Over the past decade as medical technology and chronic care have improved it has become commonplace for children's hospitals to discharge children on some form of assisted home ventilation. In 1991 the staff of the Penn State Children's Hospital followed few patients at home on ventilators. Today the chronic ventilator service follows over 70 children ranging in age from 6 months to 18 years. Currently the Pennsylvania State Home Ventilator program, a state agency, lists approximately 200 children at home on ventilators. Many of these children are intellectually intact and attend head start programs and regular schools.

There are many camps for children with disabilities (asthma, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and muscular dystrophy) but, only a few are for ventilator dependent children. In part this is due to the critical mass of ventilator children in any geographic area but, also due to the need for intensive and comprehensive care to be available to each ventilator dependent camper 24 hours per day. The needs of ventilator dependent children for supportive care and wheelchair access not only limit the recreational activities but define the campsite as well. Thus other camp programs would be unable to tailor their activities and facilities to fit the needs of the ventilator dependent camper much less to provide the staff necessary for 24 hour per day care.

In 1993 under the leadership of Pam Smith a respiratory therapist at Health South and a small group of professionals, the Pennsylvania Vent Camp was founded. The camp has now successfully completed thirteen sessions. Each year the camp has served an increased number of children from 14 in 1994 to 40 in 2009. Campers have come from many states. The qualifications for vent camp include an intellectual status which permits profiting from the camp experience, a medical care plan which can be implemented in the camp setting as well as ventilator dependence.

Michael D. Dettorre, D.O.
Director of PA Vent Camp

The camp is staffed entirely by volunteers who represent a variety of disciplines (nurses, physicians, and respiratory, occupational, physical, speech and recreational therapists) as well as volunteers who fill a variety of necessary roles from activities staff to nurse and respiratory team leaders, and non-medical partners for less severely involved campers. In addition there is a Junior Partner/Counselor program. Volunteers come from nine states. The time of some individuals has been contributed by their companies.

Camp staff will include, but not be limited to, a minimum of a 2:1 ratio of staff volunteers to camper participant. Staff are composed of licensed, registered, or certified health care professionals including, but not limited to, physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Each camper will have a camp staff individual assigned to them as a primary care partner for that camper throughout the camp experience.

Our camp staff consists of:

• Camp Directors
• Health Staff
• Team Leaders
• Partners
• Activity Staff
• Junior Partners & Counselors

Pediatric Home Ventilator Program
Penn State Children's Hospital
P.O. Box 850
Hershey, PA 17033

Phone:  717-531-5337

Please fill out the form below to tell us what you think about our program or ask us any questions. We welcome all of your questions and comments.

The Pediatric Rehabilitation Home Ventilator Program is a comprehensive 6-week program designed to provide parents with the opportunity to learn all aspects of care and management of their ventilator dependent child. The program is based in rehabilitation because at the same time caregivers are learning to manage the ventilator and related equipment, the child will have the opportunity to experience a full range of therapy services designed to maximize functional skills and promote development.

Children served in this program are either partially or completely dependent on life-sustaining equipment and require rehabilitation services to address related problems such as nutritional status, oral-motor dysfunction, developmental skill acquisition, adaptive equipment needs, communication, play skills, and self care.

Our rehab team assure that the family's needs are met by providing access and information regarding insurance and community services that are available to assist the family when they return home.

Our goal is that the child will return home with his/her family as an active participant in family and community life. A care plan has been written to guide the family and staff through the admission. At discharge, the family will be an expert in the care of their child and support services will be in place to assure a smooth transition to the home.

Improving Developmental Skills

• The therapists and families together work on developmental skills.

The Family's Role

• Families carry over what they have learned to non-traditional settings
• Families get their children out of bed for developmental play activities
• Families perform basic care activities
• Families follow through on feeding and oral stimulation programs
• Families learn to work with the ventilator, with staff close by to offer support
• Families get their children outside, with staff along for support

By the end of the rehab stay the families are the experts in their child's care.

Volunteers generally arrive the day before the campers to help set the camp up. Most volunteers then stay for the week with the campers. Volunteers come in on a Saturday with the campers coming into camp on Sunday. There are many ways that you can volunteer at PA Vent Camp.  Click here to fill out an application.

• Partner - partners are paired with a camper and help to care for their needs, get involved with activities or crafts, and generally buddy up with the  camper for the week. Partners do not necessarily need to have a medical background, however, this is helpful for many of our campers.
• Junior Partner - junior partners are high school students who will also be paired with a camper for the week and help the Partner to care for the camper and make sure the camper is having fun.
• Junior Counselor - junior counselors are children ages 10-12 who help out where needed at camp. They help with decorating, arts and crafts, activities, clean-up, and wherever help is needed.
• Activities - the activities crew is the creative aspect of camp. This group is in charge of all of the activities for the week including arts and crafts, games, talent show, etc.
• Team Leaders - team leaders are nurses or respiratory therapists who are in charge of making sure the campers have all of their medical needs met including medication administration, feeds, respiratory therapies, etc.

We also take nursing and respiratory therapy students. This is a great opportunity to advance your clinical knowledge.

You can also donate to PA Vent Camp.  Make checks payable to:
PA Vent Camp
500 University Drive, MCH085
Hershey, PA 17033