CAMP VICTORY EXPERIENCES

Another Kind of Medicine

The idea for camp victory was first discussed in 1986, when the parents of a child with a severe congenital liver disease expressed a desire to create a summer camp for children with complex medical needs.  From this idea, the Nicholas Wolff Foundation was formed and soon included many local community members who shared the same vision.  Included among these members were several physicians at the Geisinger Medical Center.  After a number of years of planning and building, Camp Victory opened in the summer of 1994, providing services to 325 campers.  Over the years, camp Victory has grown from an initial 35-acre facility to over 130 acres, caring for over 30,000 children annually.  The camp has 19 different affiliate partner groups that use the facility for summer camp activities as well as a number of schools that utilize its services as part of their annual educational plans.

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Geisinger has been a partner of Camp Victory since its inception.  Several Geisinger pediatric clinicians, therapists, nurses and other employees have contributed to the camp's success over its nearly 30-year history.  Geisinger has been a continual financial partner, contributing annually to both the facility as well as supporting the budgets for the various partner groups through grants from the Children's Miracle Network.  

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In keeping with its ongoing support, Geisinger faculty are encouraged to participate in the management of children while in attendance at camp.  Many of the partner groups have medical staffs managed by Geisinger pediatricians and subspecialists.  Geisinger pediatric residents are also encouraged to participate in making camps for children successful.  To this end, residents are permitted to attend camp for one week annually without the need to use vacation.  This allows them to participate in the management of children for one specific partner group.  Residents can also elect to have a two- or four-week elective at camp, permitting them to manage children as several groups rotate through the facility.

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Camp medicine is "real medicine."  Teh medical care delivered at camp is highly technical and can be quite labor intensive.  The resident experience at camp allows a brief glimpse of what our families and patients need to deal with when at home, dealing with their particular medical issues and treatments.  Residents gain appreciation for the amount of effort parents and family members need to provide on a daily basis to properly care for these children.  Residents come to appreciate the wonderful personal stories of their campers and learn that even the little successes in life mean so much to kids who have limited opportunity to be the "best" at typical childhood activities.  Residents come to recognize that physicians can and should spend some of their professional time working to assist in their communities to ensure that all children have a chance to be included and live enriched lives regardless of their disabilities.  Our residents universally enjoy this experience and relate that they take away many lessons about being a physician that they would have otherwise not been able to learn in the hospital or clinic settings.