It was another beautiful day in Maine. Our boys woke up to bright sunshine and enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast. Some of our staff enjoyed a well-deserved first day off, but that didn’t affect our ability to remain in regular program. We were all systems go as every facility was in use throughout the day.
One facility that never gets a break is our Health Center. We are fortunate to have nine wonderful nurses and two incredible doctors in residence, and I meet with them every morning after breakfast to discuss the health and wellness of our boys. There are always sore throats, bug bites, jammed fingers, and normal aches and pains, but there are few things worse than feeling sick and being away from home.
Our nurses are incredibly well-trained and have the skill set to care for your boys, but what is equally important to me is their “bedside manner.” I watch our medical staff treat your children with love, empathy, and compassion— always making eye contact, never making anybody feel rushed.
Every week, our medical team does head-to-toe checks of every boy in camp. During these nurses’ inspections, the team takes the opportunity to incorporate a wellness check, when they ask your boys how they’re adjusting to camp, as well as how they’re feeling about the food, the activities, and the community. This information is reviewed during my daily meetings and provides incredible insight that might otherwise be missed regarding a child’s well-being.
When boys are running around camp and playing, we can often get a sense of how a child is feeling by reading his body language: is he expressive, interacting with his peers, and making eye contact? This is not, however, the only method we can rely on to glean information from children. The weekly health checks we perform are another opportunity for us to “get under the hood” and learn more about our boys’ experience in camp.
No detail is too small when it comes to running camp— especially when it comes to health and wellness.
