Transcription:

Scott Webb: If you're a parent of a child with asthma, you might think that a summer camp full of outdoor activities like soccer and swimming isn't a good idea for them. But at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System's Dr. Mark Velcoff Asthma Camp, asthmatic children were learning how to manage their asthma and get to do all these activities under the supervision of numerous healthcare professionals, including respiratory therapists. And joining me today to tell us all about the camp is Corina Clark, she's a Respiratory Care Manager at SVMH.

Scott Webb (Host): This is Ask the Experts, a podcast from Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb.

Scott Webb: Corina, it's so great to have your time. I was just mentioning to you that I guess I was sort of aware that there were asthma camps, but I never really spoken to somebody about this. So, I'm really excited to talk to you to learn more. I'm sure listeners are as well. So as we get rolling here, want to have you tell us about Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System's Mark Velkoff Asthma Camp.

Corina Clark: And I will say, I've been a part of tons of different organizations and it wasn't until I came to Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System that I heard about asthma camp as well. And I think that's the beauty of this is, Dr. Mark Velkoff was major part of developing this camp and typically ages six to 12 years old are the campers. And this year we've actually extended it to a little bit older because last year, we noticed some of these kids are aging out of camp and they want more. And, they learn so many different skills at asthma camp. It's beyond just learning how to manage their asthma and utilizing breathing exercises just to bring them down and having control.

It's also about confidence building and making sure that these kids have the tools to be normal kids. You know, a lot of times, asthmatics tend to stay away from playing football or dancing or, doing anything along those lines because they don't want to trigger their asthma. So we really want to make sure that we're honing in on, hey, we want you to jump in. We want you to be involved in all of these activities. So we're just going to teach you how you can take control and manage your asthma.

Host: Yeah, that is so cool. And as you say, a lot of it's just about the confidence and knowing that there are healthcare professionals nearby. Let's talk a little bit about how long the camp has been in existence. And also tell us more about Dr. Velkoff.

Corina: Yeah. Asthma Camp has been around for about 37 years now and Dr. Mark Velkoff was responsible for co-founding asthma camp. It was actually called Camp Superkids back in 1986. It was later renamed after him because he was such a pillar in this camp and making sure these kids had somewhere to go, that they had the resources, that they had the education. So in 2005, I believe it was, we renamed the camp to Dr. Mark Velkoff Asthma Camp. We make sure that Dr. Mark Velkoff and his family are included in this.

His daughter, Rachel, his son, Isaac, his wife, Delores, we always make sure that we extend and continue to keep them involved in asthma camp. Unfortunately Dr. Mark Velkoff passed in 2006 after a long battle with cancer. But like I said before, every year, we just make sure that we reach out to his family and keep everyone included and let them know that we're keeping Dr. Velkoff's legacy alive.

Host: Yeah. I was just thinking that, you know, how awesome is that? Keeping his name, keeping his legacy alive. And it makes me want to hear more about the camp. So let's dig in here, tell us more like how many days the classroom time, the fun, the games, swimming, hiking. Tell us all about it.

Corina: So asthma camp is five days long and we don't have these kids coming in and just learning about asthma from eight to five. We want them to have fun and engage and actually put the skills that we're teaching them to use. You know, we start out, day one consists of an opening ceremony where we actually hand out t-shirts and workbooks and give them water bottles and just build that comradery with the team.

We go into asthma orientation, introducing all of the respiratory therapists that are going to be providing the education. We take lunch together and then we do something fun, whether that's camp soccer or there's a station for arts and crafts. And then there's another station for relaxation techniques. And each child gets to decide okay, where do I want to go today? Because each day they get that opportunity, you know the next day to try something else. Okay, yesterday I had relaxation techniques today I want to try camp soccer. So aside from that, we also take the kids out to do fun things around the community. So last year we went to the community pool.

We went swimming. We had ranger, Tammy come out and she brought her snake for pictures. We went on a hike. We're playing tag and then coming back and actually using those skills to catch our breath and let's do this peak flow meter and see how our asthma is doing. And do we need a breathing treatment? You know, just really providing the education in the early parts of the day and showing them how to use these tools that will assist them in having control of their asthma, but then having fun and showing them okay, yes, during soccer, you got a little short of breath. So what's step one when we get short of breath, you learn that in class. Okay. We're going to take a seat, take some deep breaths, monitor our breathing. Are we wheezing, you know, teaching them these skills so that when they are truly involved in these activities outside of camp, they know how to manage them.

Host: Well, I'm assuming Corina, that all this fun and education probably carries a pretty big price tag, right?

Corina: Oh, man, that is the beauty of it. So Asthma Camp is free. It's a $10 registration just to hold your place for the camp. But aside from that, the SVMH Foundation through our local Children's Miracle Network Hospital's Program, they take care of everything. So we are so grateful to them. They fund all of this for these kids, so that it's not a matter of, can I afford it or not? It's just a matter of how am I going to get there and when can I start?

Host: Why do you think it's so important for asthma children to participate in this camp? We've talked about some of the benefits, the confidence and so on, what I'd love for you to go a little more deeply into that, and maybe what are some of the important lessons that children learn?

