Whether it be scrapes and bruises or headaches and fevers, every school always has people in the health office ready to help fix the issue. They work hard to make sure that students stay healthy and safe now more than ever. Ms. Moffitt is one of them; the PM Health Office assistant here at West. A lot of her work goes unnoticed but she helps keep the school up and running. 

   In university, Ms. Moffit was employed in a medical office where she gained a lot of important experience. She moved away from the medical field over time, but decided to come back and found the perfect opportunity at West: a part-time Health Office assistant. “I was able to return to the workforce and this was a perfect fit,” She remarked.

   Ms. Moffitt’s main job is to provide care and support for students that feel unwell. She works very hard to ensure that students’ needs are being met and determine whether they need to be sent home or not. When she’s not caring for others, she has to check everyone’s vaccination records (all 2000!), email parents, keep track of medication, make sure that supplies are up to date, and check that nothing is expired, among other things. 

  Before COVID-19,  Ms. Moffit was on campus from 11:30 pm-3:00 pm. Now she works longer hours as there is a lot more to be done. She notes that “this year the majority of our time has been spent contact tracing COVID-19 cases” and is busy almost all the time that she is clocked in.

   When it comes to contact tracing, she is first notified by the Principal Ms. Murata or the District Nurse. They notify her of when someone has tested positive for COVID-19. She is given the names of people that have been in close contact with those COVID-positive individuals. From there, she starts doing research on the student’s vaccine records; calling home if they are not available. She then sends out forms to quarantine and keeps track of how long each student has to be isolated. 

   Even with all this extra work, she still remains positive about her job and continues to say, “I like it. A lot. I love it, actually!”