Adjusting Our Sails in Response to COVID-19

5 February 2021Dale F, Whittall ‘21

Since the new school year has begun, the Brentwood health team has worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of students and staff on campus. A priority is preventing the spread of COVID-19, but they continue to mend our broken bones – and broken hearts – on a daily basis.

The first priority when students arrived back was to triage anyone with COVID-19 like symptoms. They started by creating a second Health Center in the old Woodward Sportsplex, now renamed the Woodward Clinic. This building was built to have beds and quarantine rooms for those who showed symptoms of COVID-19, and more staff were hired to run the clinic.

When students get referred to the Woodward Clinic, an appointment is made to have them assessed and determine if a nasal swab COVID-19 test is warranted. The student then is isolated there until the test returns negative. The result is texted to the student from Island Health when it becomes available. If the test were to come back positive, the student would remain in isolation in the Woodward Clinic. So far, no positives.

One student who did get tested reports, “I had some Covid-like symptoms, including dizziness and some coughing, so the Health Centre staff decided to test me. Staying in one room for three days wasn’t great, but I had my own room with my own bathroom. I watched Netflix and the nurses were very nice. My RFA came by for a visit one evening and we got to chat. When the test came back negative, I got to reunite with my housemates.”

Nurse Christina, my mother, said that “Working with students and staff through this pandemic has challenged us to look at how we do things. It also has us re-evaluating our expectations of the students, each other, and ourselves. We strive to continue to work towards keeping everyone fit, fed, and rested, which we know boosts immune systems and contributes to physical and emotional wellness.”

If it were not for the incredible health team we have at Brentwood, we would not be able to return to campus. They continue to improve their systems and policies as more information from the BCCDC comes out. “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails” says Nurse Decker quoting her favorite country singer, Dolly Parton.

The adjustment to COVID-19 was not an easy task, but the many great implementations the Health team has added such as forming learning cohorts, masks, hand sanitizing, social distancing, and the Woodward Clinic, has made this process successful.

Thank you to a the Brentwood health team. Our school would not be able to run without you.

Dale F, Whittall ‘21

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