Scouts and Prescription medication.

[Eamonn 61]

Seems to me that this comes up a lot in the forum.

As others have posted the Guide To Safe Scouting states:

 

Prescriptions

The taking of prescription medication is the responsibility of the individual taking the medication and/or that individual's parent or guardian. A Scout leader, after obtaining all the necessary information, can agree to accept the responsibility of making sure a Scout takes the necessary medication at the appropriate time, but BSA does not mandate nor necessarily encourage the Scout leader to do so. Also, if your state laws are more limiting, they must be followed.

 

While maybe a lot of people seem willing to ignore this or go with what they think is best (Sometimes in my opinion with good reason.)

This is what the Guide has to say on the subject.

 

For my part, while I'm up to date with all of the First Aid Training's. (I have to be for my job!)

I'm not a Doctor or in any way qualified to be handing out medications.

At work, if an inmate comes to me asking for some sort of medication, I tell him that I can't and he needs to go to the Medical Department.

With Scouts if a Lad asks me for some sort of medication, I have to tell him that I need the permission from his parent.

I can and do see good reasons why a leader might want to store Scouts medications in a safe place.

This might be seen as being a little different than accepting the responsibility of making sure a Scout takes the necessary medication at the appropriate time?

While of course OJ is now an adult, back when he was a Boy Scout he suffered with allergies. The medication he took moved from being a prescription medication to a over the counter medication. I as his parent was happy that he knew how and when to take these pills and didn't feel the need to ask anyone to dispense them to him.

I did list on the medical form that he suffered from allergies and that he took this medication.

There were times when the Camp First Aid Staff did try and take his pills from him. When this happened, he called me and I made them aware that I didn't want them to take his pills from him.

At times this didn't go over very well.

But such is life!!

Eamonn.

 

 

 

[epalmer84 10]

By Boy Scout age, a boy should be able to handle his own meds; at most, a reminder would be needed. The Scoutmaster must know the health status of each Scout and Scouter.

 

Summer camp meds are a mess. I can only guess that this system is dictated by the mysterious Camp School manual.

 

Ed

[BrotherhoodWWW 10]

This is one of those areas that I think National needs to listen to all of the Scouter's opinions. As a parent with life experiences that others are not aware of I have strong feelings about such things. I have a general distrust of any in the medical profession that I have not personally chosen for care. I've had professional's make mistakes with my care everywhere from unnecessary pain to close to death due to failure to treat properly. If my child was on a medication I suspect I would trust him more than some unknown camp employee. As for myself I've ignored the request at the camps I've gone to. I feel strongly enough that if ever pressed I would leave the camp before I would ever give my meds to someone unknown to me. I can handle storing and taking my medications all year long without assistance whether at home or while out camping. There is not anything in the air or water at a Scout Camp that would change that.

 

On the flip side I think it is nice of camps to offer the service to youth whose parents want it. We had a boy in our troop that needed to take a bunch of meds and none of us adults were willing to be involved in that responibility. So bottom line I see this as a service that a camp could and should provide as long as it can be done within the scope of the laws.

[Eamonn 61]

In the Camp Health Officer thread,scoutldr posts:

"I don't believe it requires any special medical license to take Johnny Scout's pill bottle off the shelf and hand it to him. That's neither prescribing nor "distributing". That's just "storing" and "documenting" that he got his dose."

Bob White posts:

"If he is storing and handing it he is distributing it.

Many prescription medications common among youth today are controlled substances that to even have them in your possession if you are not the person they are prescribed to their legal care giver, is illegal, unless you are a licensed medical professional".

I posted:

" I can and do see good reasons why a leader might want to store Scouts medications in a safe place.

This might be seen as being a little different than accepting the responsibility of making sure a Scout takes the necessary medication at the appropriate time?"

 

I'm not sure who is right and who isn't?

I'm not sure if any local or state laws come into play?

 

From my point of view which might not be right.

If I demand that all medications be handed over and I take on the responsibility of handing them out. I have in fact taken on the responsibility of making sure that the medication is the right one, the dose is right and that the Scout takes it.

To my way of thinking this is indeed handing and is distributing.

But if the Scout has medications and I suggest that for safe keeping he keeps it in my car and even if I do remind him "Isn't it time for you to take your meds?" And he toddles off to the car and takes them. I don't see this as the same thing.

Eamonn.

 

 

 

 

[Bob White 20]

"But if the Scout has medications and I suggest that for safe keeping he keeps it in my car and even if I do remind him "Isn't it time for you to take your meds?" And he toddles off to the car and takes them. I don't see this as the same thing."

 

I used to agree with that until the troop I served gained a pharmacist as an ASM.

 

Did you know that there are common medications that when stored at high temperatures such as those you can get inside a car at camp, change in composition and become lethal? And that others if stored to warm or too cold lose the potency?

