We embrace the Jewish imperative placing health and safety as the highest of priorities in our camp community. Decreasing vulnerability to vaccine-preventable illnesses is one fundamental strategy we employ to help sustain the health of our camp community. We want to ensure that everyone attending camp this summer meets the most recent vaccination recommendations set by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Canadian Pediatric Society, and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Routine vaccination of all campers is a vital public health issue in the residential environment of summer camp with round-the-clock communal living. Please check your child’s medical and vaccination records or consult your child’s physician to ensure that all of the required immunizations are up to date.

 

Policy Statement:

All campers who are in residence at camp are required to have age-appropriate vaccines and boosters recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and or Center for Disease Control (CDC), with the exception of Covid-19 vaccines, which are highly recommended, but not required. The current vaccine schedule is viewable here.

Meningitis shot:

It is nationally recommended that children age 11 and up get the meningitis shot. We believe that it is a good idea to consult your doctor if your child is around that age and has not yet received this shot.

Policy Exceptions:

Gardasil or Cervarix (HPV vaccine): Though recommended by the AAP and CDC, it is a relatively new vaccine for both young women and young men, and we are not in a position to mandate its use.

Extenuating Circumstances:

We recognize that individuals who have had a documented allergy or severe adverse reaction to a particular vaccine will not be able to receive further doses of that individual vaccine. Additionally, individuals with medical conditions such as congenital immunodeficiency or HIV, malignancies receiving chemotherapy, transplant patients, and persons receiving immunosuppressive drugs and chronic steroids, will not be able to receive certain vaccines. In these instances, a physician documenting the problem and exempting the child from further doses of that specific vaccine must be furnished to CYJ Midwest. If an individual or his/her family believes that a specific situation poses extenuating circumstances, and furnishes a letter from a medical doctor (MD) substantiating this contention, CYJ Midwest will review such situations on a case by case basis.