The Clinical Laboratory provides supportive lab services for all clinics in the Health Department to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions. The staff consists of Clinical Laboratory Scientists and Medical Lab Assistants who meet the specialized training and experience to produce accurate, reliable, and high quality results.

The laboratory staff continues to study, apply, and advance medical knowledge and skills in order to ensure that the communities we serve have the best available health care.

Accrediting Agencies

• Commission on Laboratory Accreditation (COLA)
• Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA)

Testing

The laboratory is certified to provide testing in the areas of: bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, syphilis serology, general immunology, routine chemistry, urinalysis, endocrinology and hematology. Enrollment in an approved proficiency program ensures the testing personnel performance satisfactorily meets required standards.

The clinics this laboratory provides supportive tests for are:

• Adult Health
• Child Health
• Family Planning
• Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Accredited Laboratory Testing

In addition to performing tests in-house, accredited reference laboratories are used for more non-routine tests. Our reference labs include the NC State Laboratory of Public Health, the University of North Carolina Medical Center, Laboratory Corporation of America, and CarolinaEast Medical Center.

Community Support

The Craven County Health Department Laboratory offers outreach support to the community by participating in health initiatives, and a Jail Health program in Craven, Pamlico, Jones, Onslow, and Lenoir counties.

We provide support to our neighboring health department in Pamlico County and the YMCA Camps Seagull and Seafarer during summer camp. Local community colleges send phlebotomy students to the laboratory for training and reinforcement of their classroom skills.