The role of local public health laboratories

Abstract

Local public health laboratories (PHLs) serve many of the same roles as state PHLs and often perform many or portions of the 11 Core Functions and Capabilities of State Public Health Laboratories; however, they differ in several important ways. First, many local laboratories provide testing at the site of patient care (e.g., sexually transmitted infection clinics) or address local environmental issues (e.g., water quality). Second, local PHLs support the missions of local public health departments, which may differ from those at the state level. Third, local PHLs often serve as conduits, collecting specimens for various state-level screening and disease-control programs; and while they may not perform the testing, local PHLs are responsible for tracking specimens, ordering tests, and reporting results. Fourth, local PHLs often serve as surge capacity for state PHLs, particularly for testing to support emergency response. Last, local PHLs work with and are typically co-located in the local public health agency with other public health programs. Local PHL professionals work as a team with investigators, inspectors, and community and public health medical professionals and, thus, are poised to provide rapid and relevant responses to community needs ©2010 Association of Schools of Public Health.