Call to action from our CT friends in Puerto Rico



 Hector R. Garcia, SCT(ASCP)CMIAC has recently contacted our Board with news from the University of Puerto Rico, Cytotechnology program. Infrastructure in the area is still in poor shape and students are still in need of the bare necessities.

Here is a link to the student gofundme page. The board is currently working on additional ways we can help in the wake of this disaster, but anything we as individuals can contribute would be greatly appreciated. 

Please see the letter we received from Hector below and consider a donation, however small.
Dear friends,
I was able to communicate with the Yadiris  Lopez Rivera, education coordinator of the PR school and she gave me an update of the situation of the school:

-They re-open the school October 9, the school is located in the Medical center complex and they have power, however interruptions are frequent. In order to make up for the lost time classes usually ends a 9 PM and on Saturdays.
-There facilities did not suffer significant  damages like others buildings in the Medical center complex.  
-The students spend most of the time at the school since there they have power and running water. Most of them don’t have electricity or running water at their houses or dorms. The faculty, as much as they can, provide them with bottle water and food/snacks
Since they can’t cook at their home for lack of power and a lot of their parents are unemployed due to the storm.
-The students created a gofundme link to raise funds  to buy food, water and others necessities . Any help is appreciated, the link is  https://www.gofundme.com/estudiantes-citotecnologia-pr-2017
-The email address of Yadiris is Yadiris.lopez1@upr.edu if someone will like to contact her directly.


Just trying to keep you informed and any help you can give them will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
 Hector R. Garcia, SCT(ASCP)CMIAC

Thank you Vendors

THANK YOU!


Hearty appreciation goes out to the following industry partners for generously sponsoring our 2017 Fall Conference in Waukesha!




Another reminder
The timeline for comments on the USPSTF reccomendation draft, extends through October 9, 2017. You can find a copy of the draft guidelines using this link:

Our friends at hologic have offered a website resource with information on the implications of moving away from Co-testing
Hologic has provided additional information and resources via this website:

Thank you Members! Now to Arms! to Arms!

Thank you Members!

Our Fall meeting was a great success! Please watch this page for some fascinating cases and lecture posts!

One great concern was brought up during the course of our meeting and it is vital that everyone sound off on this issue. This concerns our entire profession, our healthcare system, and the health of our patients...

On September 12, 2017 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released draft guidelines for cervical cancer screening.
These draft recommendations represent a significant change from current practice:
Pap cytology alone: interval = 3 years; age 21-65
HPV alone:  interval =5 years; ages 30-65
Co-testing (Pap plus HPV): Not Included
If these draft USPSTF recommendations are finalized, women may be denied access and reimbursement for screening with co-testing.

The timeline for comments on this draft, extends through October 9, 2017. You can find a copy of the draft guidelines using this link:

Please Take some time to write thoughtful commentary on this draft!!!

Here is also a link from ACOG, as they are reviewing the data used by USPSTF to determine this draft (all EU data).

Hologic has provided additional information and resources via this website:

Please keep the following in mind:
  • There are multiple reasons ACOG & ASCCP have co-testing as their preferred method of Cervical Cancer Screening.  The vast amount of data supporting these positions is strong and has not changed over the years. 
  • Co-testing is standard of care in the United States with >65% adoption.
  • 1 in 5 Cervical Cancers would be missed using HPV alone (Blatt study).
  • Co-testing would catch ~70% of the HPV negative Cervical cancers that HPV alone misses (Blatt study)
  • It seems that all the recent US data was ignored by the USPSTF in their assessment of guideline changes
  • Non-US studies are being used to determine US guidelines, ignoring key differences in patient demographics and testing methodologies used in the states.

New Job Posting!

Yet another excellent opportunity. Please have a look!



Job ID: 216273  Cytotechnologist FT, Days, 72 hrs., Bi-Weekly

All Saints Hospital Racine, Wisconsin

More Wisconsin Jobs!

Hey everyone! I know you are very excited about the upcoming Meeting!!!

But here is a nice job announcement while you wait

The Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene is recruiting a Cytotechnologist.

This position will be instrumental in both the Cytology and Surgical Pathology Lab at WSLH

You can find the PVL Here!
And a Link to the WSLH Jobs Page

Applications close Sept 15th

Gimme a J! Gimme an O! Gimme a B!

We are happy to announce a great Wisconsin employment opportunity is available in our profession.

