Donna Hallcroft and her husband Gerry moved to Gillette from Basin, Wyoming
in 1987 because they heard of a job opening for a Medical Technologist
in the Campbell County Memorial Hospital
Laboratory. That was 31 years ago, and Donna is retiring from Campbell County Health
on January 3, 2019.
When Donna first started at
CCMH, most lab testing was done manually and there was lots of handwritten
documentation. Compared to today, it took a relatively long time for testing
to yield results, and there was no such thing as transporting samples
through a tube system from the
Emergency Department to the Lab.
The department was much smaller than it is now, with only about 12 techs and four
phlebotomists (staff that do blood draws). Donna remembers working shifts that were
seven nights in a row, and the Medical Technologist was the only person
on duty to do all of the instrument maintenance and cover the whole hospital,
including the Emergency Department. Another memory that seems hard to
believe in today’s healthcare world—employees were allowed
to smoke in the lab!
When Lynn Todd was promoted to Lab Director, Donna took on the position
of LIS (Lab Information Supervisor), a role that grew increasingly complex
as the Lab became more and more automated and computerized over the years.
The Lab underwent a major expansion and remodel in 2008-2009, and Donna
remembers helping move the entire department, including equipment, to
the third floor south while the construction was going on. Donna has always
appreciated the way CCH has supported the advances in laboratory technology
over the years, proudly stating that CCH has the best lab in the state.
Donna says she will miss the people she’s worked with as she moves
on to her next adventure. She will be working for the
Sheridan VA Medical Center, doing much the same work she does at CCH. She and Gerry have a home in
Story, going there most weekends. Donna said it was a hard decision, but
the timing was right to make a change.
It will be difficult to replace Donna’s vast knowledge of almost
everything associated with the CCH Lab, according to Director
Lynn Todd. Lynn says she and Donna often finish each other’s sentences. Lucky
for Lynn and CCH, Donna has agreed to help incoming LIS Supervisor Carrie
Snyder with the transition.
Thank you Donna, for your dedication to our patients and community. You
will be missed!