Thank you Donna Hallcroft for 31 years of service

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!