Technology FAQ

Q: My camper is on a pump and/or continuous glucose monitor. Is it allowed at camp?

A: Yes! Gales Creek Camp allows pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), including hybrid closed loop systems. Please note: only FDA-approved medical devices, running factory software, are allowed at camp. For more, see "Looping" question below. 

Q: What about cell phones? My camper's CGM  or pump didn't come with a factory receiver or controller.

A: Cell phones are allowed at camp, but we think of your child's cell phone  as diabetes management device only.  By bringing a cell phone to camp, your camper agrees to no texting, phone calls, app use, internet access, photography, video, or any other use. While most of our campers report that they cherish a "break" from their devices, we need your help, as a parent, to help reiterate this. 

Gales Creek Camp wants to create a healthy in-person social environment. While we have been able to limit some internet access through our network, we are unable to block certain apps, like iMessage and Snapchat. If you happen to get a message or call from your camper's phone while they are at camp, please reply with a reminder that they are not supposed to be using their phone. They may want to contact you because, at first, camp can naturally lead to feelings of uncertainty and discomfort, but this is the good kind of stress, the kind you feel when you're growing. Try to allow your camper to push through that initial sense of uncertainty and discomfort. If you do, the reward for them will be feelings of triumph and success, and of getting through something difficult. If they persevere, they will gain new friends, a sense of belonging and, we hope, the feeling that someone finally "gets it."

We have a well-established process of addressing "home sickness" and these feelings of uncertainty and discomfort at camp, refined over 72 summers. Our counselors are trained to connect with campers and to facilitate friendships. They are great listeners and role models. Many of them live with diabetes themselves, so they really do "get it."

So if you get a message from your camper where they say they don't want to be at camp, that they want you to come get them right away, just reply, "Have you talked to your counselors or the Camp Director about this? Have them call me."

Q: Do you use CGM Share/Follow to monitor campers BGs?

A: Yes. If your camper is using a Continuous Glucose Monitor, Health House Staff can “Follow” camper’s blood glucose levels overnight from a centralized monitoring system. In order for campers to utilize this program they must be using a Dexcom CGM or Libre CGM and have it connected to a phone. If your camper prefers using the factory  receiver, or their pump, to receive their CGM values, great! Campers unable to participate in the CGM Follow Program will still receive routine blood glucose checks throughout the night. If your  camper intends to be on the CGM Follow Program while at camp, please pack their phone and its charger + charging block. See the Tech Packing List for more details.

PLEASE NOTE: A cell phone may only be used as a CGM receiver at camp. By bringing a cell phone  receiver to camp, camper agrees to no texting, phone calls, app use, internet access, photography,  video, or any other use. 

Q: Will I, the parent/caregiver, also be able to follow my camper's CGM data while they are at camp?

A: We strongly encourage parents and caregivers to "unfollow" their camper's CGM while at camp. We know this may be a challenge for many parents and caregivers who have become accustomed to watching their child's CGM graph throughout the day and night. It is probably the app you use most on your phone, and with good reason. But there are several reasons why we will unfollow you when you check in at camp. Please read them all.

First, here is an overview of how we monitor camper blood sugars day and night:

Day protocol: During the day, camper BGs are checked and logged before every meal and just before bed (we call these "test and shots"). Throughout the rest of the day, campers wearing CGMs can self-monitor using their devices. During some activities, like field games and hikes, phones are collected in a backpack for practical reasons. But campers always have the ability to ask for their phone to check their blood sugar if they feel out of range. For campers who are not on a CGM, staff members carry backpacks with blood sugar testing and low supplies and pause activities or escort campers to the "low table" where they can be tested and sit with a staff member who helps them with glucose tabs or juice. Then they are rechecked and retreated until they are back in range. During swimming (right after a snack with carbs), pumps and devices are stored in the Health House, and campers who feel out of range may ask to be checked at the pool by a Health House staff member using a finger poke. 

Night protocol: Two Health House staffers monitor all Dexcom and Libre CGM's overnight from a central monitoring station. When a camper is low, we verify the low with a finger poke, treat the low, then we recheck and retreat as needed until that camper is back in range (then continue to monitor). We also do scheduled rounds twice per night through the cabins to check campers who are not on a CGM. If a camper's CGM is not connected and troubleshooting can't solve the problem, the camper's BG is checked via finger poke on scheduled rounds.

OK, so now that you know how we monitor and treat out-of-range blood sugars, we want you to unfollow:

For your kid: Camp is really about learning independence, especially for a young person with diabetes. Camp might even be the first chance your child  gets to see themselves as a separate entity from you. GCC is a healthy place for a child to realize they are their own person, and they will eventually inherit their whole life. Camp is also a place they can start  to learn to trust others and themselves with their own care. What GCC (and you) want is for your kid to  gradually gain confidence in themselves to be an excellent manager of their own diabetes, including  their relationship to diabetes. If you show them you don't need to be watching their Dexcom all the  time, that you trust GCC to do it, and you trust them to help GCC do it, then that sends a powerful  message to your kiddo. They. Can. Do it. 

For you: Take a mental health break. You need it. You need it because you will be an even better parent on the other side. You probably spend enough time looking at your phone every day, anyway. Here's a chance for you to turn off your alarms and get some sleep.

Q: Our kiddo uses the DIY "looping" algorithm to manage their diabetes. Can they bring this system to camp?

A: No. We do not currently allow the use of the "looping" algorithm at camp because there is no standardized training for providers on the use of this technology. Your child’s safety at camp is our top priority and we would never want inadequate training on or understanding of a pump algorithm to put your child at risk. 

Your diabetes provider may be willing to work out a profile in your kiddo's pump (or approved controller for those using Omnipod) within the FDA approved software that we can use at camp. Alternatively, we would be happy to utilize the back-up injection plan that you and your provider have devised for times when your pump is not available. Both of these methods have been used very successfully in prior summers by other campers who "loop" at home.

If you bring a DIY Loop system, you will be asked to take your pump out of auto-mode and it will function as a manual pump.

Q: What tech supplies do I bring to camp?

A: Check our our T1D Tech Packing List page.