Medical Management
Whether you and your camper(s) are brand new to CHMK or you are a seasoned veteran, there are likely questions you will have about medical management while at camp.
As an organization, we are constantly growing and improving. Each year Our Medical Director, Healthcare Director, and Medical Committee review and revise our policies and procedures to stay current and continue to provide the best possible care for our campers, while continuing to set the industry standard for high-quality care. Did you know that our campers remain at 70%+ “in-range” throughout the summer?
With ever-evolving technology, new activities, and changes in diabetes management, our approach will grow right along with these changes.
Medical Team
At Camp Ho Mita Koda, we pride ourselves in providing beyond expectation care for our campers and staff at all times. Each individual session throughout the summer camp season has a lead Pediatric Endocrinologist as the onsite and on call medical provider, in addition to numerous Residents, Fellows, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Dieticians, Medical Students, and more.
As a premiere T1D summer camp program, we attract some of the best and brightest minds and experts from several world class hospital systems in Northeast Ohio including:
- Cleveland Clinic
- University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital
- Akron Children’s Hospital
- MetroHealth System
T1D Management
Rest assured that blood glucose values, patterns, and trends are reviewed throughout the day by dedicated medical staff, and daily by the attending healthcare provider. In addition to the clinic staff onsite, there is an attending endocrinology provider available 24/7 as well. As the camp environment is different than at home or school due to longer and oftentimes more active days, campers will often run slightly higher at camp than how they are traditionally managed in a home setting. Although there are many approaches to the management of Type 1 Diabetes, the philosophy at Camp HMK is to strive for safe blood glucose levels while minimizing the risks of serious hypoglycemic reactions. There is a level of trust that needs to occur from the parents.
Check-In
We have physician and family forms built into our registration so that we can expedite your check-in day process. All medical and personal diabetes information forms will be reviewed by the healthcare team prior to your child’s first day and will be updated and adjusted as needed by providers at check-in. By completing forms beforehand, all of your child’s important information can be entered into our electronic medical record for the digital charting of their care during the camp session. All parents have the option to receive a full detailed accounting of care in their email during check out. Along with this, we will send you reminders of when and how to transition your camper’s doses back to home insulin doses.
Technology
We have made big changes in the last couple of years in order to be able to support all the latest tech. Here are a few expectations of how we will utilize these great tools while still keeping campers as “unplugged” as possible. We realize a lot of campers use their phones as their Dexcom receivers. It’s a great option! All cell phones and receivers are kept with the designated medical staff or the counselor. This way, the phone will be with them and in range at all times, but they won’t feel the temptation to text/play games/etc. We also want them to have the freedom of not carrying so much with them at all times. The regular Dexcom receivers will be kept in the same manner. We will link their Dexcom account so that the provider can see their trends as well. The “Share” will be turned off. Remember, this is respite time for you as well!
Supplies
Every year it seems our families become more adept at predicting how many of each supply their child will need. This year we will have a check-in inventory of their supplies and any non-diabetes medications they bring to camp. We will go through their supplies and medicines at check-in and sign off together for the items they have brought. At check out, we will have an updated list with what was used and how many are left so that nothing gets left behind!
Please visit the Diabetes Management page to see what you do and don’t need to send for your camper’s diabetes management.
Nighttime Checks
Each night of camp the medical staff conducts “night rounds” in all 8 cabins. Camper’s blood sugars are routinely tested a midnight, 2 AM, and 4 AM, plus additional times for any camper experiencing nighttime hypo- or hyperglycemia. Trained counselors are also available in the cabins at all hours of the night. If campers are on a CGM system, our medical staff will monitor their glucose levels in real-time overnight. This system eliminate the need for nighttime testing, while providing exceptional monitoring.
T1D Record
All blood sugar checks, medication administration, other essential notes, progress toward goals are recorded in your camper’s medical record. Upon pickup, we will provide you with an electronic copy of your camper’s blood glucose records while at camp, along with information on to utilize the “Camp Profile” outside of the camp environment.
What diabetes supplies should I bring to camp?
Parent are asked to provide plenty of pump and CGM supplies (enough for a few extra site-changes just in case). Camp Ho Mita Koda provides all testing equipment, insulin, glucagon, glucose tabs, and more! We will be testing at least 6 times a day. Also bring any special equipment that you require. IMPORTANT: Label diabetes supplies with your name.
For more detailed information on supplies that camp provides, please visit our DIABETES MANAGEMENT page on the website.
What happens if an emergency occurs at camp?
If an emergency occurs at camp, we will make every effort to contact the parent or guardian using the information you have provided during registration. If an outside facility is required, University Hospitals in Chardon is the nearest hospital and only 10 minutes away. Our onsite and oncall Doctors will make the call for transport, if needed, and will set up all medical care.