Medications

[Owl62]

I looked in the G2SS and the section on prescriptions says nothing that it applies to only unit campouts, activities, etc. It appears to be BSA policy regardless of where it takes place. But it does say very clearly that the taking of prescription medication is the responsibility of the individual taking the medication and/or that individual's parent or guardian.

 

Also, prescription medication containers that I have seen are clearly labelled something to the effect: Federal law prohibits transfer of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom it is prescribed.

 

I am sure that there are some legal exceptions to that but I would suppose that they would include legal guardians, law enforcement, and persons properly licensed to prescribe/dispense prescription medications.

 

I also checked both federal and state law and found basically the same thing - possession of prescription drugs by other than the person to whom they are prescribed is illegal. While I am sure there are some legal exceptions to that, I found no exceptions for the BSA, camps, etc. What happens if the camp staff person that has the medication, and dispenses the wrong medication to a camper???

 

I'm not an attorney but I see potential problems with a camp collecting prescription medications. I've only been to one camp that had a licensed physician actually on staff and on site. Usually there is an EMT or Paramedic.

 

I need to do some more checking into this.

 

 

[evmori]

scoutldr,

Sure we can agree to quit arguing once we agree. The only problem is not everyone can read all the posts in a thread!

 

Owl62,

I think the part about transferring this drug to another person means you can't give me your prescription to take, not hold on to. Read a little further in the G2SS under Prescriptions.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[FScouter]

I would interpret the notice on the label to mean that it is illegal for a person to give (transfer) his prescribed medicine to another person for the purpose of that person obtaining prescription drugs without a prescription. In other words you may not take your prescription to the drug store, obtain the drugs (legally), and give them to your neighbor.

 

Letting the Scoutmaster hold the boy's pill bottle wouldn't seem to be illegal by any stretch. Still, that isn't really the point. If his parents have raised him well, a Boy Scout ought to be able to take his own pills when he is supposed to.

[dsteele]

Okay, let me ask it this way:

 

For those of you with children (I am not so blessed, so I don't know,) when they have to take prescription drugs during school hours . . . are they shoved in their pocket or do they have to check them in with the school nurse or secretary to have them dispensed at the proper time?

 

When I was a kid, I had to take medicine during school hours. They were always dispensed at the office and not carried by me.

 

That's the way it still is with BSA camps.

 

Unc.

[hops_scout]

If I was to, say, carry ANY medicine at school even if it was Aspirin or whatever, it'd be an automatic 3 day suspension at our school!

 

They consider it to be drugs that most would think of being like weed, etc.

 

 

[Bob White]

Hardly a fair comparison given the many differences in the laws and procedures governing school and Scouting.

[scoutldr]

My wife is a school nurse. Even SHE cannot give aspirin, tylenol, etc, without a written Dr's order. Parental permission is not sufficient. Children may NOT be in possession of any medications, prescription or not, at any time while at school or on the bus. The parent must bring the med to school in the original bottle, or have a written order.

[Twocubdad]

Oh don't get me started on the schools. Our school requires you to have a doctor's letter to give YOUR OWN kid an OTC med. My boys both have allergies and are suceptible to bronchitis and sinus infections. So when they get the sniffles we are quick to get them started on decongestants so things don't start backing up. My options are 1) pay for a visit to the doctor's office to get the letter, 2) check him out of school, walk across the street, give him the medicine and then check him back in, or 3) decide to "have lunch" with him and palm two teaspoons of Triaminic to him. What a bunch of baloney.

 

As to camp (and my experience thus far has been with Webelos resident camp): If the health lodge is going to take the medications, then they need to take responsibility for dispensing them. It's difficult enough for kids to remember to take their meds, but when you add the inconvenience of a two-mile hike to and from the health lodge at 11 p.m., forget about it. Even if the unit leaders remind them, invariably they're already in the sack or their buddy is. If the health lodge is taking the meds, then they need to have a better system for dispensing them to the boys at the proper time. If that means the health officer has to make a lap around camp three times a day then that just becomes part of the job.

 

A much easier system would be for the Scouts to keep and be responsible for their own medications, as the G2SS suggests. A quick reminder whould then be sufficient to keep them on track. I understand that having a lot of precription meds floating around camp could cause problems. But a simple lock box in each campsite would solve that. The unit leader would secure the meds, but the Scouts would still be responsible for taking them. I would think Scouts with actual controlled substances would be a fairly rare occurance and could require stricter control.

 

I've been proven wrong before, but I have a hard time seeing anyone trying to get high by swipping my bottle of Zantac. People will argue that boys looking for mischief will get into anything, but that could be true for bug spray, lighter fluid or a can of Right Guard.

[scoutldr]

Don't blame the schools or the nurses. THey just have to follow the laws that your state enacted in response to law-suit happy parents. If my wife violates that law, she is subject to a $10,000 fine and loss of her RN license. SHe's not going to take that risk because your kid has a runny nose.

[boleta]

Touche' scoutldr. Furthermore, scout leaders don't get it if they are willing to take the risk of liablility for the care of these kids by dispensing their medications or allowing the kids to take them (or not) themselves. As most summer camps require, give the medications to the Camp Health Lodge and let them deal with it.

[Twocubdad]

I'm not asking the school nurse (we don't even have a school nurse) or anyone else to take any risk. All I'm want is the ability to take care of my own kid as I see fit. Please explain to me why I'm not permitted to come to school and give my own child non-prescription cough syrup.

 

Apparently the BSA doesn't get it either, Boleta, as the preferred method for handling medications (as described in G2SS) is to leave it up to the Scout and his parent. What is my liability in telling a parent "if your son needs to take a prescription this weekend, you and he need to work it out"? Neither do I see much added liability in walking from tent to tent shortly before lights out asking Scouts if they have remembered their medications.

[scoutldr]

I'll give you that one, twocub. Don't make no sense to me either. Could be that in your state, when the child is in school he is the school's responsibility (in loco parentis). Perhaps that's why they make you check him out (transferring responsibility temporarily). Again...if you don't like it, write your state legislator, but dont' beat up the school personnel...they are pretty far down in the food chain when it comes to rules like that.