Members of the Public

So What’s a Public Health Laboratory Anyway?

Firefighters “hold the line” to protect communities. Defensive Linemen disrupt offensive plays. While these well-known “defenders’” successes are often publicly visible and therefore widely celebrated, some of the most important defensive plays in society go unseen. And that can be a good thing.

Public health labs are society’s behind-the-scenes defensive line, protecting people from communicable diseases, environmental hazards, and biothreats. But unlike other fellow defenders, their successes inherently go unnoticed — thwarting Avian Influenza before it takes hold. Monitoring the spread of measles so it doesn’t cross more state lines.

So how does SMCPHL protect members of the public if they don’t accept specimens directly from individuals? We work behind the scenes to analyze samples sent to us by physicians. We provide specialized testing that hospital labs might not offer to identify diseases, microorganisms, and environmental contaminants. And we coordinate with a network of statewide and national laboratories to report cases of highly infectious diseases of interest, to monitor and limit their continued spread.

Amazing! I Still Need Help.

Clinical Testing Services

For more information on infectious disease services that are commonly requested by members of the public, please visit Communicable Disease Control & Prevention – SMC Health.

Water Testing Services

If you’re concerned about communicable diseases in your drinking water or bodies of water in your environment, contact us to consult on who to connect with. If you’re concerned about chemical contaminants in them, contact Water Protection and Land Use – SMC Health.

Animal Testing Services

If you’re concerned about a Rabies infection in your pet, have been bitten by an animal, have encountered a bat in your home or found a dead one, visit Animal Bites and Rabies – SMC Health for information on what to do and who to contact.

For other types of zoonotic disease testing, contact your veterinarian about pets or PHS SPCA about stray animals.

Please be advised that the brain of the animal is required to test for Rabies and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) subtype (H5), the latter of which has been found in domestic cats, thus professional handling by the aforementioned resources is needed.