Public Health Laboratory
- What Public Health Laboratories do
- About the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory
- Customer Service / Kit Order Forms
- Lab Programs
- Vision and Mission
- Contact Information
What Public Health Laboratories Do
Public health laboratories provide life-critical services. When new health risks emerge or well-known problems reoccur, public health laboratories analyze the threats and provide the information with which health authorities, first responders, and other officials mount an effective response to protect citizens.
While private medical laboratories perform tests to diagnose problems afflicting individual patients, public health laboratories are engaged to safeguard entire communities. Across the nation, public health laboratories:
- monitor communities for pathogens that spread in food or through contact with people or animals.
- screen 97 percent of the babies born in the US for potentially life-threatening metabolic and genetic disorders.
- perform almost all testing to detect and monitor newly emerging infectious diseases like West Nile virus, SARS and Avian Influenza.
- test drinking and some recreational water for bacteria, parasites, pesticides and other harmful substances.
- rapidly identify suspect agents, as in 2001 when public health laboratories tested over 1,200 specimens a day during the anthrax attacks, ultimately conducting over one million laboratory analyses.
Read more about public health laboratories: Defending the Public’s Health (pdf)
Department of Health Laboratory
The Department of Health Laboratory is part of the department's Health Surveillance Division.
The Laboratory provides a wide range of test services such as clinical microbiology, rabies, drinking water, radiochemistry, blood lead and forensic toxicology. In addition, the Laboratory supports core environmental and public health activities including: disease prevention, control and surveillance; environmental health and protection; laboratory improvement and regulation; food safety; and emergency response.
The Laboratory is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) for clinical testing by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services and accredited by the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) for drinking water analyses.
Customer Service
The Lab's customer service staff Responds to internal and external customer inquiries, performs data entry of test information, assembles and processes orders for test kits, and mails all test results.
Contact Customer Service: (802) 863-7336
Customer Service Forms:
- Clinical Test Request Form (pdf)
- Rabies Request Form (pdf)
- Request for Additional Clinical Testing Form (pdf)
- Request for Patient Results or Corrections Form (pdf)
Test Kit Order Forms:
- Microbiology Kit Order Form (pdf)
- Blood Lead Testing Supplies Order Form (pdf)
- Water Test Order Form (pdf)
TO ORDER KITS CALL: (802) 863-7560
Laboratory Programs
Environmental Chemistry
Provides chemical analyses for public and private drinking water supplies (including radiochemical), analytical support for Vermont Yankee monitoring activities, test data interpretation, public health emergency chemical laboratory response for environmental samples (e.g. drinking water tampering incidents, floods, radiological), and certification of drinking water testing laboratories.
Microbiology
Provides a broad range of testing services to diagnose diseases of public health importance including sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, tuberculosis, influenza, rabies, hepatitis B & C, foodborne illnesses. Specific laboratories within microbiology include: molecular biology, mycology, water bacteriology, parasitology, bacteriology, mycobacteriology, virology, and serology.
The Microbiology Program also provides training and consultation, and support of epidemiological investigations, public health surveillance, and other public health responses (including bioterrorism, pandemic influenza, and naturally occurring emergencies such as floods).
Toxicology
Provides analytical services in blood alcohol, blood lead, urine drug, and special toxicology such as testing for blue-green algae toxins. The program is responsible for responding to chemical events that involve testing of clinical specimens for chemical terrorism or environmental toxins. The program also provides expert consultation to State programs, health care professionals, and law enforcement, and provides maintenance/support services and officer training for the DataMaster breath testing instruments used for DUI enforcement.
Vermont Laboratory Response Network (LRN)
The national Laboratory Response Network consists of local, state and federal public health, clinical, agricultural, veterinary, and environmental testing laboratories. The LRN is designed to provide a coordinated and rapid response to biological and chemical terrorism, emerging infectious diseases, and other public health emergencies. The Vermont LRN works to coordinate biological and chemical LRN activities within the State of Vermont between the Health Department and its partners, including first responders, law enforcement and other state and federal public health entities. The Vermont LRN assists hospital sentinel laboratories by providing training and support in specimen collection, storage, and shipment, evidence-control measures and recognition of chemical and biological terrorism agents. The Vermont LRN maintains an integrated laboratory network and promotes statewide laboratory connection and communication.
Vision
To be the most Innovative, Quality-Focused, Customer-Oriented
Public Health Laboratory.
Mission
To promote health and prevent disease by providing:
- Quality Analytical Services
- Leadership in Laboratory Science
- Support to Public Health and Environmental Activities
Contact Information
Printable Version: Laboratory/Epidemiology Contact Information (pdf)
Telephone/Fax
- (800) 660-9997(In Vermont)
- (802) 863-7335 (Voice Menu)
- (802) 863-7336 (Customer Service)
- (802) 863-7632 (FAX)
- Kit Ordering: (802) 863-7560
Location
Vermont Department of Health Laboratory
195 Colchester Avenue
Burlington, VT
Mailing Address
Vermont Department of Health Laboratory
195 Colchester Avenue
PO Box 1125
Burlington, VT 05402-1125
Hours
7:45am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday
Directions to Health Department Laboratory
From Interstate 89:
- Exit at 14W – Burlington
- Merge onto Route 2 W
- Bear RIGHT at third light onto East Ave.
- Follow East Ave. straight through light at hospital entrance
- Turn LEFT into Lab parking lot before the light at the intersection of
East Ave. and Colchester Ave.
Map
- 195 Colchester Avenue, Burlington VT (Google Maps)