Health & Safety at The Pines
Please know that health and safety are the most important priorities for our campers. If you have any questions that aren’t answered below, please call our camp office at (903) 845-5834.
First Aid and Health
From thorough medication management to healing bumps and cuts, we’ve got a first-class staff that will ensure your camper is well looked after.
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As part of our ACA Accreditation, during the summer, we have a Registered Nurse on site 24/7 to administer advanced first aid, distribute medications, and care for campers who find themselves feeling under the weather. Our camp physician sets our treatment procedures, works with our nurses, and is on call to assist with emergencies if needed.
All of our counseling staff are Red Cross-certified in First Aid. We have AEDs strategically located around camp, and our staff is trained to provide care in case of an emergency.
In urgent medical situations, we take campers to HealthFast Urgent Care in Gilmer, about 25 minutes away from us. If an emergency room or hospital is needed, there is a Christus Hospital in Longview, about 30 minutes from us.
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During a summer session, we may have upwards of 400 people at a given time between our campers and staff. During check-in, we complete a medical screening for your camper which asks about symptoms of injury or illness, fever, cough, health history clarifications, signs of lice in the past month, and more. We want to do our best to ensure that our campers are healthy coming into camp, and we thank you for your help!
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At camp, medications (both over the counter and prescription) are kept locked in our Health Center during the week. Rescue inhalers and EpiPens are kept with the counselors assigned to that camper in a fanny pack.
Parents check in the campers’ medications to our Health Center Coordinators at check-in, and unused medications are returned at check-out. All medications need to be in prescription bottles/boxes with the label showing the camper’s name and dosage. If your camper’s medication requires refrigeration and will be riding the bus, the camper is responsible for properly packaging their medication. By state protocol, we can only distribute the dosage (or less if requested) prescribed on the official currently dated prescription packaging from the pharmacy.
We strongly encourage, at the advice of our camp physician and nurses and in consultation with other camps, to leave supplements, oils, and vitamins at home for the week. Campers can take the vitamins on Sunday before they arrive and Saturday after returning home. Other camps have found it has made the “rush” for meds incredibly more manageable. If there are extenuating circumstances, we’d be happy to work with your situation.
Our Health Center keeps a stock of the following over-the-counter medications:
Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen chew tabs
Benadryl Tablets
Benadryl chewable
Calamine Lotion
Epinephrine (emergency only, if your camper has one, please bring it)
Hydrocortisone Cream 0.5%
Neosporin
Ibuprofen tablets
Imodium AD
Lotrimin AF
Children's Pepto
Solarcaine
Throat Lozenges
Tums
Midol
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We make a great effort to accommodate food allergies. Please call our camp office (903-845-5834) if you have specific questions.
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In the interest of care for your camper, we set a baseline for when we call home, so we are not bothering parents with unnecessary worry and our time can be committed to the care for the campers and staff at camp. If your camper exceeds that baseline, medical staff WILL attempt to call you at the emergency contact provided.
Reasons a call will be made:
A medical emergency as determined by the Camp Medical Technician or a Director
When specifically directed to do so via written request from a parent
A camper has a chronic medical issue and is presenting complications
When a camper’s recovery deviates from the expected course of recovery
The camper’s temperature is 100.4 or above after air conditioning for one hour
The camper has been vomiting more than once, after being in air conditioning for one hour, or continues to vomit
Before and after a camper has been transported off camp for medical treatment
If the camper has a visible, clearly noticeable, bruise, burn, or abrasion that requires emergency attention
Other situations deemed necessary by Camp Medical Technician
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Prior to enrollment, if your first-time camper has any special needs (emotional, physical, social, psychological, or behavioral), we invite you to call us to discuss. Through some conversation, we can evaluate together if our programming is a good fit for your child. Please reach out at 903-845-5834.
Precautions and Camp Safety
The top priority of our staff is to keep your child safe. We train our summer counselors thoroughly to minimize risk while your child steps out of their comfort zone and has a great time. We also keep an eye out for any other external factors that can mar an experience at camp, and we, with your help, minimize those as best as we can.
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Our camp directors utilize the technology on weather.com to track thunderstorms each day, and most especially when we hear thunder.
If we hear thunder and technology is unavailable or information exchange is unclear, we move to our storm plan and go inside.
Thunder Heard
When thunder is heard and the storm is within 10 miles (White Oak to Hawkins and Mineola to HWY 20), we bring in all specialized programming (ropes, climbing wall, target sports, and trailblazers) and clear the pool and lake. We continue to monitor the storm while allowing groups outside the main camp area.
If we see lightning at this point, we move to storm plan and go inside.
If the tracked storm is within 5 miles, all go indoors, and we are on storm plan.
Lightning Seen
A lightning plan is put into place if there are 6 or fewer seconds between a flash and clap of thunder. All Pines staff and guests are to seek immediate shelter and remain sheltered in place until given the all-clear, unless other emergency procedures are mandated.
Tornado Warning
If there is a tornado warning, staff is alerted and instructed to move into designated and predetermined safe areas until the weather has subsided. There are areas across camp that can provide protection in the event of a tornado threat. This procedure is covered extensively in our staff training.
All Clear
When 15 minutes have passed after the last visible lightning flash, the all-clear is given, and campers resume their activities.
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All staff at The Pines Catholic Camp completes the Safe Environment training from either the Diocese of Dallas or the Diocese of Tyler. We uphold the standards of screening, supervision, training, and professionalism involved in the care of the campers. We complete background checks on all employees. All visitors to camp are escorted by a member of our team at all times, including parents.
During camp training, a certified instructor provides the latest provisions of the Safe Environment program to all staff and counselors.
Staff and Counselors will also review safety guidelines including, but not limited to camp emergency procedures, storm shelters, risk management, and general rules.
Campers go deeper into safety in their “Cabin Contract,” as they make a list of rules for their community for the week on their first night. These include emotional safety topics including bullying, respect, homesickness, see something/say something, and counselor responsibilities. This gives our campers a personal outlet and resource if they are feeling unsafe physically, emotionally, or even socially.
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The Pines is licensed as a youth camp by the State of Texas. This includes an annual review and inspection by a safety officer and proper documentation. Our ACA accreditation is annually reviewed and inspected by the American Camping Association. The review is thorough and our stellar, consistent record in professional camping is a success of which we are very proud.
