Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories

Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin has issued an emergency appeal due to a blood shortage! To meet the needs of hospitals and ensure they have enough blood for patients, 3,500 donors (500 p/day) are urgently needed this week into next week. When our blood inventory gets as low as it is now, it jeopardizes the health and safety of patients who rely on life-saving blood transfusions. In some cases, hospitals are forced to postpone surgeries or delay critical treatments. Trauma victims from car accidents or shootings are at the highest risk, as their survival often depends on a healthy blood inventory. If these types of cases occur in the coming days, we might not have the blood needed to keep them alive. Patients undergoing organ transplants and battling cancer, and even mothers in labor could face treatment delays or complications due to a limited blood supply.

ALL blood types are needed, but the need for type O blood is especially critical. If you do not know your blood-type, the best way to find out is to sign up to donate.

As a reminder, WDL is hosting our next Blood Drive THIS FRIDAY August 16th from 9 am to 1pm. This is our chance to make a difference in the lives of so many who are in need!

LOCATION: A3540 Conference Room
8701 W Watertown Plank Rd
Milwaukee, WI 53226

MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT:
Appointments are highly encouraged. Secure your
spot by visiting https://donate.wisconsin.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/260775

Along with our transfusion services for patients of various medical centers and institutions, WDL hosts a series of blood drives in partnership with Versiti Blood Center throughout the year. It takes over 20,000 donors to support the Blood Bank within Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories. Last year, WDL Blood Bank collected a total of 258 whole blood products for patients through our blood drives. The giving never stops so that our impact doesn't stop.

The Blood Bank staff is a dedicated group that rises to the challenges of providing transfusion services to Level I Trauma occurrences. WDL’s Blood Bank is proud to partner with Flight For Life, a premier Critical Care Air Medical Transport Program serving our communities by linking those with illness or injury to resources which provide life changing medical care and outcomes. Our Blood Bank provides whole blood products to Flight For Life staff as they provide emergent transportation in the air across Southeast Wisconsin. We pride ourselves on partnering with organizations that share our commitment to quality patient care.

WDL Staff Spotlight: This week, we're proud to highlight Dennis Strenk, PA(ASCP)CM, Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories Pathologists’ Assistant! Dennis, along with Mary L. Mattes, MS, PA(ASCP), and Jeremy Li, Ph.D, co-authored "The Effectiveness of InVision, an Optical Imaging Device, in Assisting with Lymph Node Retrieval", a peer-reviewed case report that was published in the Journal of the American Association of Pathologists Assistants. The case report shows how using the InVision device increased lymph node yield. This research as well as Dennis' dedication are the perfect reflection of WDL's commitment to cutting edge research and diagnostics that positively impact patient care.

Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories would like to wish you all a Happy 4th of July! We hope that everyone is able to enjoy a day filled with joy, unity, and memorable moments with loved ones. Have a safe and wonderful Independence Day!

This month and every day, we honor the incredible contributions of LGBTQIA+ professionals, especially those in clinical laboratory science. Your dedication to advancing healthcare and fostering inclusive, innovative environments while being your authentic selves inspires us all. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to excellence and equity.

Together, we celebrate diversity and the power of authenticity in the workplace.

As we reflect on our commitment to excellence in our diagnostics and the wellbeing of our patients, we are also reminded of those brave heroes who have displayed courage as they've made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This Memorial Day, we share our sincerest gratitude for your service and honor. Your perseverance will never be forgotten.

Reminder: On Monday, April 22 at 11 a.m., Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories will be hosting our next Education Collaborative Discussion, featuring special guest Zaid Naima, PMP, DLM, ASCP(MB), CGMBS,
Founder of Sports Genetics LLC. The topic will be, Attracting and Retaining Laboratory Talent: Your Roadmap to Success.

You can register today by emailing [email protected]. In the email to register, please present your name, role and the name of the laboratory you support. A WebEx meeting invite will be sent for upcoming meetings. Please note these times are Central Standard Time (CST). Please feel free to share with other colleagues and organizations that may be interested in being a part of this meaningful discussion!

