Keeping accurate records is important in all aspects of camp management and the health center is no exception. In fact, it is an area where this is especially critical to ensure campers and staff receive the care that they need. Not only does the medical information need to be available at the touch of a button for the health center team but that information must be stored securely.

We kept all of that in mind when designing our health center module which is available for both campers and staff. The module has two key goals:

• To keep health records confidential and carefully protected
• To provide a simpler user-interface for health center staff so they can focus on giving care

We spoke with Jen Ostfield from Camp White Pine to learn how the health center module is being used at her camp.

Jen described how things operated at the camp before the health center module. The health center records were paper-based which created organization and storage challenges for both the health center staff and the office. Previously the daily meetings between the medical team and the camp director involved reviewing a hand-written report delivered to the office daily. Now the daily meetings are more efficient for everyone as all the information is accessible through the software – no more pen and paper!

A couple of years ago, Camp White Pine renovated their health center and enabled internet access to the building through both wi-fi and Ethernet cable. They also have laptops for the doctors and nurses in the center. Having this technology allows them to take full advantage of the health center module. Now health center visits are input real-time into CampBrain which allows the information to be available to the appropriate users right away. The camp director and office staff are able to keep current on the happenings, as they take place rather than at a later time.  Paper has been reduced and overall efficiency has increased.

Health Center Benefits

The benefits of the using the health center are many, including:

• Higher degree of accuracy and completeness of information as it is done at the time of visit and not at a later time
• Office can see details right away which allows for more personal service should a parent call
• Available reports on regularly scheduled medications makes dispensing them much easier
• Better transition between the medical staff of the cases as all the information is easily accessible – in the event a camper is treated by a different doctor or nurse on a return visit
• Reports allow for the needed information (including prior years visits) to be seen more easily and quickly
• Easier to respect confidentiality as access to health records can be granted on a per user basis

What does the medical team at Camp White Pine think?

Jen shared that her medical team loves it! They love having the records electronic as it allows them to more efficiently locate the information they need to give the best care to the campers and staff. It also allows them to have accurate records for their own practice. The team does not miss having to manage all those sheets of paper and filing!

Form Compliance

As a side note, Jen mentioned that since they put their medical forms online, they have achieved 100% completion compliance. When the forms were paper based, many families did not return the form. With the ability to have medical forms pre-filled with information from prior seasons, it is even easier for parents to ensure camps have the right medical information.

Implementation Tips

During our discussion, Jen was generous to share some suggestions and tips for camps who are implementing the health center module for the first time. The good news is all of these things can be done before camp starts (and she recommends not waiting to start on these best practices):

1. Organize a training session for the doctors and nurses in advance of the start of camp
   • This allows the team to be familiar with the system before camp gets into full swing, and we all know how busy camp life is. The session should cover how to access the medical forms, what information is collected during a center visit and how to complete the visit form.
2. Take time to go through all the reports that are available in the module 
   • This will ensure you know what information you can provide through reports and how you can filter it. Consider creating an ad-hoc report if there is a specific need that isn’t covered in the standard reports. Remember to ask your medical team what information they need to see on a regular basis as well as share what information you need to be included on a visit record.
3. If your camp does out-of-camp trips, consider what reports you will need for those trips
   • At Camp White Pine, they do a variety of trips out of camp (i.e. canoe trips) and for each trip, there is a medical report and kit provided for each leader and they are fully briefed on each camper. By thinking about this early, you ensure there is time to create custom reports, if needed.

We want to offer a big thank you to Jen and Camp White Pine for taking the time to share their experience and learnings with us around the health center module.

If you have any questions or want to learn more how the health center module can work best for you, please give us a call.