Excellence in Action: COVID-19 Operations Guide for SERIOUSFUN CAMPS

One of the positive impacts of SeriousFun Children’s Network’s response to COVID-19, and the intentional and streamlined collaboration and knowledge sharing that took place, was the development of the COVID-19 Operations Guide for SeriousFun Camps. Made possible by the generous support of The Rite Aid Foundation, the Operations Guide was developed by Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&E), consultants in engineering and environmental health and safety.

Created for the purpose of offering camps guidance in the planning and decision-making process during COVID-19, the Operations Guide was developed with input from an expert panel of pediatricians, epidemiologists, infectious disease specialists, industrial hygiene experts, and environmental health scientists, as well as our own medical, program, and operations, and Support Center staff.

The Operations Guide provides camps with a comprehensive overview of critical considerations and planning practices including:

• Health screenings and contact tracings;
• Control strategies for communicable diseases;
• Guidance on facilities management, cleaning, ventilation, personal protective equipment, food services, and transportation, among a variety of other camp and program-specific operations;
• Emergency procedures during COVID-19;
• Special considerations and practices related to serving children whose immune systems are compromised by pre-existing conditions who we serve through our mission;
• Pandemic Considerations such as non-pharmaceutical interventions and Camp Readiness Assessment

Given the limited substantive research and published materials specific to COVID-19 and children with serious illnesses, the content of this Operations Guide is particularly vital to the work of SeriousFun. As part of a dedicated response to COVID-19, as well as serving as an active planning reference for potential infectious disease outbreaks in the future, the Operations Guide is an invaluable tool that equips SeriousFun camps and programs with the guidance to carefully design environments that consider the best ways to protect the children, families, staff, and volunteers taking part in them.

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