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Scott medical lab helps with diagnoses

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Megan Friedl
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  If someone needs to find an answer to a medical problem usually the first step is to give a blood or urine sample.

The 375th Medical Support Squadron medical laboratory supports more than 37,000 base personnel, providing accurate and timely diagnosis results through the testing of fluids every day.

"The pharmacy wouldn't even be able to function without the lab because they track all of the medications," said Tyres Sturgis, 375th Medical Support Squadron technical supervisor for phlebotomy and client service area

There are multiple sections of the phlebotomy lab that work together to discover what is in your blood, such as, the blood bank, hematology, chemistry and microbiology.

"I ensure that the budgeting and scheduling runs smoothly, so the samples go to the proper medical facilities," said Sturgis.

Many certifications must be upheld to ensure the highest quality of the samples. Second Lt. Giselle Rieschick, 375th MDSS flight commander of medical laboratory is in charge of ensuring the certifications are up to date. She also manages the civilian and active duty technicians, along with eight students that are currently in upgrade training here.

Many of the blood and urinalysis tests are done at Scott, but if the test cannot be taken care of here, Sturgis who is also the supervisor of the shipping department, ensures that the samples will get to the correct place for the proper testing.

In addition to the variety of testing done in the lab, Sturgis also manages a unique program to help people all around the world.

She manages the bone marrow program. This lab is the only one in Illinois that provides an avenue for active duty members to register for the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor program. After signing up, the individual is put onto a registry to potentially give a bone marrow transplant to those in need.

If there is someone specifically on base who needs a bone marrow transplant the lab will put on a bone marrow drive to try to recruit people to go onto the registry to help that individual.

"I think the lab is amazing and even though we are downsizing by 20 percent this year, our services are not going to change," said Rieschick. "We're just learning how to think smarter."