Health & Safety

We maintain a closed campus and all visitors are directed to check in at the lodge. Each staff member has a 14-day, intensive training period before campers arrive. Staff members are trained in all aspects of caring for the physical and emotional safety of children and all emergency procedures including becoming certified in CPR and First Aid. Those teaching higher risk activities are certified by nationally recognized organizations, such as Red Cross, Civilian Marksmanship Program, National Archery Association, and Compass Horsemanship Association. Strong Rock is accredited by the American Camp Association and follows their guidelines closely.

Your child’s safety is our highest priority. This includes not only their physical safety, but their emotional safety as well. Therefore, we desire to give children an experience that is as normal as possible, allowing them to be kids, enjoy time with friends, and try new things, while adhering to any governmental restrictions. There is a nurse on duty 24 hours a day during each camp session. The nurse will take good care of your child if he or she needs medical attention while at camp. You will not be contacted for minor scrapes or bruises, but should he or she spend the night in the infirmary or be taken to the doctor, you will be notified as quickly as possible. If your child has any special medical concerns, please contact us to discuss how we can best accommodate your individual needs.

Your child’s safety is our first priorty. It is our desire to work with you to provide the best care for your child. Should your child sustain an injury that requires medical care outside of camp you will be contacted as soon as possible. If you are unreachable we will provide care based on best practices and the professional opinions of our medical staff.

We have a variety of over-the-counter medications available for campers who develop common symptoms of a variety of illnesses while at camp. Once registered, you will have an opportunity to approve which medications are given to your child. Should your child develop a fever they will be required to stay in our infirmary, under the supervision of our medical staff, until they have been fever free for a minimum of 24 hours. You will be contacted should your child need to stay in the infirmary overnight. Should the need arise, we utilize the services of Northeast Georgia Urgent Care, Gilford Immediate Care, and Northeast Georgia Medical Center.

Campers are required to have health insurance and a health exam before camp begins. Local physicians and a regional hospital are available in emergencies. It is our policy that a director or camp nurse will notify parents in the event of an accident, injury, or illness that results in a change in the child’s medical condition. Should a camper sustain an injury or illness at camp and need to see a physician, their personal insurance will be used. Parents will also be responsible for any co-payments and prescription costs that result. Physical forms may be printed off and can be found in your CampInTouch account. This form must be presented and properly filled out by a physician before your child is allowed to stay. Should your child have a special medical need, please contact us to discuss our ability to accommodate your individual circumstances.

All medications must be given to the nurse on the opening day of camp, and will be dispensed as prescribed. They also must be blister packed, by a pharmacist, to ensure the safety of all campers here on campus. This can be done at most local pharmacies when filling prescriptions. They may not be kept in the cabin. We keep over-the-counter medications (Tylenol, Pepto-Bismol, etc.) in the infirmary and they can be given to your child if needed. Our local pharmacy, Woody’s Pharmacy, 770-983-3510, would be happy to assist you in your prescription and daily over-the-counter needs. If using Woody’s Pharmacy, your child’s medications will be delivered to camp prior to your child’s arrival.

Fun is only second to safety! Strong Rock is proud to be the recipient of the Safety 1st Award from Markel Insurance for the last several years! The Director of Safety Education at Markel explained that Strong Rock was selected for this esteemed safety award “based on your proven safety record, which demonstrates your superior commitment to safety. We’re proud of the work you’ve done to keep the children in your care safe.” In selecting recipients of this award, Markel pays close attention to the camp’s training and facility improvements.

Strong Rock voluntarily participated in The Healthy Camp Study sponsored by The Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Christian Camp and Conference Association and the Association of Camp Nurses. These sponsoring organizations work together to track camp illnesses and injuries, monitor trends in camp health, identify risk and protection factors, and track/analyze appropriate intervention strategies. We chose to be a part of this study because of our commitment to the health and safety of our camp family. It is our desire to contribute to the development of programs that reduce the number of illnesses and injuries and provide very specific staff training on effective interventions. Our hope is that our participation will make a proven difference in the health awareness and performance of all camps!