(Southern Tier, NY) - Senator Lea Webb announced the passage in both the Senate and Assembly of her legislation (S.6230C/A.509B) to ensure children attending summer camps can receive medications and treatments when needed, helping to protect their health and safety while away from home.

The bill authorizes certain camp employees, age 18 and older, to administer approved over-the-counter medications and emergency prescription medications to children when acting under the direction and authority of a parent, guardian, or other authorized adult. The employees must also be acting pursuant to an order from the camp’s health director or another qualified health practitioner.

Under current law, camps that do not employ a nurse or physician licensed in New York State are unable to provide even common medications such as pain relievers, treatments for insect bites, poison ivy remedies, motion sickness medication, or emergency medications for serious allergic reactions. As a result, children can go without necessary care or be sent home unnecessarily. 

Said Senator Lea Webb, “Summer camp provides our children and their families with great opportunities for recreation and community development. At the same time, we know that when children get sick or struggle with chronic illness, it can limit their ability to fully participate and the camp staff are restricted in the support they can provide. Because current law prohibits camp staff who are not licensed nurses from administering any medication, our children are not getting the full level of care and attention they deserve. These counselors are trained professionals, required to complete first aid training that includes CPR certification. If we trust them to respond to a life-threatening emergency, we can certainly trust them to give a child topical treatment for poison ivy. This common-sense bill will close a gap and allow camp employees who are 18 or older to administer over-the-counter and certain emergency prescription medications with specific authorization from the camp’s health director and the child’s parent or guardian. I want to thank my colleague and bill sponsor Assemblymember Amy Paulin and all of the advocates for their efforts on this issue.” 

“Parents trust summer camps to keep their children safe, healthy, and cared for while they are away from home,” said Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. “When a child develops a fever, suffers from poison ivy, experiences motion sickness, or faces a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, camp staff must be able to respond. This bill provides a safe, commonsense framework that allows trained and authorized camp personnel to administer medications when needed, helping children remain healthy.” 

The legislation mirrors a process already authorized in New York for licensed child care programs, allowing designated employees to administer medications with established safeguards and oversight.

This legislation is sponsored in the State Assembly by Assemblymember Amy Paulin and takes effect 180 days after being signed into law.

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