The Challenge

Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California San Diego. Each summer, the center hosts more than 1,000 kids of all ages for its dozens of on- and off-site programs. With so many participants at various locations simultaneously, it’s imperative that staff have easy access to important information ahead of time. This is necessary to ensure proper precautions are taken and staff are prepared to react with appropriate measures.

Birch Aquarium gathered required background and health-related information with paper forms, email and snail mail. “Staff couldn’t easily access or find the information quickly if there was an incident with a camper,” said Alaine Ibarreche, Youth Programs Coordinator with Birch Aquarium. “It wasn’t a safe and secure way to handle potentially sensitive information either.”

Printed forms also meant that multiple staff members were spending up to 50% of their time on paperwork, instead of facilitating camp activities and engaging campers. “It took two staff members a total of 40 hours each week to manage the back-and-forth communication with parents. They often received incomplete forms or simply couldn’t read the handwriting,” said Ibarrache. It was clear that Birch Aquarium needed to modernize the way participant health and safety was being managed.

The Solution

Why CampDoc?

Ibarreche reached out to her colleagues at the University of California San Diego, which runs similar programs, and they both implemented CampDoc in the 2021 season. Camper safety has benefited greatly from CampDoc, with Ibarreche citing a particular situation in 2022 when staff were alerted through the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to a diabetic participant with a strict diet. With critical medical information in a centralized and easily accessible platform, staff were able to ensure they followed this camper’s strict diet and would not inadvertently cause an adverse and potentially dangerous reaction.

According to Ibarreche, CampDoc has freed up nearly a full week’s worth of staff time. That means about 40 hours every week that staff have available to tend to camper needs!

The Outcome

Improves access to critical participant information
With CampDoc, staff have easy access to the health conditions of their campers.

Increases privacy for participant protected health information (PHI)
Access to health-related information can be set up so that only staff who need to see it can.

Saves time and increased productivity
Adopting CampDoc has given back 40 hours per week to two staffers so they can spend more time facilitating camp activities and engaging with campers.

The Summary

Birch Aquarium camps are packed with kids each summer. Programs are held indoor and outdoor, all across the property, and often at the same time. Collecting background and health information did not work using pen and paper. Staff need to be alerted ahead of time with camper medical details such as allergies, medications, and dietary restrictions.

“With CampDoc, it’s really the difference between night and day for us now,” says Ibarreche, Youth Programs Coordinator. CampDoc was adopted in 2021 and its EHR now provides staff with instant, easy access to critical camper information, instantly improving the way health and safety is managed throughout Birch Aquarium.