Elevate & Relate

Providing and Prescribing: Summer FAQ's with ACH CEO Tracey Gaslin & Dr. Laura Blaisdell

Welcome to a special edition of Elevate and Relate! As we head into the summer of 2026, camp leaders, healthcare providers, and behavioral health specialists are facing an evolving ecosystem of challenges. The questions are piling up in our inboxes: How do we handle shifting respiratory illness trends? What is the right way to approach vaccine policies? How can we make sure our medication management protocols are legally sound? To tackle these burning questions, host John Hamilton is doing something a little different. Instead of focusing on just one topic, we are bringing you two of our favorite humans and the sharpest minds in the camp health field of elevating care. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: * Writing Camp Health Policies Guide [https://allianceforcamphealth.org/product/writing-camp-health-policies/] – The essential ACH guide to constructing a comprehensive, well-defined healthcare system for your camp staff, covering everything from emergency protocols to parent communication. * ACH Medication Management Resources [https://allianceforcamphealth.org/education-and-resources/medication-management/] – Toolkits, guidelines, and educational materials from the Alliance for Camp Health. * ACA Camp Health Record Log (Updated Edition) [https://bookstore.acacamps.org/product/camp-health-record-log-updated-edition/] – The American Camp Association's official logbook. EMERGING HEALTH & SAFETY ALERTS * ACH Weekly Edition 29: When "Herbal" Isn’t Harmless (The Truth About Kratom) [https://allianceforcamphealth.org/2026/02/09/elevating-care-weekly-edition-29-when-herbal-isnt-harmless-what-leaders-need-to-know-about-kratom/] – An absolute must-read brief from the Alliance for Camp Health detailing the behavior and health risks associated with Kratom use among youth and young adults. * AAP Official Immunization Schedules [https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/immunizations/?srsltid=AfmBOorETRjbd26S-WzuYQU02jbLkLrS2z-DMMrohS4QcmILSRJXUodJ] – The American Academy of Pediatrics’ up-to-date vaccine schedules and resources to cross-reference before the summer check-in rush. CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS * SeriousFun Children's Network Welcomes Dr. Laura Blaisdell [https://seriousfun.org/seriousfun-welcomes-dr-laura-blaisdell/] – Read more about Dr. Blaisdell's impactful global work as a Chief Medical Officer with SeriousFun Network, serving campers with serious medical conditions. * Sign Up for "Elevating Care Weekly [https://bit.ly/SignUpECW] – Free. Weekly. Useful. Get the absolute best camp health insights and news delivered straight to your inbox TICK PREVENTION & SAFETY #FIGHTTHEBITE * ACH Ticks and Lyme Disease Resource Hub [https://allianceforcamphealth.org/ticks-and-lyme-disease/] – Access the official "Fight the Bite" program materials, digital guides, online tick education courses, and tools. * "Tick Season" – Emery Major (Noah Kahan Parody) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qiI1P1rP6E] – The unofficial anthem of the summer treatment tent. Jam out to this hilarious parody of "Stick Season" while you're stock-piling tweezers and OFF!

Camp Care, Measured with Kate Finlayson

On today's show, how a Pediatric Nurse, Camp Health Leader, and ACH SHAPE task force member, brought hospital level quality thinking to the health center. We talk about the first evidence-based set of quality metrics for pediatric residential camp health services, what camp directors can do with the data, and why staff well-being belongs in the same dashboard as camper care. Joining us is Kate Finlayson, the Director of Health and Wellness at Camp YJ and one of our very own CampWell facilitators. Follow Kate on LinkedIn at: bit.ly/KateFinlaysonCampYJ [bit.ly/KateFinlaysonCampYJ] #CampWell [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/campwell] #ElevatingCare [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/elevatingcare]

Exploring Youth Voice with Maru Gonzalez

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Maru Gonzalez, Associate Professor and Youth Development Specialist in NC State’s Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences. Maru’s work centers on how young people build belonging and agency through civic engagement, storytelling, and community connection. She shares insights from her work as co-director of #PassTheMicYouth, a youth-led multimedia initiative that amplifies young voices and provides educators with research-based tools for teaching social impact storytelling. Our conversation covers her books Teaching Storytelling in Classrooms & Communities: Amplifying Student Voices and Inspiring Social Change and her forthcoming The Community Engaged Classroom. References * Kokozos, M., & Gonzalez, M. (2024). Collaborating for Social Change: Promising Practices for Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships. The Journal of Extension, 62(3). * Gonzalez, M., Kokozos, M., McKee, K., & Byrd, C. (2024). Storytelling through a Critical Positive Youth Development Framework: A Mixed Methods Approach. Journal of Youth Development, 19(1), 1-14. * Gonzalez, M., Kokozos, M., & Byrd, C. (2025). Teaching storytelling in classrooms and communities: Amplifying student voices and inspiring social change. Routledge. 10.4324/9781003461753. https://www.routledge.com/Teaching-Storytelling-in-Classrooms-and-Communities-Amplifying-Student-Voices-and-Inspiring-Social-Change/Gonzalez-Kokozos-Byrd/p/book/9781032598925 [https://www.routledge.com/Teaching-Storytelling-in-Classrooms-and-Communities-Amplifying-Student-Voices-and-Inspiring-Social-Change/Gonzalez-Kokozos-Byrd/p/book/9781032598925]  * Pass the Mic Youth. (n.d.). Pass the Mic Youth. North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from https://passthemicyouth.ces.ncsu.edu/ [https://passthemicyouth.ces.ncsu.edu/]

Fight the Bite, a Summer 2025 Reflection

Welcome to the very first episode of Elevate and Relate, an Alliance for Camp Health Podcast. Today we’re going on a dive deep into tick-borne conditions and prevention while also focusing on the  incredible work being done to keep our kids safe outside at camp this last summer. #FightTheBite #ElevatingCare #Lyme Join ACH: https://allianceforcamphealth.org/about-us/membership/ [https://allianceforcamphealth.org/about-us/membership/] Free Newsletter: https://allianceforcamphealth.org/#elevate-subscribe [https://allianceforcamphealth.org/#elevate-subscribe] Fight the Bite: https://allianceforcamphealth.org/ticks-and-lyme-disease/ [https://allianceforcamphealth.org/ticks-and-lyme-disease/]