Lab week is an annual celebration of medical laboratory professionals, pathologists and partners in Lab Information Systems and Supply Chain who play a vital role in health care and patient advocacy. Lab Week is a significant event, as it provides us with an opportunity to recognize the invaluable contributions of our laboratory professionals. This year marked the 48th Annual Lab Week Celebration from April 14-20. Throughout the week, we planned various activities and events to celebrate the dedication and hard work of our lab staff. The theme for this year’s Lab Week was “The Laboratory is Everything” offered by the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) in conjunction with 17 other national clinical organizations, and we are excited to have you join us in commemorating this special occasion.
LA Health Services Lab enterprise consists of clinical laboratories supporting acute care medical centers, a rehab center, ambulatory care centers, Correctional Health Services and Juvenile Court Health Services. In addition, phlebotomists located at several outpatient clinics throughout LA Health Services interact with patients for specimen draws.
Reflecting on this past year, staffing shortages have been the biggest challenge. There is an industry-wide shortage of several lab staff classifications and we’ve worked hard with our Human Resources partners to streamline hiring processes. Our staff continues to step up and stay focused on patient care and safety. They consistently work in the background to provide the answers that allow providers to make good treatment decisions and follow the progress of their patients on different treatment modalities.
Some of the notable accomplishments of the LA Health Services Lab enterprise in the last year, include: transitioning to HPV screening as the primary screen for cervical cancer, bringing on the Cepheid instruments for Correctional Health Services, implementing upgrades for several of our instruments, and multiple software and Windows upgrades to address system security needs.
We’ve also filled new lab positions including Pathologist Assistant, Quality Director and doubled the size of our Clinical Lab Scientists student class.
Please join us in thanking all the Clinical Lab Scientists, Lab Assistants, Phlebotomists, Cytotechnologists, Histotechnologists, transcriptionists, clerical and administrative assistants, Clinical Lab Scientist Supervisors, Lab Managers, Section Directors, Regional Directors, Pathology Residents, Pathology Faculty, Medical Lab Directors, Lab Administration, Supply Chain, and Information Technology teams supporting labs, for all they do for our patients and our organization.
Check out our awesome Lab Staff’s creativity highlighting their unique role in health care: here (link is only accessible to LA Health Services staff)
