Technology has made medical lab work faster and more efficient, technician Ruth McWilliams said as she showed off one of the large machines processing specimens on a recent workday at Natchez Pathology Lab.

McWilliams, with 40 years of experience, watched as the machine processed information on many patients, 74 on this day, each with an average of 15 different tests in the works.

&uot;If we were to do these same tests in 1964, it would be manually. I would not even want to

think how long it would take. We had to learn to organize our work carefully. It was extremely time consuming, and you couldn’t walk away from it. You had to stand right there.&uot;

The volume of patients served

at Natchez Path Lab therefore has increased significantly, with the introduction of the sophisticated new machines.

&uot;We’re running high-tech machines,&uot; said Bill Lambert, lab manager. &uot;We probably have a million dollars’ worth of machinery. And what we used to need a whole barrel of blood to do, we can do today with only a thimble full.&uot;

The machine McWilliams was monitoring, combining several different machines into one, is about eight years old, she said. &uot;The new instruments are amazingly accurate. Human error has been almost eliminated,&uot; she said.

In addition to the skilled technicians, Natchez Path Lab has three microbiologists on staff. &uot;That’s one area of our lab that has to be seven days a week. It’s a little more demanding,&uot; Lambert said.

Other employees at the lab include Katie Anders, Felicia Calcote, Jimmy Caskey, Nancy Gonsoulin, Fayla Guedon, Karrie Halphen, Cathy Hill, Sylvia Jones, Mimi Puddister, Kelly Robertson, Delain Robinson, Deborah Rollins, John Sago, Dani Troutman and Dianne Wyles.

Lambert said the small business is one Natchez can be proud to claim. &uot;We get so much bad news around here,&uot; he said. &uot;But we know there are bright spots in the economy, and we think we’re one of them.&uot;

Steckler and Lambert both take pride in serving their hometown. &uot;We’re a hometown bunch working here, and we take the work as something we can do to help hometown folks,&uot; Lambert said.