THE WOODLANDS AND UPMC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGH PROVIDE ONE-OF-A-KIND SUMMER CAMP
Wexford, PA – The Woodlands, in partnership with UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, will be hosting Camp Inspire, a camp specifically for ventilator-dependent children, July 22–27, 2018. One of the only camps of its kind nation-wide, the six-day, five-night camp is designed for children and teens with complex medical conditions. Many have tracheostomies, ventilators, and BiPAP machines to assist them.
“We do whatever it takes to make our campers’ biggest wishes come true,” said Jesse Solomon, Director of Programs and Marketing at The Woodlands. “Our goal is to have them experience as much as possible, encouraging them and enabling them to participate to the highest degree.”
Due to the medical fragility of this population, Camp Inspire’s staff-to-participant ratio is 4:1, comprised of respiratory therapists, nurses, physicians and other medical professionals from UPMC Children’s Hospital who volunteer their time and are on-site 24 hours a day for the duration of camp.
The camp provides participants with the chance to interact with other children and teens with similar situations while providing the resources to establish lasting social skills. Additionally, participants get to enjoy all that The Woodlands has to offer including swimming in a controlled environment, golf, archery, zip-lining, gardening, music and drum circles, arts and crafts, camp fire sing-a-longs, games, a carnival, and therapy dog demonstrations.
An open house sponsored by Philips Respironics will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25. Open to the public, this event will include a cookout and a camper talent show.
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About The Woodlands
It is the mission of The Woodlands to enrich the lives of children and adults with disability and chronic illness by providing adapted therapeutic programs that support and strengthen the development of skills in socialization, creative expression, environmental awareness, recreation, and spirituality at its fully accessible Wexford, PA, facility. Further information and a schedule of Woodlands’ programming are available at www.mywoodlands.org.
About UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Regionally, nationally, and globally, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is a leader in the treatment of childhood conditions and diseases, a pioneer in the development of new and improved therapies, and a top educator of the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. With generous community support, UPMC Children’s Hospital has fulfilled this mission since its founding in 1890. UPMC Children’s is recognized consistently for its clinical, research, educational, and advocacy-related accomplishments, including ranking 13th among children’s hospitals and schools of medicine in funding for pediatric research provided by the National Institutes of Health (FY2017).
Contact: Heidi Matthews
Program Marketing Coordinator
The Woodlands
724-935-5470
412-608-6120 Mobile
hmatthews@woodlandsfoundation.org
Images: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hpskq392wx9q9lh/AACZmb7MvQPPvF-nKHbIsH3za?dl=0