Camper Health
You are required to provide a completed Health History Form (included with your registration confirmation email) when your camper arrives at camp.
We have a full-time summer nurse who is at camp 24 hours a day during the summer camping season. We have two hospitals (Riverside and St. Mary’s, both in Kankakee, Illinois) located within a 20 minute drive of our camp. Remember all medications (prescription or over-the-counter, including vitamins) must be turned in to the Camp Nurse at Check-in. They must be in the original containers.
Parents/guardians will be contacted by phone (by the Camp Director or Camp Nurse) when a trip to the emergency room is deemed necessary, if the camper has a persistent temperature over 100 degrees, if the camper has contracted a contagious illness and must be sent home (i.e. conjunctivitis, etc.), or if the medical issue is beyond their scope of practice.
Immunization Policy
Parents send their children to camp and assume that they will enjoy themselves, benefit from positive social interactions, and most importantly, be safe and healthy. Safety and health remain the number one priority for Camp Shaw. Each year, the American Academy of Pediatrics publishes a “Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.” Practicing pediatricians across North America consider this the standard of care. In addition, the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) has established vaccine standards for adults. The vaccination of all members of a community creates conditions that protect young children, babies, the elderly, pregnant women, and those who cannot be immunized from harmful and life-threatening diseases.
While parents may choose to defer the vaccination of their children, for Camp Shaw this is not an issue of individual rights and choice, but an issue of public health and policy. Routine vaccination is an important public health matter especially in the confined environment of a residential summer camp with round-the- clock communal living and with some vulnerable populations present.
With the clear public health based need to protect the camp community as a whole, and those unable to receive vaccines in particular, we are requiring that all campers participating in any Camp Shaw residential program be immunized as outlined below.
All those who are attending Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See are required to provide documentation they have had age appropriate vaccines as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the State of Illinois (or state of residence), with the exceptions noted. These can be included in the required health history form, or by providing documentation of immunizations from your health care provider.
Exceptions:
Medical: We recognize that individuals, who have had a documented allergy or severe adverse reaction to a particular vaccine, will not be able to receive further doses of that individual vaccine. In addition, individuals with medical conditions such as congenital immunodeficiency or HIV, malignancies receiving chemotherapy, transplant patients, and persons receiving immunosuppressive drugs and chronic steroids, will not be able to receive certain vaccines. In these instances, the primary care provider documenting the problem and exempting the child from further doses of that specific vaccine must be furnished to Camp Shaw-waw- nas-see, and it will be reviewed by camp leadership. These waivers are subject to an annual review.
Religious: Parents/guardians who have a religious objection to immunizations may submit a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption, including a physician’s signature, which will be reviewed by camp leadership.
State of Illinois Immunization Requirements – Fall 2021
Dietary Needs/Food Allergies
Camp Shaw is a nut-free environment. Please be sure to disclose any food allergies on your child’s health form. We have an option available for a vegetarian menu which can be chosen during registration. We do not provide other specialized menus. Please be sure to alert us in advance at 815-933-3011 or by email to the Office Manager to any serious food allergies at least 30 days in advance of the camp date. If your camper requires supplemental food (due to being gluten-free, lactose intolerant, etc.) you can provide it but please do let us know in advance. It will be stored in the dining hall and your camper will be able to serve it to themselves during meal times.
Disabilities and Special Medical Needs
If your child has a disability or special needs, please call us 815-933-3011 or contact the Office Manager at least 90 days in advance of the camp date for an evaluation of the camper’s care needs. Camp Shaw counselors are encouraging and patient and can help facilitate successful camp experiences for children with some mild and moderate disabilities. Our Camp Nurse is available around the clock as well. We do our best to accommodate any camper who wants to attend Camp Shaw; however, our programs are not designed for campers who need significant assistance or personal care, require constant one-on-one support, or have difficulty managing their behavior in group settings.
Health conditions requiring advance clearance include, but are not limited to: Insulin Dependent Diabetes, Cardiac Situations, Asthmatics, Seizure Disorders, Autism Spectrum, and Serious Food Allergies.
