“Operation Sick Bay”: An Opportunity for Community Service Learning

Abstract

“Operation Sick Bay” was the inspiration of the 3 full-time nurses at Framingham High School, which has a population of 1,800 students and 300 teachers and staff. The primary focus of Operation Sick Bay was to create a health services environment conducive to learning about health and illness, developing lifetime skills in self-help and self-care, providing a restful atmosphere, and involving students and staff in taking pride in their school health services center. The “sick bays” are small units with privacy curtain closures used for students who need to lie down because of illness. There are 3 bays for female students and 3 for male students. Instead of the usual cream-colored walls, the project provided the opportunity to create a colorful environment designed to provide health information to students.