UW Health is recruiting a Cytotechnologist for their Gynecological  and Non-GYN ROSE services!
Please check out further details and apply HERE 


Fall Newsletter (Meeting Info!)

Many thanks to our Newsletter Editor and all of our board members and friends who contributed to our 

Inside you will find all of the details of our Fall meeting!

Please see our Events Page
For links to lodging and online registration!


SAVE THE DATE!

Fall meeting

────

Saturday September 23, 2017

────

Further Details on our Upcoming Events Page as they become available! 

MARRIOTT MILWAUKEE

 WESTW231 N1600 Corporate Court, Waukesha, WI 53186

 Phone: 262.574.0888

www.mariott.com/MKEMW


Special WSC rate
Last day to book: 8/25/17

$89.00/ night

New Job Posting!

Hello Friends!

I hope you are all enjoying the great presentations at the combined MSC WSC Meeting!

The Wisconsin State Lab of Hygeine is looking for a new Cytology Supervisor. Here are the details.

Thank you President Michele Smith for sharing this with us!  Details below.



The WSLH, Disease Prevention Division, is currently recruiting for a Cytotechnologist.  This position is located at 465 Henry Mall Madison, WI 53706 .  The link to the Position Vacancy ID is listed below: 
                                                                                                                                                                    
Interested applicants should click on the “Apply Now” button in the below link to create an account or log in (if you already have an existing account) and start the application process. http://jobs.hr.wisc.edu/cw/en-us/job/494773/cytology-supervisor-instructor-cytotechnology-program
                                                                                                                                                  
Application Deadline: April 21, 2017

Registration Deadline is nigh!

Don’t forget, Friday is the last day to register for the WSC/MSC meeting!


Or contact Charmayne or one of the other board members directly and let them know you are coming! 

You can bring a check on the day of the 

meeting for your registration. 




We have an outstanding group of exhibitors!
Find out what is new in the industry,
Look for ways to make your life easier!
Hologic
Roche
Sakura
ASCT Services
Cancer Diagnostics
Newcomer Supply
Creative Waste Solutions
Psyche Systems

Cytotechnologists Needed Immediately !

Hello Everyone,

One of our former committee members, Dr. Tench, has asked me to reach out to you because CerviCusco is in need of volunteers to help staff a Pap clinic in Cusco, Peru scheduled for May 15-19th.  The Pap cases are SurePath slides and there are Olympus BH2 microscopes available for the staff to screen with as well as an upgraded screening area. 

 If you know of anyone, especially cytotechnologists, that would be interested in volunteering please have them contact Dr. Nancy Joste, njoste@salud.unm.edu, as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, if the group is unable to secure enough volunteers within the next week or so they may have to cancel this clinic session. 

Thank you

Kelly M. Goodrich, CT(ASCP)


Additonal Information Regarding CerviCusco

http://www.cervicusco.org/ (CerviCusco Website)

A blog entry on the clinic and a volunteer experience

Below are the other dates for 2017 if you or your colleagues are available during these additional times for CerviCusco.

MISSION DATES FOR 2017: 

WEEK 1. MARCH 20-24 
WEEK 2. MAY 15-19  
WEEK 3. JULY 3-7 
WEEK 4. AUG 21 - 25  
WEEK 5. OCT 17-21  

WSC & MSC Combined Spring Meeting!

WSC&MSC 2017 SPRING MEETING
What you need to know

This Spring! we will be joined by our friends and colleagues from the Minnesota Society of Cytology. Our dual meeting will occur April 7th and 8th at the  The Wilderness Resort & Conference Center in the Wisconsin Dells. Rooms are blocked and available April 6th through the 8th.


We will also be priveleged to learn from presenters like...
Dr. Michael Roh, Dr. Heide Lehrke, and Dr. Craig Roberts
And Many More!
2 whole days packed with great speakers



Please Check out our 
and
For all the Details 

A Medical Mission Trip!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go on one of those Medical Missions you hear about from time to time? Well, Laura Mueller has been gracious enough to share her story with us.






