Paris, TN — The clinical laboratory professional is a key member of today’s health care team. At Henry County Medical Center, we are fortunate to have 30 dedicated individuals serving our patients behind the scenes in the Lab. Laboratory professionals have the skills to unlock important medical information that is pivotal to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
Every day, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers depend on laboratory professionals to perform tests on blood and other body fluids, interpret the results, and help provide a complete picture of a patient’s health. Using modern biomedical equipment and complicated analysis, laboratorians can detect the presence of cancer, identify infectious viruses and bacteria, and measure glucose, cholesterol, or drug levels in blood. Without this precise and valuable information, medicine would simply become guesswork.
“We have a great team of laboratory professionals here at HCMC,” said Christy Roberson, Lab Director at HCMC. “Our staff is dedicated to our patients and work quickly and efficiently to get the providers results so they can come up with an appropriate plan of care for the patient.”
Laboratory professionals often work in hospitals, physician offices, or private clinical laboratories, performing laboratory tests and monitoring the quality of their results. Others are employed by university or industrial research laboratories to seek solutions for medicine’s many unanswered questions. And these professionals are increasingly found outside the traditional laboratory, participating in community health activities, conducting environmental testing, or serving in the Peace Corps.
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (MLPW) began in 1975 under the auspices of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (then the American Society for Medical Technology). Now, numerous organizations participate in the event as co-sponsors and campaign supporters. Co-sponsors for 2017 include the following organizations:
- American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
- AABB
- AACC
- American Medical Technologists
- American Society for Clinical Pathology
- American Society of Cytopathology
- American Society for Cytotechnology
- American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
- American Society for Microbiology
- Association of Public Health Laboratories
- CLMA
- College of American Pathologists
- National Society for Histotechnology
MLPW 2017 In addition to MLPW activities headed by national groups, numerous hospitals and clinical laboratories around the country will hold celebrations to benefit the general public as well as laboratory professionals. These events are designed to recognize laboratory professionals, enhance their image, and educate the public, government and private sectors about their role in health care. Whatever the setting — behind the scenes or out in your community — laboratory professionals are by your side, working as key members of your health care team. From April 23-29, 2017, please join these professionals in celebrating National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week and their vital role in promoting and protecting your health.
Located in Paris, TN, Henry County Medical Center is a progressive, integrated healthcare organization committed to serving the healthcare needs of Henry County and the adjoining region. Including a 142-bed hospital and other facilities, the medical center provides a variety of outpatient services, as well as inpatient care. Henry County Medical Center is a county-owned and operated nonprofit institution.