A technical coordinator in the Microbiology Department at Windsor Regional Hospital has won a prestigious award for helping patients get their COVID-19 test results faster.
Lucy Di Pietro secured the technology needed to process tests on site.
She has been named the 2022 Lerners Healthcare Champion Award.
Early in the pandemic the hospital didn't have a licensed lab to process samples. They were sent out of the region, and sometimes it took days for patients to find out if they had COVID-19.
"It goes incredibly far in validating all of the extra time so many of us have been dedicating to our jobs here at the hospital and in-patient care facilities across the province," said Di Pietro. "I don't accept the award lightly. It is really for all the lab professionals in our healthcare system in Ontario."
Chief Nursing Executive Karen Riddell said Di Pietro's 30 years of experience has been invaluable during the pandemic.
"Lucy's dedication in the field helped us to ensure we were able to provide safe and timely care for our entire community," she said.
The award comes with a $5,000 charitable donation, and Di Pietro plans to pass that along to the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation.
