Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center is proud of its Laboratory Department
and the innovative way
it is staffed to provide 24-hour coverage, seven days a week. Marra
Schmierer is the Lab Manager/
Phlebotomist. She obtained a BA Degree in Early Human Development from
WSU in 2001 and a
Phlebotomy Certification from Lewis and Clark College in Lewiston in
2002. All OMHC’s licensed nurses
and Drex Palmer, X-ray tech, have been cross-trained for lab and are able
to carry out laboratory
functions on their shifts. Amanda Iksic, as a previous nursing student,
offered a set of attributes that led
to her in-house training as a phlebotomist. The nursing classes she had
completed at BBCC met State
requirements and she was able to complete all additional training and
testing locally to qualify her. She
plays a vital role and rounds out the lab staff. Alice Patterson, MT,
serving as consultant, makes regular
monthly visits to review all monthly data, policies and procedures,
providing assurance that the lab is in compliance with rules and
regulations. PAML, referral lab, in Spokane receives blood samples for
testing
not done locally on daily basis. Results are received within 24
hours.
The
lab performs basic lab tests for the diagnosis and maintenance of acute
and chronic disease to
support all levels of care in the hospital and clinic, as well as for
outside providers. The regular hours for
lab are 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays. Outpatients should plan routine
testing during this time period.
No appointments are necessary and rarely does waiting time exceed 10
minutes. Patients who receive
routine lab orders from out-of-town doctors are encouraged to consider
having their lab work done at
OMHC. The drive is short, waiting time is minimal, lab charges compare
favorably with those at other
labs, and test results are reported on a timely basis. OMHC is currently
researching the feasibility of
purchasing a new piece of lab equipment that would increase the variety
and number of tests that
would be run in-house and provide a faster report time.
Lab Fairs are held twice a
year, usually in May and October. The comprehensive battery of screening
tests is open to anyone, with no doctor’s orders necessary. The cost is
minimal and cash payment is required. This is a good time for people to
be screened for chronic diseases that run in their families or that they
are otherwise concerned about, but that their insurance companies won’t
pay for because they have no symptoms. Watch for dates on the home page
of our website!
