Naval Hospital Jacksonville Laboratory Professionals

Naval Hospital Jacksonville joined other laboratory professionals in celebrating National Medical Laboratory Professional Week (NMLPW) April 20-26. This year's nationwide theme was, "Laboratory Professionals: Delivering To-day's Results for a Healthier Tomor-row."

Excellence is what Naval Hospital Jacksonville's laboratory staff is all about. Laboratory personnel assigned to the Naval Hospital laboratory are currently delivering today's results in the hospital laboratory, in seven branch clinics in the southeast, supporting medical care in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the deserts and mountains of Operation Enduring Freedom.

NMLPW is a collaborative effort sponsored by 10 national clinical laboratory organizations to increase public understanding of and appreciation for all clinical laboratory personnel. Every day, nurses, physicians and other medical workers depend on laboratory professionals to perform tests on body fluids, interpret results, and help provide a complete picture of a patient's health.

Shonda Godfrey tests a sample for blood type.

The naval hospital's laboratory department consists of nearly 60 military and civilian personnel performing more than one million tests per year in the fourth busiest Navy Medicine laboratory.

In addition, the hospital oversees operations and provides assistance to Navy Medicine laboratories extending from South Carolina to Guantanamo Bay and currently has six staff members deployed in support of worldwide operations.

All staff personnel are either certified by a national agency or are eligible for board certification. Several staff members have advanced degrees in public health, management, and clinical laboratory science.

The laboratory is accredited and inspected by the College of American Pathologists, American Association of Blood Banks, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Hematology Supervisor Kent Carlyle counts white blood cells in a sample.

Hospital Laboratory Medical Director Cmdr. Lynn Beach said, "National Medical Laboratory Professional's Week is a great opportunity to focus on the outstanding staff who deliver accurate and timely laboratory results as part of the whole picture of a patient's health. At Naval Hospital Jacksonville, we have the added honor of delivering laboratory services worldwide in support of our deployed shipmates."

HM2 Shakika Walinski and Tamara Leverette place blood specimens in a centrifuge. Spinning the blood sample in a centrifuge compacts the blood cells for processing.

Anatomic Pathology Supervisor Paula Burch stains tissue samples on slides in the laboratory's staining machine.