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MC4 Staff

Medicine Guide for Overnight Campers

PREP FOR CAMP

Your In-Depth Guide to Medication at MC4 Overnight Camp


Ensuring safety at MC4 is of utmost importance, particularly concerning medical safety. We invest significant time and effort in training both our camp staff and medical personnel to deliver the highest standard of care in the storage, distribution, and supervision of medications. Given the inherent complexity of medications, it's natural for various questions to arise. To assist you in understanding the details related to camper medications, we have compiled this comprehensive guide.


If you have additional questions or concerns about your camper’s medical care, email us at info@manderley.camp


How do I tell you about my camper’s medical needs?


The most important place to communicate about your camper’s medical needs is the camper’s medical form. These forms are available to fill out now and you can access this form HERE.


Where can my camper keep their meds?


To protect the safety of all campers from having access to meds, all medications must be kept at the nurse’s station. This applies not just to campers, but also to our staff, so there’s no possibility of a camper getting into a staffer’s luggage and accessing medication.


Exceptions are made for rescue inhalers, diabetic supplies, and epi-pens. Just be sure to mention your camper will need to carry these things with them on the medical form.


What meds should my camper bring?

Please leave all non-prescription medications other than allergy medicine at home for the week. We’re well stocked with everything else they might need! See a full list of the medication we keep on hand at the bottom of this guide. Continue to pack your over-the-counter allergy medications and turn those into the nurse. These include Flonase, Zyrtec, Claritin, Allegra, and more. Save the hassle of packing the rest (and the space in your trunk)!


When are meds given out?

Medication is given out at meals from Monday supper to Friday breakfast and bedtimes beginning Monday night. At Friday breakfast we only give out prescription meds, so if your camper takes an over-the-counter medication daily at breakfast you can give it to them when you pick up meds at the closing ceremony.


How should I pack my camper’s meds?

Be sure you keep all prescription medication in its original container. It’s easy to get carried away when you are packing and put loose pills in a baggie or meds into pill sorters but resist the temptation! State regulations require all medication to be in their original containers so we cannot make exceptions.


Speaking of state regulations, we also cannot administer prescription meds that are:

  • Expired. All medication must be currently valid.

  • Prescribed to other people. Medication must be prescribed to the camper only and not other family members. If dispensing instructions have changed, please ensure the label is updated by the pharmacy.

  • Compounded or mixed at home. We can administer medicines that have been compounded or mixed by a pharmacy, but we cannot administer medicines that have been mixed or compounded together at home. Our nurses at camp are also unable to mix or compound medicines together. If you need this, work with your pharmacy ahead of time to bring a pharmacy mixed medicine with you.

  • Broken in half. We cannot administer medicines that are cut or broken into smaller doses than prescribed.


Regulations require us to follow the directions on all medicines unless we have a note from a physician authorizing something different. So if a bottle says it is for adult use only and it is checked in for a ten-year-old, we cannot administer it. This is often a problem for Melatonin. Or, if you request a higher dosage than what is listed on the medication directions, you’ll need a doctor’s note for that.


What about essential oils or vitamins?

Due to the already large amount of medicines tracked and given out during the week, we do not administer essential oils or vitamins to campers. Please do not send them in your camper’s luggage.


What about CBD oil?

Similar to essential oils, we do not administer CBD oil to campers, and we ask that you do not pack it in your camper’s luggage.


What about melatonin?

You can send it, but two important things to note. Your camper will be going hard all. day. long. So the likelihood of them needing something to help them fall asleep is low. In addition, by law we must follow the dosage directions on all medicines (including melatonin), unless we have a doctor’s note stating otherwise.


How do I get my meds back?

On Friday you can pick up your meds from the nurse’s station before the closing ceremony. Please don’t forget! Bring your photo ID so we can verify we are giving the meds back to the right person.


You can find the list of over-the-counter medications we keep on hand HERE

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