This year we celebrate Lab Week on April 23-29. Lab week is our opportunity to celebrate and recognize the valuable work of our clinical laboratories and the dedicated people who work there. LA Health Services (DHS) is made up of 10 clinical laboratories supporting three acute care medical centers, a rehab center, and six comprehensive healthcare centers, ambulatory care centers, and urgent care clinics. Lab week is in its 47th year of celebrating the contribution that laboratory professionals make to the care of our patients. It is sponsored by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science in conjunction with 17 other national clinical organizations.
Reflecting on this past year, as we emerge from the pandemic, it has been a year of shortages. Because of ripple effects from the pandemic, there have been periodic shortages of supplies, reagents, and most of all, staff. This year, our staff has had to do more with less than at any time in recent memory. Despite the challenges, our lab staff has stepped up and kept their primary focus on patient care and safety. They have consistently worked 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 contributions the lab has made in the last year include: adding Fentanyl to the urine toxicology screen and bringing the test in-house at the medical centers for improved turnaround time and timely patient care; validating and implementing a new platform for immunohistochemical stains on surgical pathology specimens; improved coordination of Point of Care testing between the clinical labs and the Ambulatory Care Network; the creation of two new county items, the Pathologists’ Assistant, and the Quality Director; creation of a Lab SharePoint; implementation of the Navios and Aquios instruments for flow cytometry; expanded Covid-19 testing to Correctional Health Services (CHS), Juvenile Court Health Services (JCHS), and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center; and implementation of QMATIC, an electronic notification system for patients waiting for phlebotomy, improving patient access to laboratory services.
Please join us in thanking all of 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.
As an added treat, check out our awesome Lab Staff’s creativity highlighting their unique role in health care: Saved by the Lab V3.mp4
