Many campers at Camp Sequoia take daily medications administered by our nurses. Camp Sequoia uses Sellersville Pharmacy in Sellersville, PA to package ALL of our camper’s medications using a system called Dispill. This system provides an efficient way for our nurses to dispense camper’s medications at specific times.

All medications, vitamins, supplements etc. must be packaged by our Pharmacy.

Camp Sequoia tuition includes the packaging cost of all prescription medications provided to our pharmacy according to established deadlines (see below). The cost of any non-prescription items (or late prescription medications) are covered by parents and billed from the pharmacy. The packing cost for non-prescription supplements, vitamins etc. will be
$20.00 per session (if the pharmacy isn’t already packaging prescription meds for a child). International campers should contact our pharmacy tech directly to arrange for packaging logistics.

Something to consider: If your child takes medication to help with attention and impulsivity and they tend to struggle at night when their medications wear off you may want to explore the option of an afternoon dosage with your prescribing physician. Unlike home where most children have “down time” during the evening, our schedule at camp keeps our campers active until 8:30 P.M. when our evening activity ends.

You will send your camper’s prescription scripts to our Pharmacy who will package the medications and ship them to Camp Sequoia. Our pharmacy can now receive ANY script electronically that your prescribing physician is set up to send that way. The routing name for this electronic script is Sellersville Pharmacy (Please note the dates that the pharmacy needs to receive prescriptions) BELOW:

• 1st/Full Session Campers for our Boys Program: MAY 1ST, 2024 (5/1/2024)

• Girls Program Session: MAY 1ST, 2024 (5/1/2024)

• 2nd Session Campers/1st Session Refills for our Boys Program: MAY 21ST, 2024 (5/21/2024)

If your camper takes a controlled substance that requires a monthly prescription you should ask your prescribing physician to write you out two, separate prescriptions to cover two months. Please explain to the physician that the pharmacy needs to fill the script and ship it to camp so there is no interruption of treatment. Any leftover medications will be sent home with your camper on their departure day.

Extremely Important: Please make sure that the prescribing physician does not post-date or write “do not fill until” for a future date.

It is imperative that the Camp Sequoia Medical Forms are filled out accurately. Please be mindful of the registration deadlines listed above. Our Pharmacy will charge parents a late packaging fee of $50 if the forms and/or prescriptions are not received by the pharmacy by the deadline. This timeline allows for pharmacists and our nurses time to double check and clarify any medication questions with you before your son or daughter arrives at camp.

Please note:
Camp Sequoia does not accept medications on the opening day of camp.

Physicians or parents can fax or mail the written prescriptions, BUT the hard copy scripts must be mailed or sent electronically via the electronic prescription system (Sellersville Pharmacy) before they can send release the meds to Sequoia. Not all prescribing physicians use the e-script service, but our pharmacy offers this as an option. Please contact the pharmacy directly if you have questions.

(The contact information for the Sellersville Pharmacy is listed at the bottom of this page here.)

We strongly recommend that you do not make any changes to your camper’s medication regimen within two months of the beginning of your camper’s camp session. It is imperative when beginning a new medication or changing the dosage of a current medication that you have a baseline to monitor your child’s reaction to the change. Please make sure your camper’s prescribing physician knows that they will be attending Camp Sequoia so you can plan accordingly.

We want our campers to be as successful as possible at Camp Sequoia. If your child takes medication during the school year, we feel that it is imperative that he maintains the same routines at camp. Despite what some physicians recommend to parents, overnight summer camp is not an appropriate time for a “medication vacation” or to experiment with changes in medications. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact us.

Our Health Center stocks basic over-the-counter antibiotics and drugs. The following is a partial list of items we stock in the Health Center. Please do not send any of these items with your camper:

• Advil (Ibuprofen) – pills and liquid
• Tylenol (acetaminophen) – pills, liquid and chewable
• Aleve (Naproxen)
• Benadryl
• Sudafed
• Cough Syrup
• Throat lozenges and throat spray
• Imodium
• TUMS
• Mylanta
• Dramamine
• Melatonin
• Bacitracin & Triple Antibiotic Ointment
• Calamine, Caladryl & Anti-itch cream
• Swimmer’s ear drops
• Aloe gel
• Sunburn cream

All medications, prescription or “over the counter,” must be kept in our Health Center. Campers are not allowed to self-medicate without prior approval from our medical staff. The exception to this policy is for topical acne medications, inhalers and epi-pens which campers may keep in their rooms as developmentally appropriate. Should a camper require an inhaler or EpiPen with them at all times, they will be responsible for carrying these items in a backpack to each of their activities. Prescriptions for these can be filled by our pharmacy as well. Staff will assist campers as appropriate.

By law, our nurses cannot assume responsibility for medicating any child unless:

1. The required medical forms are in camp prior to the camper’s arrival
2. Medical forms are complete and specific.

We understand the importance of keeping you informed about health issues affecting your camper. Our nurses follow the guidelines below and will respond to you as quickly as time allows:

• We generally will not contact you if your child is seen in the Health Center for routine treatment, i.e. minor skin abrasions, headache, etc.
• If your child is put on antibiotics or kept in the Health Center overnight, a member of our health staff will call you that day or evening.
• In the unlikely event that your child has a medical emergency, we will contact you immediately by phone. We are fortunate to have several hospitals located a short drive from our campus. In most cases we will have your child contact you on the way to the hospital and then upon leaving the hospital.

The camp tuition covers all routine medical services provided in camp using stock supplies and medications. All medical bills from providers outside of camp will be sent directly to you by the provider to be paid by you or your health insurer. We will communicate with you of course during this process.

Medical Attention Required at Camp

Should a camper need to be seen by a doctor we utilize local doctors who work with our Head Nurse and the Perkiomen School during the school year. We will contact you should your child need to be seen by a doctor. If a prescription is needed (such as for an ear infection) we will have the prescription filled at a local pharmacy who will bill your insurance. Camp Sequoia will bill you for any co-pay at the time we pick up the medication and will send you a receipt.

Head Lice

To combat head lice, we check all campers on the first day of each camp session. We encourage you to have your child checked for head lice by a school nurse or pediatrician prior to camp. If any sign of head lice is found, please call your pediatrician to arrange for appropriate and immediate treatment well BEFORE your child leaves for camp and let us know that such treatment has taken place.

Orthodonture

If an orthodontic problem occurs at camp, we will notify you. With your concurrence (generally, a camper’s home orthodontist will want to be consulted as well), we will take your child to a local orthodontist to resolve the problems and keep your child comfortable at camp.

Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses

If your child wears eyeglasses, we strongly suggest that you send an extra pair to the office where we will keep them in case the first pair is lost or broken. It is not uncommon for campers to break their eyeglasses at camp due to the fact they are considerably more active at camp than at home. If your camper wears eyeglasses, you may want to consider an athletic frame for their time at camp to help prevent breakage.