Important Update- Our current Layton PSC at 2500 W Layton Ave Ste 260 Milwaukee, WI 53221 HAS MOVED! Beginning on Monday, April 1st, our PSC can be now be found within the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Layton at 4570 S 27th St. Milwaukee, WI 53221. Please advise that our last draw is at 4:15pm!

We are excited to announce that Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories has been awarded Runner Up of the 2024 MLO - Medical Laboratory Observer (MLO) Lab of the Year award! This distinguished recognition comes from the excellent results our lab has achieved in customer service, productivity, teamwork, education and training, as well as strategic outlook. As demonstrated from our other accolades received this past year, our laboratory’s performance is indicative of our commitment to excellence in the clinical laboratory industry, which unfortunately does not always receive the praise it deserves. Thank you to all of our hardworking staff and leaders for making another level of recognition possible for WDL. For additional information on this recognition, please see the official article published by the Medical Laboratory Observer: 2024 Lab of the Year Runner Up: Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories | Medical Laboratory Observer (mlo-online.com)

We are so grateful for the continued dedication of our WDL community. All accomplishments achieved this year are truly a reflection of the distinguished leaders and staff on our team. We have humbly discovered that success doesn’t happen by accident, it happens intentionally through strong leadership and strong engagement. Maintaining a patient-centered framework within our laboratory is paramount to making sure we continue to provide the best care options for our clients and patients. Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories would like to wish you all a safe and enjoyable holiday season with your family and loved ones!

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Our commitment to patients and clients goes beyond the laboratory. Five years ago, Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories started the annual tradition of the Holiday Giving Tree with one of our community partners, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. In addition to providing lab services for Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, WDL staff come together to purchase gifts on a holiday wish list for Sixteenth Street patients and families. We are so fortunate to have such a strong partnership with Sixteenth Street, thank you for all you do throughout our community. We hope that this simple act of generosity will continue to provide our clients and their families with pleasant moments during the holiday season.

As Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories continues to strengthen our commitment to quality, we are excited to deepen our partnership with Health in an effort to streamline an efficient network of services that are critically essential to the outcomes of patient diagnostics and care. Please check out the official launch of Atalan!

Froedtert-backed Atalan launches to boost access to lab services - Wisconsin Health News Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories, owned by Froedtert Health, and HealthEco, a Denver-based company focused on growing healthcare organizations, recently launched a partnership to connect doctors and medical centers with a coalition of academic medical center laboratories.

“This [accreditation] means we can continue to have positive growth and development in the way we support patient care as a laboratory. It pushes us to be a high performing lab, in which we are to be able to survive and thrive”, says Michael Baron, Executive Director of Clinical Laboratory Operations for Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories.

Read more from our official media release celebrating Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories CAP ISO 15189 Accreditation!

Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories is excited to announce that we have officially acquired our CAP ISO 15189 accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). A journey that has taken over three years was finally manifested after WDL participated in a rigorous and in-depth internal assessment in 2021, Initial CAP assessment audit in January 2023, and an accreditation audit in June 2023.

WDL’s success and ability to serve this vast community comes through the dedication, commitment, and professionalism of our leaders and staff. We are extremely proud of our team for dedicating their time and efforts to making this possible. As we continue to strengthen our commitment to quality, we are excited for the ways this new accreditation will impact the productivity and caliber of services we continue to offer as an organization. Congratulations!

On Wednesday, September 20th, join Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories at 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (CST), for the next installment of our Education Collaborative meeting! Our guest speaker will be Dr. Elizabeth Margolskee, Professor in Hematopathology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. This session’s topic will be, “Collaborative partnerships for phlebotomy education: the CHOP experience”. Attendees can expect to discuss challenges in staffing a pediatric phlebotomy lab, partnering with a workforce development program to find talent, and more! This meeting proves to be a great opportunity to bring together clinical laboratory team members that are looking to share their experiences, actions, and ideas to meet the growing challenges of meeting staffing needs in the clinical laboratory.

You can register today by emailing [email protected]. In the email to register, please present your name, role and the name of the laboratory you support. A WebEx meeting invite will be sent for upcoming meetings. Please note these times are Central Standard Time (CST). Please feel free to share with other colleagues and organizations that may be interested in being a part of this meaningful discussion!