English - Public Health Laboratory

Public Health Laboratory

Tulare County Public Health Laboratory from HHSACommunity on Vimeo.

The Tulare County Public Health Laboratory (TCPHL) provides laboratory services that protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of the people of Tulare County. We do this through the 11 Core Functions. (Existing partners, please call us at 559.685.5750 for a list of our services and pricing.)

Below are some examples of how we fulfill these core functions for our communities:

Disease Prevention, Control, and Surveillance: Our laboratory is both a clinical and environmental laboratory. We test approximately 30,000 environmental and clinical samples per year to assist with disease prevention, control, and surveillance.
Integrated Data Management: The TCPHL maintains electronic interfaces with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) CalREDIE system, the Centers for Disease Control and Surveillance (CDC) LIMSi system, and our county clinics’ electronic health records to enable rapid reporting and response.
Reference and Specialized Testing: As a public health laboratory in California, the TCPHL is authorized to conduct tests using emergency use authorizations, which enables rapid response to new and emerging infectious diseases. The TCPHL is also connected with other local public health labs, CDPH labs, and CDC labs to access reference and specialized testing that is difficult obtain in regular commercial labs.
Environmental Health and Protection: The TCPHL assists with environmental health and protection testing, in areas such as drinking water quality and animal rabies detection.
Food Safety: The TCPHL assists with testing needs associated with outbreaks or suspected outbreaks of foodborne illness.
Laboratory Improvement and Regulation: The TCPHL has implemented continuous quality improvement strategies, like Lean, to ensure high-quality services are provided efficiently and effectively.
Policy Development: Through our partners at the California Association of Public Health Laboratory Directors (CAPHLD), CDPH, and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), our lab is involved in policymaking designed to improve the quality of laboratory services in the United States.
Emergency Response: The TCPHL is a Laboratory Response Network regional reference lab that serves the entire southern San Joaquin Valley, including the counties of Tulare, Kings, Kern, Fresno, Madera, and Merced. We are the only lab in this region currently authorized and able to test suspicious substances for agents of bioterrorism. This requires a close partnership with first responders and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). We receive special funding from the state in order to provide these services to the region.
Public Health-Related Research: Our Public Health Lab stays current on new research and technology that can lead to improved laboratory service delivery.
Training and Education: The TCPHL is approved by CDPH to conduct training for Public Health Microbiologists in California. The TCPHL also partners with one of our local hospitals to assist with Clinical Laboratory Scientist training. In addition, the TCPHL provides periodic training opportunities for local hospital lab staff in topics such as Packaging & Shipping Division 6.2 Hazardous Materials.
Partnerships and Communication: In addition to partnerships with our local hospitals, clinics, and first responders, the TCPHL belongs to statewide and national surveillance networks, such as MeaslesNet, Norovirus Laboratory Network, Respiratory Laboratory Network, and the Food Emergency Response Network. We are also members of CAPHLD and APHL. Our laboratory staff are proud to provide services to our communities, which wouldn't be possible without our internal and external partnerships!