Health and Safety at Greystone
Every summer, we work hard to keep our community healthy so that we can have a fun and enjoyable summer. With concerns about the coronavirus being on everyone’s mind, we wanted to update our camp community about health and safety at Greystone.
Greystone has operated during summers of the Spanish Flu, the Asian Flu, two Polio epidemics, the Swine Flu, and many “lesser” health concerns over the past 100 years. We have been able to keep our community safe through the daily measures we take to protect our campers and our community – and this summer will be no different!
Here are some of the day-to-day ways we work to keep our campers healthy and safe every summer:
Wash, Water, Screen:
Something campers hear all the time at camp is Wash, Water, Screen. It’s our reminder to them that they need to:
- Wash their hands
- Drink lots of water
- Wear sunscreen
We present this saying to the girls in this way so that it is easy to remember and will stick in their minds. Every Greystone camper knows Wash, Water, Screen!
In regards to washing hands, we make sure that girls wash their hands throughout the day: before meals, before and/or after specific classes, after going to the bathroom, and more. We also have hand sanitizer everywhere! An individual sanitizer sits on every table in the Dining Hall, and we ask all campers to not only wash hands before the meal but to also sanitize after each meal. Keeping hands clean is key!
For water bottles, we have three ice huts spread out around the campus where girls can fill their water bottles with cold water and pellet ice (it’s a dream!). It is easy to refill your water bottle, so campers can stay hydrated throughout the day. This year, we are also giving girls the chance to wash their water bottle through our industrial kitchen sanitizing washer or by hand (if the water bottle can’t go through a dishwasher). Girls can stop by to do this every day!
Counselors remind girls to wear sunscreen all the time, and many of our activity areas have sunscreen available in case girls forgot to put some on. Counselors also help younger campers with putting on sunscreen before classes; we want all campers to stay sunburn-free!
Meals:
As meals are a prime time for close contact, we work hard to keep all germs to a minimum in the Dining Hall. As mentioned above, hand sanitizers are on every table, and we remind girls to use them often, even at the end of the meal. We serve food family style, but instruct our counselors in how to serve food and how to not pass platters or plates, minimizing contact with other people. Campers also eat very nutritious meals, giving them a very well balanced diet, helping to keep their bodies strong!
Sharing is Caring…Just Not at Camp:
We all know that sharing is caring, but at camp, that’s not the case with our personal items. We remind campers of our policy to not share water bottles, hair brushes, towels, and other personal items. These, we keep to ourselves!
Cleaning Camp:
We have a full time housekeeping crew that is similar to fairy godmothers, keeping camp clean throughout the summer. We also bring in additional cleaning personnel to deep clean camp each day. By having a housekeeping crew on campus at all times, and by bringing in extra folks to give camp a thorough cleaning every single day, we work to make camp as germ-free as possible.
In each cabin, girls will have a Job Wheel they use to clean their own space. Each cabin will have a bucket of cleaning supplies that they will use to complete their daily cleaning jobs. On top of that, our housekeeping crew goes through to sanitize cabins throughout the session. If there is a concern about an illness in a particular cabin, the housekeeping crew will go in to make sure it receives a thorough cleaning to prevent the spread of germs.
Trained Staff:
In our pre-summer orientation, and throughout the summer, we talk about the health and safety of our community with our staff ALL the time. Our counselors know to be on the look out for any signs of illness and what to do if they are concerned about anything. There are “camp moms” (in the form of our loving counselors) on the lookout everywhere – it is amazing what all of these extra eyes will catch, which only helps to keep our community healthy and safe.
Our Health Hut facility is also loaded with trained and professional talent. With eight full-time nurses, a resident camp doctor on facility 24 hours a day, and our Health Director Margaret Miller (a pediatrician), campers have immediate access to care that is just like what they would receive at home if they went to visit their own doctor. Having this type of dedicated staff on site at all times provides a wealth of knowledge and care that keeps our community safe.
Caring for Sick Campers:
Our Health Hut facility is set up to care for any camper who is sick during the summer. Last year, we did a great blog on how our Health Hut works and how we help sick campers get back on their feet, so check that out for the details.
What’s next?
We are diligently learning and preparing to potentially deal with the CODIV-19 virus, and Greystone already meets the health and safety precautions recommended by the CDC. We are working to increase our health standards this summer to go “above and beyond” what is even recommended. As we learn more, we will keep you in the loop. Join us in praying for another healthy summer as we enter our 101st year!