BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — As children head of to summer camps this year, one will teach campers how to deal with the most common chronic childhood disorder, asthma.
Camp Catch Your Breath will mark its 25th year this summer from July 19-24 at Jackson’s Mill in Weston, educating kids ages 8-13.
“It’s just a week of fun, interactive activities,” Sonny Hoskinson, camp director and Assistant Director of Pharmacy at United Hospital Center said. “But, in the background, we’re teaching about asthma, we’re teaching about how to take their medications, how to self-manage their asthma and just so they don’t have issues where they end up in the emergency room.”
He believes they have found a balance between fun and education by creating an atmosphere of experimentation rather than one similar to a classroom.
“We teach them through games and different activities,” he said. “About their inhalers, what each inhaler is for, why they have to use that inhalers and what exactly’s going on within their body to cause this asthma attack.”
The approach has been successful as the program has expanded from serving kid in the local area, then throughout the state, to bringing in campers from surrounding states.
The camp’s cost per child is $70 dollars, but about 75 percent of the applicants express a need for the instruction and are permitted to attend the camp free of charge.
Add the free admissions to the fact the actual cost per child at camp when calculating a week’s lodging, meals, activities and entertainment comes to around $600 dollars, the program becomes an expensive endeavor.
Hoskinson said they are able to make it work through donations from individuals and corporation willing to sponsor the campers.
On Thursday, The Health Plan –a healthcare insurance company– donated $15,000 for the purpose of camp sponsorship.
The company had previously been involved with the camp by providing resources in the form of personnel, but after witnessing the impact the program had on the children, they wanted to do more.
For Jim Pennington, President and CEO of The Health Plan, the results the camp has produced made it an easy decision to contribute financially and an important one as well.
“For United Health to put a camp on like this with their resources and to educate the children and have positive outcomes for them for the rest of their lives that carries back to their families, very important.”
Individuals or companies looking to make a donation to sponsor a child can contact Hoskinson at [email protected] or by calling 618-342-1560.
Asthma currently affects an estimated 7.1 million children under 18 years of age and can be life threatening if not properly managed. However, Hoskinson has noticed that when taking the proper steps to manage the disorder, children sometimes lose self-esteem after being teased by their peers or feel like they have to be left out of physical activities.
“We’re teaching these kids that ‘Yes you can.’ You can participate in sports, you should not be ashamed that you have to use an inhaler. You just need to represent yourself, be strong, build self-esteem. It’s what we’re trying to do to let these kids to just prosper.”
The deadline for applications to be submitted is July 3. They can be downloaded here.
For more information on scholarship opportunities, The Health Plan can be contacted at 740-695-6961.