Medication
Our Infirmary is staffed by registered nurses and a physician throughout the summer. They screen minor complaints, provide first aid, and administer and dispense medications as needed.
Anything taken to treat or manage a condition or symptoms is considered medication. All medications must be kept in the Infirmary. Except for second inhalers for asthma, second epi-pens, and prescription dermatological creams, campers of any age are not allowed to keep medication in their cabin, including pain relievers, vitamins, and other over-the-counter medications. Medications kept in the cabin may result in dismissal from camp.
Any medications, taken daily, prescription and over-the counter, require the following:
To improve the efficiency and accuracy of administering medication at camp, Falling Creek has specific guidelines for how medications are handled at camp. We require all of your child’s prescription(s) and any over-the-counter oral medications, taken on a daily basis, to be packaged and dispensed according to our guidelines.
Any medications taken on a DAILY basis require:
- a prescription, including over-the-counter medications. For example, if your son takes Claritin every day, your doctor must write a prescription for it and it must be filled according to our guidelines. Call us well before your camp session begins so we can spend ample time answering your questions and allow time to find solutions.
Please complete the Medication Management section of the online Health Form in your son’s CampInTouch account to let us know how your son’s prescription(s) will arrive at camp so that we are prepared to follow-up accordingly. Again, compliance with our medication policies is required.
All tablet and capsule medications are to be filled by a pharmacist in a specific type of unit-dose (blister pack) containers based on the time of administration, and include the prescription label on the package. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medications taken on a daily basis. If your son takes over-the-counter melatonin or Zyrtec, daily, as an example, the doctor must write a prescription and it must be filled and packaged according to our guidelines. Most doctors understand this and are happy to write a prescription.
We use 30-day unit-dose packaging at camp. If a 30-day supply of medication is sent to camp, unused medication is returned to you. Inhalers, creams and ointments, epi-pens, and liquids can be in their original packaging but must be individually labeled with the pharmacy prescription label.
Medications taken on an “as needed” basis, such as migraine medicine, do not require unit-dose packaging but must be in the original packaging with a prescription label. Common medications such as pain relievers, antihistamines, eardrops, wound ointments and creams, and antacids are stocked in our Infirmary. You do not need to bring such medications to camp. Due to variances in personal preferences, camp staff will not provide or apply insect repellent. Your son may bring his own insect repellent and apply it himself. Please contact a director should you have any questions or concerns.
Following are flexible options to help you meet camp’s medication guidelines. Please indicate this preference in the Medication Management section of the Online Health form:
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Option 1: Use Falling Creek’s pharmacy:
You may mail or have your physician fax/e-scribe your son’s prescription(s) for camp medications, including prescriptions for any over-the-counter medications taken on a daily basis, to our local pharmacy, Whitley Drugs in Hendersonville, NC. Whitley Drugs personnel will fill the prescription(s) in unit-dose (blister pack) packaging and have it delivered to camp by Opening Day. Also, please complete the Whitley Drugs Camper Information Form accessible from the Whitely Drugs website; www.whitleydrugs.com (select “Camps”). Whitley Drugs information, including due dates for prescriptions, and a letter for your son’s doctor may be found in your CampInTouch account. There is a fee per child for this convenient service as described in the Whitley Drugs information. Please be sure to complete this process and your information form for Whitley Drugs 30 days prior to the start of camp. Whitley Drugs will process your insurance. -
Option 2: Use your local pharmacy:
Ask your local pharmacist to package a supply (enough for the length of the camp session, including Opening/Closing Days) of any prescription and over-the-counter tablet and capsule medications (prescription required), taken on a daily basis, in unit-dose (blister pack) containers that meet Falling Creek guidelines (see next section). Some pharmacies do not offer this type of packaging. Pharmacies that cater to nursing homes tend to have the unit-dose packaging available. -
Option 3: Use your local pharmacy, Falling Creek provides packaging:
If your pharmacist does not have unit-dose packaging available but is agreeable to packaging it in a medically approved container, we will mail you the materials to take to your pharmacist for packaging based on information you provide in the Medication Management section of the online Health Form. Your pharmacist will not package medication that is not being filled by them based on a prescription. Again, even over-the-counter medications, if taken daily, must be prescribed by a physician for camp.
Vacation Overrides for Medications
You may need to fill a prescription for camp before your son’s next refill is available insurance- wise. Your pharmacy may have to do a “vacation override” to satisfy the insurance company. Whitley Drugs can work with your insurance company regarding vacation overrides, too.
Medication Packaging Description:
We use 30-day unit-dose packaging at camp. A separate unit-dose package (blister pack) is used for each time of day that medication is dispensed. Please do not have multiple administration times packaged in the same blister pack.
For example, if medication A is taken daily at breakfast, we need (1) 30-day blister-pack for medication A. If medication A is taken at breakfast and dinner, we need 2 blister packs for medication A. If 2 medications are taken at the same time of day, they may be packaged together or in separate blister packs.
Please note the procedures for medication drop-off/speaking with a nurse on Opening Day of camp if your son takes any medication or has any health concerns. Please do not bring medications that have not been packaged according to our guidelines to camp on Opening Day. The exception would be a new prescription for an illness prescribed right before camp starts, such as an antibiotic. This would need to be in the original bottle, labeled by the pharmacy and you would need to speak with a nurse at drop-off.
All unused medication will be returned to you on Closing Day. You will need to go through the Infirmary line to pick up the unused medication.
The nurses regularly dispense medications four times a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and prior to bedtime. When your camper is on a camp trip, his medication will be dispensed by a counselor. Unit-dose packaging helps the staff with efficient and accurate dispensing of medications.
Because some medications take 4-6 weeks to reach a therapeutic level, please speak with a director if your child’s medication has been altered within three months of the start of camp. Additionally, ADHD medications can have the same benefits for your son in the camp community as it does in school. Helping him focus in activities, or diminish impulsive behavior in social situations could give the same advantage to succeed at camp.
Incidental treatment and supplies are handled at camp with no charge, but prescriptions or “in-town” doctor or dentist visits will be billed to your insurance company on file and parents will be responsible for payment. Parents will be invoiced for any medical or prescription charges incurred by Falling Creek Camp.
Medical Attention at Camp
If your camper should need medical attention for any reason while at camp, our medical team is available to care for him.
If a camper tests positive for Covid-19 and symptoms are present, a positive Covid-19 diagnosis will be assumed. Due to the long isolation period, we will not notify the parent and expect the camper to be picked up, preferably within 12 hours, and recover at home. In longer sessions, we will discuss each scenario regarding the possibility of the camper’s return after being cleared from isolation and fully recovered.
If the rapid antigen test is negative, the medical team will continue to treat and identify the cause of the symptoms. This may include a PCR nasal swab to confirm negative antigen test results, or a strep test. He will remain in the care of the nurse team until his symptoms are resolved and he is fever-free for 24 hours, following our usual protocol for any illness.
Parent Communication Regarding Medical Concerns
Advanced emergency care and consultation are available at local physicians’ offices and area hospitals. A camp nurse, physician, or director will communicate with parents by phone in the unlikely event of significant illness or injury.
Parents will be notified if their son spends the night in the Infirmary, visits an out-of-camp doctor/dentist, or is prescribed a medication due to illness or injury.