Lab Matters Summer 2024 | Page 19

of information that we can get from each sample .” The program has some of the most wide-reaching implications , she said , in terms of informing public health efforts and helping residents across the entire state of Colorado .

Personnel and Construction

When COVID-19 testing launched in 2020 , laboratories needed to quickly scale up personnel to respond to the demand . Many laboratories hired short-term contractors , who could be onboarded quickly . As the need for testing declined , the number of laboratory personnel went back down , too . However , some states have kept a few people , moving them into other open permanent roles and / or securing grant funding for their salaries .

Like in many states , contractors in Tennessee were hired and shifted around to different areas based on how the needs changed . Some of the contractors moved into permanent positions , but some who were supported by COVID-19 funding remain with the laboratory .

“ This bolus of funding has been incredibly helpful , but as it recedes , we ’ re looking at alternative ways to create that revenue for the laboratory and fill in the gaps that we anticipate they ’ re going to leave ,” said Kara Levinson , PhD , MPH , D ( ABMM ), director of the Tennessee Public Health Laboratory .

The laboratory ’ s funding for personnel ends in 2026 and 2027 , Levinson said . “ We ’ ve got a little bit of time , but we ’ re thinking about it now . We ’ ve tried to be strategic all along , but this is really where we ’ re starting to plan and find alternative ways to fund those gaps ,” she said . That includes looking for grant funding and analyzing the laboratory ’ s fees-for-service .

When the pandemic began , Delaware ’ s public health laboratory had about 50 full-time positions . That number doubled in response to the pandemic . Now , the laboratory has about 60 full-time positions . Some of those roles are now supported by ongoing grants , including PHEP and Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity .

“ So , we have options ,” Hovan said . “ We ’ re working with our division partners to utilize the best resources and determining how the positions are going to be utilized in the future .”

Some states were able to use funding — and garner support from state lawmakers — to renovate or expand their space or even build a new public health laboratory .

Delaware ’ s laboratory , which opened its current building in 1990 , is undergoing a $ 35 million expansion . The addition will nearly double the current 26,000-squarefoot space , which will allow the laboratory to expand its programs . In addition , the infectious disease epidemiology team will relocate to the laboratory .

Tennessee will have a brand-new public health laboratory in a couple of years , thanks to the surge in federal funding . “ We ’ re very excited about that ,” Levinson said . “ We ’ re finishing up the programming and design and about to move into construction .”

The current building was originally a TB hospital that was retrofitted into a laboratory in the 1980s . The new building , which will be built behind the old one , will increase space by about 30 percent . “ It ’ s also going to be set up much more efficiently for laboratory processes and workflows ,” Levinson said .

Funding Challenges

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This bolus of funding has been incredibly helpful , but as it recedes , we ’ re looking at alternative ways to create that revenue for the laboratory and fill in the gaps that we anticipate they ’ re going to leave .”

Kara Levinson , PhD , MPH , D ( ABMM )

As COVID-19 funding recedes , modern equipment , new staff and building renovations will stay . However , laboratory directors are concerned about stagnant federal funding and ongoing costs . One challenge that comes with the new equipment is the annual maintenance agreements .

“ We have so many new instruments ,” explained Lixia Liu , PhD , MP ( ASCP ), D ( ABMM ), director of the Indiana State Public Health Laboratory . “ Currently , we can afford maintenance because of the