YMCA Camp Chingachgook

The information surrounding COVID-19 is constantly changing and evolving. This document organizes COVID-19 protocols for YMCA Camp Chingachgook based on best practices for overnight summer camps published by the NYS Dept. of Health, the CDC, and the American Camp Association. As a licensed children’s camp in New York, we are most beholden to the guidelines from the New York Dept. of Health and are required to follow their covid guidelines in order to legally operate this summer.

Our protocols have been reviewed by YMCA employees, volunteers on our council of advisors, and our summer health care team, which is made up of an overseeing family physician, 12 registered nurses, 4 nurse practitioners, and an EMT. 

This document intends to provide camp families and staff with information about how Chingachgook is adapting policies, procedures, and programs this summer in order to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 in camp. As information changes and evolves, so too will this addendum to reflect current information.

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While we have worked tirelessly to adapt our program to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 exposure in camp, it is important to note that there is no way for us to guarantee that COVID-19 will not be present. We plan to take a multi-dimensional approach with both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions in order to mitigate risk to the best of our ability. 

Camp will look and feel a little different this year but the value of being in a beautiful setting, among friends old and new, and participating in fun camp activities is needed more than ever after this challenging year. We believe that Camp, with some changes, is way better than no camp at all and we look forward to creating a memorable, magical, and positive experience for campers this summer.