FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                           

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Sheila Champlin – (901) 448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu or

Dena Owens – (901) 448-4072, dowens10@uthsc.edu

Registration Begins for Day Camp to Assist ADHD Children 

Organized by

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

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Memphis, Tenn. (May 18, 2011) – From June 26 to June 30, children in the Memphis area diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) will be offered a fun and exciting five-day camp filled with activities to help them establish suitable social behaviors.  The annual “All Days are Happy Days Camp” is open to youth ages 6 to 11 and provides one-to-three supervision. 

Held this year at Shelby Farms, Shelter #3, the camp provides oversight and consultation by a team of social workers, instructors and medical experts from the UT Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities, a program of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine.  In addition to activities, the camp will offer complimentary snacks, bottled water, supplies such as sunscreen and insect repellent, and transportation to Shelby Farms from UT Boling Center, 711 Jefferson Avenue.  Belinda T. Hardy, chief of Social Work at UT Boling Center, leads the camp. 

“Our camp allows children with similar ADHD challenges to gather in teams to address concerns such as impulsivity, hyperactivity and a short attention span,” explained Hardy.  “The camp develops each child’s self-esteem and problem-solving skills in a fun setting to help them realize they are not alone in facing these challenges.” 

Parents and siblings are invited to join campers on the first day, Sunday, June 26 at 5 p.m. The camp will be held that Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. and from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday of that week.

Interested parents can register their children or obtain camp details by contacting Hardy by phone, 901-448-6669, or e-mail, btate@uthsc.edu.  Parents can also find camp program and registration information at the UT Boling Center Web site, www.uthsc.edu/bcdd.

The UT Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities is an interdisciplinary program that supports children and adults with developmental disabilities  – as well as their families – through training, service, applied research, information dissemination, planning and policy development.  This is the ninth year that the Boling Center has offered a special day camp to families with children affected by ADHD.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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