 

I didn't either until then. So even accidentally storing the meds incorrectly (like in a hot car) could make the scout more ill or even kill him. He was real serious about this.

 

We no longer take responsibility for the storage or distribution of medication.

 

Having a pharmacist come in to Roundtable to talk about this might be a good program.

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[evmori 11]

I just think the idea of having all meds stored at the summer camp health office is just a disaster waiting to happen. Most summer camps don't have a licensed health officer 24/7.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

 

[Eamonn 61]

"Did you know that there are common medications that when stored at high temperatures such as those you can get inside a car at camp, change in composition and become lethal? And that others if stored to warm or too cold lose the potency?"

I didn't.

Of course this would only happen when it's hot!!

I can't help thinking maybe we are between a rock and a hard place.

Do we (The adults) offer to look after a little Lad's meds?

Or do we make it his responsibility to ensure that they are:

Stored correctly, not lost or stolen?

You might remember Ed served as my ASM at the last Jambo?

I have no idea why? But he seems to be addicted to Tums!! I never met anyone who takes as many of these things as he does. He never seems to go anywhere without a never-ending supply on his person.

He had a big problem at the Jamboree with his Tums melting or disintegrating.

I don't know much about Tums, having never taken one in my life. But if an adult leader is having such a problem with a medication (If Tums are indeed a medication?) I can kinda see that a young Scout would have similar problems with any medications (Not just Tums!!) That he might have to take.

Maybe in the ideal world Scouts would always keep their kit tidy and tents would never be the mess that they sometimes are?

Maybe I'll never again hear the shout "Someone has stolen my underwear!"

Maybe pigs will fly?

Eamonn.

 

[Gold Winger 9]

" Most summer camps don't have a licensed health officer 24/7."

 

Neither do schools but schools require that meds be turned in at the health office.

[Beavah 205]

Yah, dah medications thing is a nightmare for both camps and schools. A lot of times camps get caught up in the same regulatory environment as schools and day care operations. And the statutes and regulations around this stuff have the health laws conflicting with the school laws sometimes, and everybody writin' policies willy-nilly. It gets tough because a lot of the kids' meds can be abused, and even have established street markets in illegal trade.

 

The tendency of BSA camp directors is to just follow NCS or state guidelines without really thinkin' about whether they're reasonable in that context. IMO it really is a nightmare, one I'd be very reluctant to put a young staffer in front of.

 

Beavah

[evmori 11]

And if my kids were still in the system, they would not be turning their meds over either. Makes no sense. Too many kids today are on too many meds! There is no way a camp or school can keep track of all of these & it is a total inconvenience to ask a kids to go to the camp infirmary or school nurses office every time they need to take their meds. Whatever happened to being responsible for yourself?

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[hops_scout 9]

"Whatever happened to being responsible for yourself?"

 

Sorry Ed, that just cracked me up.

 

What happened to it is that "it's someone else's fault" has come into play. That's why there's massive amounts of lawsuits, etc

 

 

Goldwinger, one difference between the schools analogy and the scout camp is that while a Scout is at camp, he is there 24 hours a day. Meanwhile, that same person is not at school 24 hours a day. But the schools (most?) have decided to regulate the medicines that are in the building. You send some to school; keep some at home.

[evmori 11]

Glad I gave you a chuckle hops! But, man, it is a fact! People are looking everywhere except at themselves when something goes wrong. A lady goes to McDonald's drive thru & buys a coffee then places it between her legs then hits a bump the the coffee goes hither & yon & the lady gets burned! She sues McDonald's! And the saddest part is a jury awards he a huge sum of money because there is no warning on the cup the contents is hot! You gotta be kidding me! Couldn't she feel the heat as soon as she touched the cup! Doesn't she know McDonald's has the hottest coffee in the lower 48 & some parts of Burma!

 

Sickening I tell ya!

 

 

[hops_scout 9]

Yep Ed, it is sad.

 

Meanwhile, on the medicine storage issue, I'm not sure what the best answer is. I wish I had a good one to give

[Gold Winger 9]

"Goldwinger, one difference between the schools analogy and the scout camp is that while a Scout is at camp, he is there 24 hours a day. Meanwhile, that same person is not at school 24 hours a day. "

 

So? The question was about having "qualified" people to dispense the drugs. The health tech at school is no more or less qualified than the Scoutmaster or the staff member in the health lodge.

[evmori 11]

So? The question was about having "qualified" people to dispense the drugs. The health tech at school is no more or less qualified than the Scoutmaster or the staff member in the health lodge.

 

In most cases you are correct GW, which is why it is not the way to do it. When I was the SM, one of my ASM's was a RN & he took the responsibility of storing & dispensing all the meds for our Troop at summer camp. He kept all the meds locked up in his tent. Worked out great.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10