Health and Food
Caring for Our Campers
Health & Wellness Services
Our Health Center Team works under the standing orders of a doctor who is located 15 minutes away from camp. The doctor is associated with the Bridgton Hospital, a reputable country hospital outfitted with an emergency room, urgent care facility, and six family practices around the Lakes Region.
About Our Health Center Team
Campers are cared for by Registered Nurses, Pediatricians, and Social Workers who constitute the Wyonegonic Health Center team. This team plays an important role beyond the confines of the Health Center. They are encouraged to “get out” and see campers in their activities, eat meals in the dining room, and report to the directors any observations that would improve our carefully formulated risk management plan.
Wyonegonic strives to be 100% compliant with the American Camp Association Standards and the State of Maine licensing rules required for youth camps and health center procedures.
Our goal is to support campers by helping them stay healthy so they can full partake in the camp program.
Camper Health History
All campers are required to have a current health history and a doctor’s exam on file prior to arrival at camp. Personal medications are distributed by our nurses before meals on the dining hall porch.
Health Center Hours
A nurse is on duty 24 hours a day for emergencies.
Health Center hours are held after meals for minor needs of any camper who desires to see the nurse. If a child is admitted “in house” for observation, a Health Center Staff member remains in the Wyonegonic Health Center. If a child has symptoms that extend beyond the standing orders, a Health Center Team member accompanies the camper to the doctor.
Parents are informed of doctor visits, any serious health concerns, or “in-house” visits that require an overnight stay. Learn more about our Health Center policies .
Camp Staff Training
Camp Counselors and Activity Instructors are trained in First Aid and how to assist campers with basic health needs and wellness. Staff are trained to then refer questions or concerns to the health center.
Our Trip Leaders hold a multitude of certifications including Wilderness First Aid and have proper training and instruction to act on behalf of the Wyonegonic health center team. This ensures the proper chain of command for direction from the doctor’s standing orders.
For example, the trip leader distributes required medications, handles emergencies, and has the contact information of the nearest medical facilities.
Food Services
We provide nutritious, delicious, and varied meals.
Our menus are planned with fresh, natural, and seasonal ingredients. Meals are served in the Cobb Dining Hall, a beautiful, spacious post and beam lodge built in 2001.
Breakfast and dinner are served family style, with two counselors and eight campers per round table, conducive to engaging conversation. Seating is assigned weekly. Lunch is served buffet style and campers sit with friends at picnic tables on our wraparound porch.
Learn more about what’s served at each meal:
- Breakfast: Granola, yogurts, hot cereal, and fresh fruit are available each morning with a rotating freshly prepared hot item such as scrambled eggs with bacon or pancakes.
- Lunch: Buffet style with many healthy choices. A warm entree is accompanied by a salad bar, a deli-sandwich bar with whole grain breads, a homemade soup station, and fresh fruit.
- Dinner: Campers’ favorite dinners include roast turkey with all the fixings, chicken stir fry, and pasta night with three kinds of pasta, toppings, and sauces. We have theme days for international awareness.
- Saturday Dinner: We cook out in the three units for burgers, hotdogs, veggie burgers, chips, three salads, watermelon, and Congo Bars for dessert.
- Sunday Breakfast: Designed as a lazy breakfast buffet and the girls come in their pajamas.
We also serve creative vegetarian options for all meals and can accommodate most dietary restrictions with prior communication.
Our kitchen is staffed by three chefs, certified in kitchen safety and sanitation. College-aged staff help with food prep, dishwashing, and sanitation. Campers set and clear tables and take turns sweeping after each meal. Healthy food, variety, and introduction to different foods are important to us at Wyonegonic.
In the interest of healthy eating, we do not use a deep fryer and avoid high fructose corn syrup and trans fats.