nose, etc.