Dancing with the Docs 2024 Supports “Unsung Heroes” of Laboratory Services
Published Monday, November 25, 2024
Donna Kane, Histotechnologist & Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) in Histology/Pathology Department in Laboratory Services at the Health Sciences Centre cutting surgical tissue on Microtome equipment.
by Graham Strong
It's one of the busiest areas of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. But even though it's key to patient care, patients never even see it...
Laboratory Services takes up a large area directly below the Emergency Department and beside Labour & Delivery. About 180 medical lab professionals work 24/7, 365 days a year performing over 2.5 million diagnostic tests annually.
The Hospital's lab is absolutely vital for patient diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Without these advanced lab tests, modern medicine as we know it simply couldn't exist.
“Our highly trained medical lab professionals touch patients' lives every day – including weekends and holidays,” said Georgia Carr, Manager of Laboratory Services. “Close to 70 per cent of all clinical treatment decisions are based on laboratory test results.”
Those tests include:
- Pathology – testing tissues for diseases such as cancer
- Microbiology – growing organisms such as bacteria from patient samples to diagnose infections
- Biochemistry – determining levels of various chemicals in the body including blood sugar, vitamins, hormones, electrolytes, and drugs/alcohol
- Transfusion Medicine – storing and testing blood products
- Haematology – testing for blood diseases and disorders such as lymphoma, leukemia, anaemia, and bleeding disorders
“Quality and accuracy are paramount – there isn't any room for error,” Carr said. “We need to keep up to date with technological advancements to ensure the highest quality tests, and bring new tests to Thunder Bay when they become available.”
Community support from generous donors to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation ensures the Hospital lab can keep up with these advancements.
Dr. Joseph Del Paggio, Chief of Oncology at the Hospital and co-organizer of the Dancing with the Docs fundraiser with his sister Patricia, said that funds from this year's event will support Laboratory Services.
“Patients and physicians are indebted to the unsung heroes of the Laboratory Services,” Dr. Del Paggio said, adding that cancer care can't happen without cancer tests. “Our laboratory works tirelessly in order for our oncologists to accurately diagnose and stage cancers, personalize safe and effective treatment options, and monitor patients during treatment with blood work and other tests.”
That new and upgraded lab equipment includes: a spectrophotometer to determine chemicals in a sample, an electrophoresis to separate proteins in blood, freezers and a fridge to keep samples at appropriate temperatures, a centrifuge to spin blood, a cell washer to prepare blood for analysis, a microtome to cut extremely thin tissue samples for microscope analysis, and a new microscope for examining cell/tissue samples.
If that list of items means nothing to you, don't worry – you're not alone! It speaks to how complex lab services really are. The bottom line is that this indispensible equipment provides high-quality, advanced lab tests for Hospital patients every day.
You can help support lab equipment purchases that are so important to patient care. Donate online, or visit or call the Health Sciences Foundation Donation Centre at 807-345-4673 and ask to direct your donation to Laboratory Services. Your gift today will have an impact on literally millions of tests every year!