Corina: You know, I think one thing that we learned after 2020 hit with the pandemic, a lot of these children experienced being at home and not being able to be around other kids. And just really just having that collaboration with other children was really important. When we jumped into Asthma Camp again, last year, we really saw those benefits, you know, and getting these children back into normalcy for lack of a better word. So I think now more than ever, just bringing everyone together in a safe environment is key and just rebuilding on collaboration and what that looks like again. And just like I touched on earlier, confidence. Watching these kids come in on day one and just being unsure and uncertain, and then opening up on day five and building friendships and relationships that are gonna go on and they look forward to seeing each other again, the next year at camp. So those are definitely key players. And then of course, just making sure that these kids can manage their asthma. It can be scary. And a lot of times, people will assume, okay, I've got to go to my mom or my dad and they know how to handle this.

We want to put that power back into their hands, into these children. We want to make sure that they know you can do everything in your power to have control over your asthma and just really empowering them to take those steps on their own and say, hey, you know what? I can do this. And I can actually teach my mom or dad a thing or two about how I can manage my asthma better.

Host: And I want you to tell listeners about the team. We mentioned the healthcare professionals, but just you know, doctors, nurses, who's there, what are their roles and reassure them, of course, that their children are in good hands.

Corina: Absolutely. So we definitely take a collaborative approach when we're out there with these children, we have respiratory therapists, we have physicians, nurses, last year, we had somebody from social work. All backgrounds there to really support these children and make sure that they have the tools and the supervision that they need.

We want to make sure that in the event of an emergency, that we have people there that know what to do. And we have our respiratory therapists there in the event that someone has an asthma attack and we've got to do a breathing treatment and physicians, and the whole team is comprised of so many different backgrounds, but we're there to just make sure that these kids are safe, taken care of and have a great time.

Scott Webb: And Corina, I know that a COVID cases have decreased obviously significantly, but I'm sure that some parents still have some concerns, especially for children with asthma. So maybe you can just talk about some of the safety measures that are in place.

Corina: It's understandable. So we really go above and beyond to make sure that we are keeping safety first. So first and foremost, we're following the most recent CDC guidelines. We go through hand washing technique, which there is truly a technique to hand-washing, you talk to any nurse or respiratory therapist, healthcare practitioner, they will tell you.

And we work on that. We make it part of our education at asthma camp, and just honing in on how that prevents the spread of infection. We maintain social distancing, we mask while indoors. And if it's recommended by CDC in July to keep the masks while outdoors, we will do that as well, but we will definitely, similar to last year, maintain our distance, keeping our mask on, hand-washing technique.

We have the hand sanitizer available at all times, and we're just constantly monitoring. And of course things will happen. Masks will come off once in a while. And so that's why we have such a big team there to say, hey, I know it can be uncomfortable, but we've got to get the mask back on, at least until we get outside.

So we're there to just manage that and make sure that everybody is abiding by the CDC guidelines and keeping each other safe.

Host: Want to have you talk about exactly you mentioned July, but when and where's the Asthma Camp taking place and it give some more of the details.

Corina: So Asthma Camp this year, will start July 25th and it goes through July 29th. We start at 9:00 AM and end about 4:00 PM. And it's going to be at Monterey Park Elementary School in Salinas.

Host: Well, that's really convenient, I'm sure for a lot of folks. And you mentioned the age range, is it just a 6 to 12?

Corina Clark: So this year, we're doing something a little bit different. So six to 12 is the standard. And last year, I had the opportunity to speak with these kids who were, I've got my finger quotes up aging out. And, at 12 years old, they're like, man, I want to come back. So we actually developed this year, we're going to have a junior camp leader.

So between 12 and 14 are eligible and their registration is essentially the same. It can all be found in the asthma camp packet and their training will be very similar to the six to 12 year olds. But each day there's going to be a little bit of leadership training in there. And just teaching these 12 to 14 year olds, how to not only manage themselves and empower themselves, but how to empower others.

Corina: And, those are life skills that these children are gonna use forever. So we're really excited about that. So six to 12 to attend asthma camp and then 12 to 14 for our junior camp leader program.

Host: Absolutely. I want to give you a chance to let folks know where they can sign up. I'm sure it's at svmh.com, but I'll leave it to you.

Corina: Yes, that's absolutely right. So svmh.com/asthmacamp. And you can also call area code (831) 759-1890. And I just want to throw in there, the deadline for registration is July 10th. So make sure you call. We're limiting our capacity to 50 this year, just to make sure that we can maintain all of those safety parameters. So get signed up. We can't wait to see you.

Host: Well, that's perfect. These kids come every year, you know, as you said, they get a shirt and they learn and they have fun and they get to pick what they do. It's so cool. Thank you so much for your time today. You stay well.

Corina: Of course. Thank you so much for having me.

Host: And to register your child for the camp, go to svmh.com/asthmacamp. And if you found this podcast to be helpful, please be sure to tell a friend, neighbor or family member and subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and check out the entire podcast library for additional topics of interest.

This is Ask the Experts from Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well, and we'll talk again next time.