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BY HAHN ADAMS
Edic Fullwood isn't a doctor and she isn't a nurse.
Still, she is an important link in the county's chain of
public health care.
As head of the Brunswick County Health Department's
laboratory, she supervises the support sendees
that often enable the department's medical staff to correctly
diagnose and properly treat health problems.
"I love it," Mrs. Fullwood said of her work. "You get
a lot of satifaction from this job in that you're really helping
a segment of the population that needs it."
As a result of her work with the local health department,
the 53-year-old Southport resident was recognized
earlier this year as 1988 Outstanding Laboratorian of the
Year by the Eastern District of the N.C. Public Health
Association.
Mrs. Fullwood, the first recipient of the new award,
was honored in May at the district association's annual
meeting in Nags Head. The award was presented by Dr.
Lou Turner of the state health laboratory in Raleigh.
"It being the first (award) made me feel very good,"
she said. "And I was very surprised, because I didn't
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Nominated by Brunswick County Health Director
Michael U. Rhodes, Mrs. Fullwood was selected from
nominees representing health departments throughout
the 58-counly district.
Rhodes' nominating letter outlined Mrs. Fullwood's
achievements during the previous year, including
numerous training sessions that she attended and conducted,
and several new testing programs she implemented.
Also, she developed a new ordering procedure
to eliminate shortages and stockpiling of
laboratory supplies.
The health director also noted that Mrs. Fullwood
completed a Spanish language class this spring at
Brunswick Community College to help her better communicate
with Spanish-speaking migrant workers who
are health department clients. She now serves as an interpreter.
A Colorado native, Mrs. Fullwood has lived in
Brunswick County for 11 years. Her husband, Lennie
Fullwood, is a civilian boat operator at the Sunny Point
Military Ocean Terminal. They have two children?ArBreast
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mando, 23, of Charlotte, and Melina, 15, a student at
South Brunswick High School.
Mrs. Fullwood attended Trinidad State College in
Trinidad, Colo., and graduated from the St. Francis
Hospital Schools of Medical Technology and Radiology in
Colorado Springs. Colo. Before moving to Southport, her
husband's hometown, she worked at medical facilities in
Colorado, Florida and Virginia, where he was stationed
in the U.S. Air Force.
In Brunswick County, she was employed as staff
technologist at Dosher Memorial Hospital in Southport
for 4'i years before being hired by the county as
laboratory supervisor five years ago. She said she enjoys
the slower pace of her current job, which isn't as stressful
as having to deal with the emergencies that are common
in hospitals.
"Some days we're really busy, but those days you
can handle," Mrs. Fullwood said. The health department
operates as many as five clinics a day, with the lab providing
support services for the various programs.
"My responsibility is to see that all the equipment in
our lab is maintained and that the quality control on all
our tests is performed with accuracy," she noted.
Among other lab work, Mrs. Fullwood and lab technician
Debbie Sawyer handle blood typing, blood counts for
anemia and infections, blood sugar and cholesterol
screening, tests for sexually-transmitted diseases and
complete urinalyses.
They also process specimens for other tests that are
done at the state health laboratory in Raleigh, then later
dispense the lab results to physicians. The state lab
recently quit doing blood chemistry panels for the department.
However, Mrs. Fullwood emphasized that the health
department still offers the service. The testing has been
contracted out until the department can purchase the
equipment to do chemistry panels in-house.
Another service she hopes to take on eventually is
water sample testing, which also is done now by the state
lab. "I would hope that someday we could test our water
in-house," she said. "It would save a lot of time, especially
with the growth of Brunswick County."
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I.AB SUPERVISOR EDIE FULLWOOD (right) of the Brunswicl
technician Debbie Sawyer.
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RUNS WICKfe BEACON 13
hursday, August 18, 1988
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STAFF PHOTO BY RAHN ADAMS
k County Health Department checks in on lab
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