When I went to the cytology meeting in September of 2016 I was hoping to keep in touch with the latest advances in the field of cytology. I had no idea that this meeting would provide me with an opportunity to participate in a missions trip. I had always longed for an opportunity to use my skills with a missions trip but the trips I had heard about only needed nurses or med techs. So during the business meeting when Katie Hughes, the Hologic rep, mentioned that she participated in a Medical Missions trip and that she needed someone to come along with her my ears perked up. Katie told me more about the trip during lunch and I decided to go.
This January, Katie and I hopped on a plane with other medical professionals and headed for Sumpango, Guatemala. We spent the week in Los Olivos church working at a medical clinic. There were two OB-GYN doctors who traveled with the team. They collected Pap smears and we stained and screened them while the doctors finished the rest of their evaluation. The doctors were able to give the patients the results of their Pap tests before the patients left the clinic. Follow up appointments were arranged for any women who had abnormal Pap results.


The Woodlands Church in Plover, WI participates in multiple Medical Missions trips per year. They would like to build a contact list of people who are interested in participating. The trips are usually scheduled to fly out on Saturday and arrive home the following Sunday. Dates for the next trips are not finalized yet. Most likely the trip to Guatemala will occur the second week of January. Another trip for Cartagena, Columbia usually takes place the third week of January.

What my experience was like.

After I signed up to participate on the missions trip I was invited to come to Woodlands church for two meetings where I could meet other team members and learn what I needed to do to prepare for the trip.


On the day of departure they offered several options. We could meet at the church in Plover and take a bus to the airport. We could meet the bus at stops along the way to the airport. We could meet at the airport in Chicago, or we could meet at an airport with a connecting flight. Once we were in Guatemala the church took care of everything. Transportation, meals and lodging were all provided. A friend from Guatemala met us at the airport and acted as our cultural guide. At the orphanage, we slept in rooms with 10 - 14 sets of bunk beds per room with attached bathrooms and showers.

Just a little about the orphanage, Misioneros Del Camino, was founded by Mrs. Leonor Portela in 1986. Leonor was widowed with a six months old son in 1961. After a devastating earthquake in Guatemala in 1975 that left 23,000 dead and 100,000 injured, she traveled to Guatemala taking aid for the victims of the earthquake. While in Guatemala she felt a calling from God and opened a home for children. They complex we stayed in is one of the ways the orphanage raises money to support the children they help. It greatly impacted me to know that the lady who currently oversees the day to day operations at the orphanage was also raised there as an orphan.
 
Our team consisted of medical professionals (two internal medicine doctors, two OB Gyn doctors, an Orthopedic doctor and a Pediatrician), medical students, nurses, two cytotechs and family members who did not have medical backgrounds but were able to help in other ways. In Guatemala we were met by Medical Students from Guatemala. These students volunteered their time and served as our translators. The Guatemalan medical students came from upper-class families and found it a cultural experience to interact with the rural community.

A little about Los Olivos church. This church agreed to partner with Woodlands Church 10 years ago. At first they rented the community center and the church helped as crowd control, etc. Over the years the church has recognized where they could play a greater role as part of the clinic so they began to make appointments to minimize the patient lines. They also trained groups of volunteers to meet with each patient and offer them real-life assistance in their daily living. The church also coordinates follow up care. For instance, the Woodlands medical team takes the prescriptions for eyeglasses home with them and then mails the finished eyeglasses back to Guatemala. The church will contact these patients to let them know when their glasses arrive and arrange for the patient to pick their glasses up.
All of our patients were of Mayan descent. Because the church realized the medical help we were offering the patients was at best temporary relief they also realized that the most important connection we could offer them was a connection to the church. To do this each patient was given the opportunity to meet with church members after their doctor visits. One of the more profound stories was a mother who had just lost her husband. The church was able to come along side of her and offer her support meeting the her needs of those of her children.

Each morning and evening we met in a central location to prepare for and debrief from the day. This allowed all of us to share stories and feel unified as a team. As cytotechs we had nine year old girls helping us stain slides. The church was grateful that these girls were able to experience that they smart enough to work in a “lab” and perform technical work. The last day we spent in Antigua. This city was founded in the 1500s and used to serve as the capital city of Central America until frequent earthquakes encouraged them to move the capital to Guatemala City.
Next year the team will be going to a more rural area. They will be working with 25 rural churches. Instead of staying in an orphanage they will be staying in a hotel with 2 people per room. An estimated 20 % of people will be severely malnourished. Again, all food and lodging will be provided as part of the trip.


If you would like to be notified about upcoming missions trip opportunities, please e-mail me at tlmueller9@yahoo.com and I will forward your information to trip coordinators. I would love to share stories and photos of my adventure with anyone interested.
Laura Mueller