July 26 ~ Welcome to the Jamboree

The buses are rolling in. We started work at 6am and immediately started meeting buses of troops. The first contingent I checked in was from Hawaii and I was greeted with a big ALOHA and a lei. By late afternoon, 4000 scouts and leaders were checked into subcamps 7 and 8. As a medical team (MD/RN/EMT) we gave "The TALK" (water, ticks, cleanliness, etc) and checked each medical form before clearing the bus for admittance to camp. The medical center was soon packed with kids. Most of them had already been away from home for a week and had acquired various conditions that they wanted to be seen for (scrapes, twists, anxiety, homesick, etc.). We soon realized the need for a better screening process. We stationed our EMTs and Med Techs in the cooling tent located in front of our center. They provide first aid and screen for those that really need to be seen by a MD. We also require a scoutmaster to accompany the scout to make sure they really need medical care beyond what can be provided on the troop level. Sometimes it only takes a subtle reminder that they are all at least a first class scout and are capable of giving first aid. My "MOM" mode is a valuable tool to help some anxious, tired kids make it past the tears after a good listen and encouraging talk. It really is fun helping, but very physically exhausting. My feet hurt so bad after 16 hours of running around in the sweltering heat.
It was fun to see Tyler and my nephews - Dalton and Derrik.


Happy to be here.
~Melanie