Health Care at Camp

VACCINATIONS

Camp Ramah New England requires all of our campers and staff to be fully immunized according to the standards of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC.

The following vaccinations are required for all staff:

  • DTaP vaccine: 5 doses. (In Israel, 4 doses are given by 12 months and then a Tdap at age 7.)
  • Polio vaccine: 4 doses, final dose after age 4. (In Israel, 4 doses are given at by 12 months and another is given in 2nd grade.)
  • Hepatitis B: 3 doses. (In Israel this is routine.)
  • MMR: 2 doses, 1st one after 12 months. (In Israel this is routine.)
  • Varicella: 2 doses, 1st one after 12 months. (In Israel this is routine.)
  • Tdap: 1 dose by age 12. (In Israel one dose is given in 2nd grade and one in 8th grade.)
  • MENINGOCOCCAL vaccine (MenACWY). (In Israel this vaccination is currently not routine until entering the IDF.)

Please click here for our Covid vaccination policy.

HEALTH CENTER

The Health Center, known as the Marp — short for mirpa’ah — and its staff are responsible for protecting the health of our tzevet and hanichim

  • The mirpa’ah is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Camp physicians staff sick-call hours daily and are always on-call. Hanichim and tzevet are encouraged to follow the schedule for sick call hours but can also come to the mirpa’ah as needed. Depending on the nature of the illness, they may be asked to return later. Please observe regular mirpa’ah hours and only go to the mirpa’ah outside of sick call times for true emergencies. Do not call the  mirpa’ah in the middle of the night unless there is a true emergency situation.
  • In case of emergency, tzevet or hanichim should be brought to the mirpa’ah immediately. In case of serious injury, a mirpa’ah staff member should be summoned by phone. Someone should remain with the injured person at all times.
  • The mirpa’ah personnel are health-care professionals who give their talents and training to Ramah so that everyone in camp can enjoy a safe and healthy summer. Please treat them with respect. If you have a question or problem about how a camper or staff member was treated, please speak with Laura Berger, RN, our Nurse Director, or with Talya Kalender, our Director of Camper Care.
  • For staff parents: if your child at camp is sick, our mirpa’ah staff will take care of them. If you wish, you may choose to sign them out of the mirpa’ah and into your own care. If you do this, you will need to sign a form stating that you understand that by signing your child out of the care of the Camp Ramah Medical Staff, you are taking responsibility for your child’s medical care at camp and for making any decisions about seeking outside medical attention. We do this to avoid any confusion. The camp’s medical staff is available to consult, however while your child is under your care, the Medical Staff is not responsible for their ongoing medical care. Please note: our mirpa’ah staff is always happy to care for any sick camper, even if their parent(s) is/are on staff.

MEDICATIONS

All medications for tzevet living in a tzrif must be kept in the mirpa’ah. This includes over-the-counter medications.

We have a row of lockers in the mirpa’ah so your medications will be kept private and secure. (You will be given a key to your own locker and have access to it.)

HEALTH INSURANCE

All tzevet are required to have medical insurance coverage for the summer. This may necessitate being on either a parent’s health plan or a college health plan. All tzevet are also required to be part of the camp’s supplemental accident insurance plan. As stated in staff contracts, tzevet pay half of the premium. This amount ($12.00) will be deducted directly from your salary. Tzevet with pre-campers are charged $24.00 per child.

The camp’s supplemental accident insurance is SECONDARY coverage only. This provides tzevet with secondary coverage for injuries caused by an accident while at camp, i.e. the amount of a medical bill not paid for by your regular, primary health insurance (with a $1,000.00 maximum). This insurance covers those injuries caused by accidents not work-related. In the case of such an accident, the camp office will provide information in order to ensure the proper handling of insurance payments.

HEAD LICE

Prior to coming to camp, you must make sure that you are lice-free.

Upon arrival to camp, all tzevet will undergo a lice check. If you are found to have lice, you will need to undergo a lice-treatment provided by camp, and we will deduct $50 from your salary to help cover the cost of that treatment.

STAFF ACCIDENTS

Tzevet are also covered by the camp’s Worker’s Compensation Policy. This insurance coverage provides PRIMARY coverage, or complete medical coverage, for injuries caused by a work-related accident while at camp. It can be confusing as to what constitutes an Accident or a Worker’s Compensation claim. For example, if a madrich is hurt while playing basketball as part of an authorized activity with campers — this is Worker’s Compensation. If a madrich is hurt while playing basketball with friends — this is Accident Coverage. The camp’s insurance does not cover accidents occurring off campus during tzevets personal time, i.e. days off and evenings. All accidents must be reported to the mirpa’ah immediately.

CAMPER ACCIDENTS

All accidents must be reported to the mirpa’ah immediately. This is especially important regarding accidents that occur on organized trips and/or overnights out of camp. It is every tzevet’s responsibility to ensure that if any hanich is involved in an accident on a camp trip or overnight, the accident is immediately reported to the mirpa’ah.

NOTIFICATION

The parents of any tzevet who are minors (less than 18 years of age) will be notified (via e-mail or phone) regarding any significant medical issue or potential exposure to communicable diseases at camp.

MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE AND CAMP ATTENDEES

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires all summer camps to share this document, “Meningococcal Disease and Camp Attendees: Commonly Asked Questions,” with our community. You may click here to access the document.