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CAPHLD
Whitepaper
The California Conference of Local Health Officers (CCLHO) proclaims in its Platform Statement (1990) stated the need for Public Health Laboratory Services, citing seven basic functions. Review of these seven functions will show that the need for these services are as important today as they ever were.
DIAGNOSIS, CONTROL AND PREVENTION OF THOSE ILLNESSES OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN:
Providing clinical diagnostic service to the local health department categorical clinics (e.g. tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases (STD), Family Planning and/or primary care clinics) is currently the main role of local public health laboratories. In addition to aiding in diagnosis, detection of multi-drug resistant TB or B-lactamase producing gonorrhea strains, the local public health laboratory helps to prevent these particularly dangerous strains from becoming established in the community. Uncovering asymptomatic STD carriers in screening programs, or determining HIV prevalence in high-risk surveillance studies are also every-day examples of prevention. The CCLHO cites Communicable Disease Control as one of the services required by the health departments in their Vision Statement. Effective control of CD is impossible without a laboratory.
ASSISTS IN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS:
Testing of both suspect food products and specimens from food handlers is an example of how the public health laboratory assists to determine the source of a food-borne outbreak. The recent Jack-in-the-Box problem with E. coli OH:157 was resolved only through laboratory data.
MONITOR AND CONTROL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY:
Routine monitoring via laboratory testing of potable and recreational waters, dairy products and certain food items is mandated by various federal agencies such as EPA and USDA to ensure the safety of these products to the public. Public health laboratories are usually certified to meet this need, whereas clinical laboratories are not. Many public health laboratories are also able to provide environmental testing of hazardous waste; not available at hospital or other clinical laboratories.
ASSIST IN EVALUATING AND RESEARCHING HEALTH PROBLEMS OF THE COMMUNITY:
Detecting asymptomatic carrier of infectious diseases, serological surveillance for assessing local prevalence, detection of asymptomatic carriers of diseases, all are examples of public health laboratory-supported health evaluations of the community
