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Programs & Services |
Camp Experience
Medical Program
Expert Care
The medical care at Camp Heartland is top notch. Our Healthcare & Client Services Manager, Darlene Baker, ACRN, RN, oversees the medical program and the needs of our campers year-round. Her responsibilities include recruitment, orientation, and management of seasonal medical volunteers in addition to the care of our campers and staff on site. She stays on site 24 hours a day while camp is in session. While preparing for camp sessions, coordinated efforts are made with families and clinics to ensure all the campers' medical needs are met while at camp. Our Club Meds leader is an active member in national nursing organizations including the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) and Association of Camp Nurses (ACN).
During summer camp sessions, a group of 5-6 volunteers join the team. Our volunteers are nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners and/or physician assistants. To the camp community, the medical team and Health Center are known as ‘Club Meds'.
A physician is always available (either on site or at a local clinic) for assessing and treating campers/staff for potential illness or injuries during the week. Each nurse is assigned one or two cabin groups. They dispense medications and monitor the health needs for that group. Because the nurses work closely with a few cabin groups, the Club Meds staff gets to be a familiar and fun part of the camp experience. In fact, it is not uncommon to see nurses wearing costumes and throwing water balloons during the day!
As much as possible, the medical staff tries to keep kids from having to interrupt their camp experience to come to Club Meds. Instead, they do their best to bring Club Meds to the kids…whether they're shooting baskets or sledding down a hill. When it is necessary to visit Club Meds, campers find a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere filled with friendly smiles, cozy stuffed animals, bright colors and dozens of good movies and games to pass the time. Beyond the fun, kid-friendly exterior, however, Club Meds is equipped to support quite complex medical regimes. To date, Camp Heartland has never turned down a child due to an inability to meet his/her medical needs.
Our Campers' Needs
Historically, 35-45% of Camp Heartland's campers have been HIV-positive. The medical regimes largely consist of oral medications, but also can include; injections, IV infusions, enteral feedings or lab draws during the week. In addition, some of the campers who are not infected with HIV/AIDS take medications for various health reasons.
Become a Medical Volunteer
If you are a licensed health care provider in the state of Minnesota or California, or licensed in another state and would be willing to become licensed for camp, we would love to hear from you! To learn more about volunteering please review the Staff- How to Apply area of our Web site.
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