Patients and their Blessing Health providers will be getting vital lab results even faster after the recent completion of a four-year makeover of the Blessing Hospital laboratory, the largest multiphase renovation project the hospital has undertaken in a decade.
The 33-month project had to be done in 13-phases because the laboratory operates around-the clock every day of the year. It cannot be closed for renovation. Construction crews worked around and alongside laboratory technologists to make improvements to workflow and installation of new technology, so that patient care was not affected.
The project included the installation of new, sophisticated equipment – which had to be installed and operational before the older equipment could be shut off and removed - the modernization of all departments and spaces within the lab, the addition of a molecular division and its equipment that was moved from leased space, the installation of new infection prevention-approved flooring throughout the department and a walk-in redundant refrigerator/freezer for efficient storage of supplies needing refrigeration.
“The laboratory added 11 major pieces of equipment in order to continue to offer state-of-the-industry best practice testing, increase efficiency through automation, introduce high-throughput testing, and capitalize on improvements in equipment safety for our work team,” said Michelle Combs, PhD, MB(ASCP), director of laboratory services, Blessing Health System.
“These improvements represent an investment in our community, delivering accurate and timely testing even at highest peak of demand,” she concluded.
The Blessing Hospital Laboratory is the largest and most advanced in a 100-mile radius, performing over 3 million tests a year. It serves all Blessing Health patients and providers in west central Illinois and northeast Missouri as well as other organizations that contract with the lab for its services.
The Blessing laboratory is certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathology, the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs. It partners with laboratories worldwide to elevate the quality of laboratory medicine with best-in-class solutions designed to drive operational excellence, achieve diagnostic confidence, and ensure the best patient care.