Information for Campers

Camper Registration and the Family Brunch will be held on Thursday, August 8 at:

Rodef Shalom Congregation
4905 5th Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

The Rodef Shalom Congregation is located in Oakland, near the University of Pittsburgh campus.

As you are driving down 5th Ave towards the University of Pittsburgh campus, make a right on either Morewood Ave or Devonshire St. to access the large parking lot behind the Congregation. There is no charge for parking. Please enter through the glass doors at the entrance from the parking lot. There will be staff in Chihopi t-shirts to help with your child’s luggage and direct you and your child to the Registration area inside the Congregation.

A brunch for families and siblings will be held on Thursday, August 8, 2024 from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM, immediately after camp registration at the Rodef Shalom Congregation. During the Family Brunch, you will meet other families, our Transplant staff, and representatives from the supportive services and agencies that have contributed to camp.

While families are enjoying a delicious buffet brunch, staff from the Department of Transplant Surgery will present updates on current treatments and outcomes in liver and intestine transplantation. Please RSVP to the Family Brunch invitation that is included in the registration form. Note: Campers do not attend the Family Brunch and will be departing for camp at 11 AM.

During Registration, the camp nurses will review each camper’s medications, and will check doses and supply. Please send a 4-day supply of medications in their original pharmacy labeled bottles, small individually labeled baggies, or in a pill organizer. If your child requires an IV or feeding pump, please bring your home care pump as well as extra batteries and supplies in case they are needed.

Camp nurses are responsible for giving medications from Thursday at 11 AM until Sunday at 3 PM. Be sure your child has taken all AM medications and has a good breakfast on Thursday morning before arriving at registration. Pack enough medications for your child to take to camp (4-day supply) and for your entire stay in the Pittsburgh area before returning home.

Your child must have labs drawn prior to attending camp. All campers must have recent lab results available and obtained sometime between May 15 and August 1, 2024. If your child is a patient at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, your child’s labs will be accessed from our database. You do not have to send the lab report with your child’s registration forms. Charts will be reviewed for compliance to these requests. Children will not be permitted to attend camp if these requirements are not completed. 

All intestine transplant recipients must have had an annual endoscopy and/or ileoscopy within the previous year, between August 1, 2023 and August 10, 2024. There are no exceptions to this requirement.

Campers who are not patients at UPMC Children’s Hospital and receive care from other transplant centers must also submit the following items:

• A copy of your child’s lab results, obtained between May 15 and August 1, 2024.
• A copy of your child’s most recent history and physical and/or physician office visit.
• A letter from your PCP or transplant physician stating that your child is physically stable and able to attend camp.

Departure

Campers and staff will depart from the Rodef Shalom Congregation on Thursday, August 8 at approximately 11 a.m. They will arrive at camp around 1 p.m. and begin activities immediately upon arrival.

Return

The campers and staff will depart camp on Sunday, August 11 at approximately 1 p.m., arriving at the Rodef Shalom Congregation around 3 p.m. Families may park in the parking lot or on the street and wait for their children. Do NOT enter the building.

Please be prompt in picking up your child on Sunday. Counselors will wait with their campers until a parent arrives. There will be staff available to assist you in finding your child’s luggage. Please check the name on each bag and be sure you have picked up all your child’s bags. We are not responsible for lost items.

For those of you whose children have attended camp before, we hope that you continue to be comfortable with the care, supervision, and activities at Camp Chihopi. If you have any concerns about your child’s needs at camp (separation anxiety, bed wetting, nightmares, etc.), please call Bev Kosmach to discuss these issues so that we can insure that your child has a positive experience at camp. Your child’s counselor will also be calling you and your child a few days prior to camp as an introduction to our staff and camp. This is also a good time to discuss concerns with your child’s counselor.

It is important that campers and parents understand the rules of appropriate behavior at camp as established by Camp Chihopi as well as the Emma Kauffman Camp. Please read and discuss the camp rules with your child. Be sure they understand that there are expectations for behavior so that the camping experience can be enjoyable for all campers.

• I will be kind, respectful, and courteous to all campers and staff.
• I will not tease or bully campers or staff.
• I will not provoke fighting or be physically aggressive to any campers or staff.
• I will not participate in pranks of any kind toward other campers or staff.
• I will be respectful of other campers' belongings.
• I will not use or bring drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products to camp.
• I will not use foul language or discuss inappropriate subjects with other campers or staff.
• I will cooperate with lights out at the assigned times every night.
• I will not go outside my cabin after lights are out unless a staff member accompanies me.
• I will be on time for meals, medications, and activities.
• I will stay with my group for all activities.

If a child is expelled from camp, parents will be required to pick up their child from camp within a reasonable time of being informed of the expulsion. The child will not be permitted to participate in camp activities while waiting for their parent and will be supervised in the Health Center by staff during this time.

We prefer that children do not bring cell phones to camp, but if they do, we ask that parents do not call or text their child during camp. Additionally, phones are lost or damaged every year. Camp Chihopi/UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is not responsible for lost or damaged cell phones. If phones are being used during activities, the Camp Director will keep the camper’s phone in the Health Center until the activity has concluded.

There are many options for housing for families staying in the Pittsburgh area while their child is at camp.

Families are encouraged to access the internet for information on hotels, campgrounds, or other resources for lodging if staying in the Pittsburgh area. Families may be eligible to stay at Ronald McDonald House Pittsburgh (412-362-3400) if the camper has a scheduled annual Clinic visit and/or scheduled procedures at the hospital before or after camp.