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Home My WebLink AboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-04-05, Page 7WEDNESDAY„ APRIL R. I05 IL, 'Your Health, Our Focus theme for technologists ;8,y,JIM BROWN The Advance -Times April 3 to 8 is National Medical, Laboratory Technologists Week., The theme for the week is 'Your gealth, Our Focus.' One of the most important con- tributions ontributions to your health care is the detection and accurate diagnosis of medical illness and disease. The medical laboratory technol- ogist, a highly skilled professional, often conducts a series of sophisti- cated tests on such specimens as blood, urine or tissue to investi- gate medical mysteries. As a key member of the health care team, the diagnostic informa- tion gathered by the medical labor- atory technologist makes a visible difference in determining an ap- propriate approach to a person's health care. Medical laboratory technolo- gists are the third largest health care profession in Ontario, behind - doctors and nurses, but they are members of the medical staff that people don't usually come into contact with. Nancy Brown, laboratory direc- tor at Wingham and District Hos- pital, said this is a profession that people really don't identify with that easily because the bulk of their work is done behind closed doors, in the laboratory. "We are the people who inflict pain and take a person's blood," said Brown. However, she added, that that is changing. With the trend towards miniaturization and portabiliity of equipment, tests formerly confined to the laboratory are now available at the patient's bedside. A few will even be used at home. With on-going improvements in laboratory equipment, there are now many new techniques and ap- proaches that make it possible to detect and diagnose at speeds and accuracies linitnagined just a fe#i- years ago. • Brown said that as one of the regulated health professions in On- tario, the more than 8,000 labora- tory technologists in the province must belong to the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario. Medical laboratory technolo- gists in Canada are certified by the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technologists signifying that they meet uncompromising stan- dards and are qualified to perform complex testing and analysis in the medical laboratory. • • THE HAMAR INCL TRIER Ontario • • Laboratory-w..MaryDonaldson, MLT, works in the bac- teriology`department at the Wingham and District Hospital. The medical laboratory technol- ogist draws on knowledge of a va- riety of technologies and a unique set of skills acquired from exten- sive training. For example, they may need to quickly, identify the blood type of an accident victim waiting for a critical blood transfu- sion, determine a rare bacteria strain responsible for a potentially fatal infection, or detect abnormal cells rapidly changing as a result of a blgbd disease. F But a" medical laboratory tech- nologist's education is never fm- ished. With increasingly sophisti- cated technologies, combined with constantly changing disease pat- terns, they are continually upgrad- ing their education and skill. In the years ahead, there is am- ple evidence to indicate rapidly ac- celerating changes for medical la- boratory technology. Brown noted that even though a medical laboratory technologist is constantly under pressure to com- plete tests, they still have to en- sure quality control. She noted that there are a lot of government regu- lations that have to be followed, including accreditation guidelines. She said that the Ministry of Health inspects the labs on a regu- lar basis to make sure they are per- forming tests properly. The stan- dards have risen over the years. "We have to pay very close at- tention to details," said Brown. "It is very meticulous work. That's all part of our quality control." The medical laboratory depart- ment at the Wingham hospital is comprised of nine medical labora- tory technologists, one lab assist- ant, one ECG technologist, and one receptionist. The staff does testing of patients who are in the hospital as well as out-patients. Brown stated that from April 1, 1994, to March 31, 1995, the lab at the Wingham hospital complet- ed over 309,000 tests. The disciplines within medical laboratory technology that are practised at the Wingham and Dis- • trict Hospital are clinical chemis- try, clinical microbiology, hema- tology, immunology, and transfusion science. Best speakers...Advancing to the Lions Club multiple district 'A° speaking compe- tition were (front) Elicla Robinson of Grand Valley, and Ajlt Krishnan of Port Elgin; (back) Dis- trict A-9 governor Bob Osborne, Katherine Rentsch of Shelburne, Kim Bouwers of Wingham, and co-ordinator Russell Zurbrigg. a4'h'l? 1.=�RutG T' ¢sty. • 1fyou're your rug expenses too much to handle. Here's help The need for prescription drugs shouldn't make anyone have to choose between health and financial hardship. Starting on April 1, people with unmanageable drug expenses can get help through the new Trillium Drug Program. The,chart below shows the annual out-of-pocket amount an individual or family will have to pay for prescription drugs before they can apply. Once people are eligible, the Ministry of Health 'will pay for approved prescription drugs. The new Trillium Drug Program will mean a healthier, more secure future for thousands of people struggling to pay for the prescription drugs they 'need. If you think you qualify, start saving your receipts for prescription drugs on April 1. More information and an application kit are available from the Ministry of Health at 1-800-268-1154,Toronto. 314-5518, TTY 1-800-387-5559; or from your local pharmacy. If your annual net family income is: Each year you pay the first: FAMILY FAMILY I FAMILY NET INCOME SINGLE OF TWO OFTI-IREE OVER THREE S20,0(11) or less S 500 2,1100 725 S 300 625 575 525 34). )0 speaking i Four advance in speng 01m I 40,50,000 _1 1,8511 95)) 850 801) 750 1,400 1,300 1,250 1,2011 1,75)) 1,700 1,65)) Four speakers advanced to the Lions Club multiple district 'A' ef- fective speaking competition set for Peterborough on May 6. Kim Bouwers of F.E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham was one of the four speakers ad- vancing to the next level of com- peti ion. e winners were decided at the Dis ict A-9 effective speaking w petition held last W evening at the Wingham high school. Kim Bouwers, a Grade 13 stu- dent at Madill, took first place honors in the senior Enlgish corn - petition. There were a total of six speakers. Also taking part in the event were Angela Yenssen of Neustadt, Anneliese Culver of Hanover, Monica Bolton -Walker of Gode- rich, Christian Bugden of Wiarton and John Ince of Grand Valley. Katherine Rentsch of Shel- bourne was first in the senior French competition. Also speaking in the event was Mandy Ruttan of Sauble Beach. Ajit Krishnan of Port Elgin was first in the intermediate English competition. There was a total of seven speakers taking part. Also speaking were Lisa Irwin of Chesley, Vance McPherson of Goderich, Taylor Wilson of Hon- eywood, Erin Van Moorsel of Ti- verton, Jody Benninger•of Formo- sa, and Mark Lavery of Orangeville. Elicia, Robinson of Grand Val- ley was first in the intermediate French competition. Also taking part was Nadine Maraj of Shel- bourne. At the Legion speak off in Ar- thur on Sunday, Kim Bouwers was runner-up in the senior high school divisiitin, 60,000 -'71),0) )1) 2.300 2,750 2,200 ) 2,151) 2,1011 2,650 2,60) ) 2,550 80,01)0 90,01)0 3,2011 100,000 3.650 4,100 3,101) 3350 4,000 3,050 3,000 1,501) 3,450 3,950 3,900 TRILLIUM DRUG PROGRAM For people with unmanageable drug expenses