Health and Safety

Summer at Sandy Spring prioritizes health and safety. We operate on the SSFS campus in a prominent area of Montgomery County. It backs up to Woodlawn Manor – a trusted Park Police facility, and our nurturing, caring staff contribute to a safe camp environment for children. There is always a registered nurse on duty during the normal camp day. In addition, head counselors and workshop specialists have received First Aid and CPR certifications. All aquatics staff are certified lifeguards.

Required Health Information

Parents and guardians of campers must complete all online health information before camp begins. Parents and guardians of campers who have children that need medication at camp (prescription or over the counter), should submit their paper forms to the camp office by email, postal mail, or fax, no later than June 1st. Campers are not permitted to begin camp until all of their health forms are complete.

Epinephrine Auto Injectors and Asthma Inhalers 

Junior Campers – Head Counselors will hold on to these specific medications throughout the camp day and will return them to the campers on Friday afternoons if campers are not returning the following week.

Intermediate Campers and Older – Every Monday, any camper who needs a Epinephrine Auto Injectors and/or Asthma Inhaler will need to check in these medications to the camp nurse. The camp nurse will then return these medications back to the camper in a red, insulated bag. This bag will be clipped onto the camper’s backpack and will be taken with the camper throughout the camp day. Each afternoon, this clipped medical bag will go home with the camper. Parents and guardians must ensure the medical bag is clipped on their camper’s backpack each morning so it can return to camp the following day. Camp staff will be checking that the medication is brought back each day. If a camper is missing medication, a parent or guardian will be notified by the camp nurse. Each Friday, the medication will be put back in the camper’s backpack to go home for the weekend, but the empty, red medical bag will stay at camp. 

Medical Care
All head counselors and workshop specialists are trained in basic first aid and CPR.  Anything requiring more than basic first aid is directed to our on-site nurses for attention. Nurses and emergency personnel are immediately notified in the event of a situation which requires CPR or the use of an AED.

Parent Notification of a camper illness, injury or incident, while at camp:
Parents or guardians are notified of a camper’s illness, injury, or incident by a nurse if the situation requires a health room visit. If the health room visit requires the camper to be picked up early, a guardian must be able to pick up the camper within an hour.

If the health room visit does not require the camper to be picked up early, a member of the nursing staff will attempt to notify parents or guardians first by phone. If unsuccessful by phone, an email will be sent to the primary contact’s email by the end of the camp day. For minor injuries, an Ouch Report will be filled out by the head counselor and placed in the camper’s bag.

The following outlines the basic first aid and illness treatment we provide for issues that may result from camp participation:

Bee stings:  For campers without known allergies to bee stings, stings are treated with ice compression and campers are observed in the nurses’ office for 30 minutes following the sting. Summer at Sandy Spring staff will complete an incident report outlining the treatment provided and a copy will be provided to the parent at the end of the day. Parents will be notified immediately if the camper shows any signs of an allergic reaction or prolonged discomfort from the sting. Campers with a known bee allergy are asked to provide current Epi-pens. Counselors of Junior campers will carry Epi-pens, while Intermediate campers and older will self-carry.

Illness:  If a camper complains of generalized symptoms such as headache, stomach ache, or fatigue, they will be taken to the nurse for observation. If symptoms persist or worsen during that time, parents will be contacted immediately. Campers with known illnesses are encouraged to stay home from camp in order to rest up for busy camp days ahead.

Head injury:  Any bump to the head, neck, or spine will be addressed by the onsite nurses and followed up immediately by a phone call to the parent. Nurses are trained to diagnose head injuries and will take appropriate steps for treatment or other emergency care.