We ❤ Our Campers

Greetings Camp Ozark Families,

For the past 35 years Sam and I, our family, and our staff have dedicated our careers to the safety and well-being of children at Camp Ozark. We wanted to take this opportunity to “keep you in the loop” as to what has and will be done to protect our campers and their experience this summer, and every summer, as it relates to the health and welfare of our camp population.

SUSAN TORN

MS, RN, Masters in Health Education with an Emphasis on Public Health

Camp Ozark Health Director

Dr. Secily Torn MD

MD, FAAP, Board-Certified Pediatrician

Camp Ozark Medical Director

How Important is the Health of Our Camp Population to Us?

We have invested heavily in our infrastructure and support services.

Fully Staffed and Equipped On-site Health Centers

Supervised by our Health Center Coordinator, Crystal Smith, R.N., our Medical Director, Dr. Secily Torn, a Board-Certified Pediatrician,
and our owner, Susan Torn, R.N. with a Master of Science degree in Health Education.

On-site Physician 24/7
Up to 10 registered nurses who are in residence at Camp Ozark
2 separate dedicated health centers on-site
Equipped to handle emergencies
Access to fully staffed hospitals a short distance away

Strategic Cabin Living Plan

We have been systematically rebuilding our cabins, starting with the youngest camper cabins, for the last two seasons in order to offer our campers the best and most sanitary experience possible. These cabins include:

Above and Beyond ACA Requirements

Consistent evaluation of our compliance with all American Camp Association standards regarding safety, health, and operations. Camp Ozark has achieved a perfect score on all accreditation visits by the American Camp Association, which means we have been in compliance with over 300 standards and sub-standards. But we don’t stop there:

Hands-Free

Sanitation Team

Hand Hygiene

We know that clean hands are the first line of defense against the spread of communicable disease. Accordingly, we emphasize and require hand hygiene multiple times throughout the day.

Hand Washing

Hand Sanitization

Hand sanitizing dispensers are installed by the front door of every cabin and multiple locations around camp
Campers are required to use these upon entering and exiting the cabin or any area of camp
In 2020 we are requiring hand sanitization at the beginning and conclusion of all activities throughout the day
Our hand sanitizer contains at least 62% alcohol as recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Proactive Dining Hall Protocols

Our summer staff is trained to use enhanced sanitation procedures when supervising the campers during mealtimes to ensure the best possible environment to protect the campers.

All hands are washed prior to entering and upon exiting the dining halls
In addition, hands-free sanitizer dispensers are required to be used prior to entering the serving lines and salad bars
Disposable gloves are required to be used on both hands when getting foods from the salad bars
Staff members wear gloves to serve the cereal boxes, bread, peanut butter, jelly, condiments (all single serve items), as well as side salads and dressings
Drinks are poured and served by summer staff wearing gloves
Clean up after meals is done by summer staff wearing gloves
Tables are sanitized using an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commercial grade disinfectant, Oasis 499 HBV, by summer staff wearing gloves before and between cabin use for eating

How Are All Camper Screened?

Screening on opening day

All campers are screened by trained staff at their point of entry before being allowed on the camp premises

Bus

Campers are Screened Before Departing

Air Travel

Campers are Screened Before Boarding

Private Automobile

Campers are Screened Before Entering the Camp Premises

1 Temperature Checks (any camper with an elevated temperature according to CDC guidelines is not admitted)

2 Health Questionnaire

Have you been sick in the last 14 days?
Have you been around anyone that has been sick in the last 14 days?
Have you traveled outside the country in the last month?
Have your medications changed in the last two weeks?
Do you have any medications with you? (Staff member to collect if yes)
Hair-check for any evidence of lice

!

Any camper who is symptomatic or is suspicious of being symptomatic will not be allowed inside the Camp Ozark premises or be allowed to travel to camp by bus or airplane.

ONGOING Screening at camp

Continual screening during your child’s stay at Camp Ozark.

1 In 2020, staff will take camper temperatures daily at the cabin and are trained to recognize any additional symptoms of communicable diseases, forwarding campers with elevated temperatures or other symptoms to one of our two Health Centers immediately for further evaluation.

2 One-week campers are screened under the supervision of a medical professional mid-week during a health and wellness check for the following:

3 Two-week campers are screened under the supervision of a medical professional in both the first and second week during a health and wellness check for the following:

What Happens if My Camper Gets Sick During the Session?

We train our staff

Summer staff have received intensive training during Health and Wellness Orientation that includes:

Recognizing signs and symptoms of communicable disease and other common illnesses and forwarding campers to the Health Center for follow up with a medical professional

Taking daily temperatures and checking for other signs of illness and forwarding any campers with elevated temperature or other symptoms for follow up with a medical professional

If required, referral to the Camp Physician upon which camper will be isolated, if necessary, and supervised by a medical professional

Parent or primary guardian will be notified by a medical professional if the camper is seen by the Camp Physician or if the camper spends the night in the Health Center

Camp Preparedness Plan

Even though stringent and proactive health and wellness measures are in place every summer, we will continue to consult with our Camp Medical Director, our Infectious Disease Specialist, and any resources that are available to us to ensure that we provide the most current and best medical practices as we look forward to another Incomparable Summer at Camp Ozark.