Ruth Gottscho Dialysis and Children's Kidney Program
In 1975, Frost Valley was the nation’s first camp to offer children with kidney disease a chance to experience traditional summer camp while receiving their vital dialysis treatments. Thirty five years later, the Ruth Gottscho Dialysis & Children’s Kidney Program continues to provide the medical resources necessary to make camp happen for children with kidney disease
Each child experiences the traditional sleep-away camp experience, while gaining confidence and independence, in what may be their first time away from home. Campers are able to meet other children with medical problems similar to their own, and are able to be “teachers” to their counselors and cabin-mates. They may learn new skills or improve techniques for managing and coping with their medical condition. Most importantly, the children participate as fully as possible in all camping activities, and meet a diverse group of campers and camp staff, from around the country and around the world.
The program is based in our state-of-art dialysis unit in the new Guenther Wellness Center at Frost Valley. We are equipped for hemodialysis, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), as well as care of the post-transplant and pre-dialysis camper. The unit is staffed by experienced pediatric nephrologists and nephrology nurses, under the supervision of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore. Special attention is given to the individual medical, social, and developmental needs of each child. Treatment schedules are arranged to allow for maximum participation in camp activities. Back-up medical facilities are provided locally by area hospitals in the Catskills region, and by the Children's Hospital of Montefiore, in coordination with the campers' home facilities.
Click
here to download
the Kidney program
brochure(.pdf)
Eligibility
All children between the ages of 7-17 who are on dialysis, post-transplant, or in chronic renal failure, are eligible to attend. Children must be medically stable, Hepatitis B Surface Antigen negative, and able to walk 200 yards unassisted. Children on peritoneal dialysis must be trained and able to perform CAPD with assistance from our staff. Please contact our coordinator if you have any questions about a child’s eligibility or our ability to handle their specific needs!
Camperships are made available to all campers as a result of the generous support of:
The Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation www.gottscho.org
Kidney & Urology Foundation of America www.kidneyurology.org/
The American Kidney Fund www.kidneyfund.org
American Nephrology Nurses Association, North Jersey Chapter www.annanurse.org
NKF chapters www.kidney.org
Registration/Application Forms
Gottscho Application 2010
Frost Valley Health History (all campers)
Frost Valley Camper Info (all campers)
Transient Dialysis Forms (dialysis campers only)
AKF Scholarship Forms (transplant and dialysis campers only)
Check our FAQ Page for related questions.
For further information, please contact:
Maya Doyle, LCSW or Maureen Eisele, RN
Ruth Gottscho Dialysis and Children's Kidney Program
Division of Pediatric Nephrology
Children's Hospital of Montefiore
111 E. 210th St, Bronx, NY 10467
718-655-1120
718-652-3136
email: mdoyle@montefiore.org.
http://www.montekids.org/services/nephrology/
The Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation
7 West Beechcroft Road
Short Hills, NJ 07078
973-564-6060
http://gottschokidney.org/
