Roseville, Sacramento, South Sacramento

Summer camp for kids with diabetes

Come June 10, Taylor Murphy (pictured at left) will pack her suitcase, grab her sleeping bag, and board a bus for a weekend camp sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. She is among nearly 70 young Kaiser Permanente members headed for Camp Kaiser, an annual three-day outing for children with type 1 diabetes.

Located in the Sierra foothills, the camp offers swimming, go-karts, and campfires. But campers are also practicing diabetes management.

Sobha Kollipara, MD, is subchief of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes in the North Valley. She started the camp 10 years ago and says that it offers children 9 to 16 the chance to learn more about the disease in a casual setting. “We’re teaching children how to have fun away from home while managing their diabetes.”

Murphy has been going to Camp Kaiser since 2007. “It’s really comforting, because they know what you’re going through,” she says of other campers. “We share war stories, and no one makes fun of others. It’s my favorite trip of the year.”

Camp Kaiser is for kids who live in the greater Sacramento area and are Kaiser Permanente members. It is funded by Kaiser Permanente North Valley and campers pay just a $10 registration fee. The camp is mostly staffed by volunteers from Kaiser Permanente and students from UC Davis and CSU Sacramento campuses.

If your child has type 1 diabetes and you want to learn more about Camp Kaiser, call the pediatric diabetes clinic at 916-474-2344. And find resources for diabetes in our online diabetes center.

Back to top