Medical Centre
The Medical Centre is a key facility. Guests can receive dialysis while enjoying a holiday with their families.
Being somewhat remote, there is often a misconception that our facilities are as rugged as the environment in which we are located. We are often told how pleasantly surprised the visiting staff and clients are when they first see Camp Dorset’s medical centre. The clinic is bright and airy, with 12 hemodialysis stations operational. 10 for treatments and 2 spare as back ups. The camp also has spare machines on standby in the medical equipment/supply area for emergencies. All dialysis machines onsite were generously donated by Baxter in 2019.
We dialyze on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for up to two full shifts. This means we can accommodate up to 20 clients per treatment day. Each week of the summer is set aside for one or more of the hemodialysis units in the province. On each of these weeks, the clinic is staffed by two Camp Dorset dialysis nurses, as well as staff from your home unit. This combination provides a reassuring familiarity to both first-time and seasoned guests. Some guests decide to stay elsewhere in the area but use the Camp’s dialysis facilities. Other guests, with pre-approval, can stay for a week other than their unit’s assigned week. In these cases, they are treated by capable staff.
Who can come for a holiday?
The Camp has established “admission criteria”. A nephrologist must review each medical history and decide if their clients meet these criteria. This is important for everyone’s safety. If, in spite of these precautions, a medical emergency does occur, Camp Dorset’s nursing staff work closely with your home unit as well as the Huntsville Hospital Emergency Staff.
As with hemodialysis clients, those on Peritoneal Dialysis must also meet admission criteria. Because no nursing staff are present, PD clients must be able to perform their own exchanges or be accompanied by someone fully trained to do so. Although we do not provide supplies for PD clients, arrangements for storage of them are possible. Simply call your order into your supplier & have them deliver it to Camp Dorset. We also have a limited number of scales & IV poles which we can provide if needed.
The summer schedule allocates each week’s resources to guests from specific regions of Ontario. If you are eligible to attend the camp, please check for your hospital or region in the calendar below to see which week your unit will be at Lions Camp Dorset.
