Alberta announces changes to provincial lab services

Canadian company DynaLIFE Medical Labs will be taking over non-urgent laboratory services throughout Alberta this winter in a move the province says will result in significant cost savings.
The provincial government made the announcement on Thursday, saying the new service agreement between Alberta Health Services (AHS) DynaLIFE and Alberta Precision Laboratories will take effect on Dec. 5.
The change will see DynaLIFE operate patient service centres and mobile collection facilities in urban centres and large rural communities including Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray, Fort Saskatchewan, Grande Prairie, Brooks, Lloydminster, Camrose, Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, Strathmore, Leduc, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove and St. Albert.
DynaLIFE will also upgrade and expand patient service centres in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Fort McMurray, Leduc, Okotoks, Strathmore and Cochrane.
Alberta Precision Laboratories, a subsidiary of AHS, will continue to provide lab services in small rural and remote communities, operate labs in acute care hospitals and offer specialized provincial testing.
"Contracting high-volume community and non-urgent, routine hospital lab work will allow Alberta Precision Laboratories to focus on serving the laboratory needs of our acute care hospitals, along with the specialized testing, research and innovation that is critical to the future of health care in areas such as genetics and genomics, transfusion and transplantation medicine, molecular pathology and public health testing and surveillance," said AHS interim president and CEO Mauro Chies.
Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping says the change will save the province somewhere between $18 million and $36 million per year, which can be reinvested into the health system.
"Partnering with DynaLIFE is an innovative solution that will advance laboratory medicine over the long term and build on the success of our current lab system, which is recognized as one of the best in North America," he said. "This agreement expands capacity and saves Albertans money while securing the existing jobs of all our lab workers."
In reaction to the announcement, NDP Health Critic David Shepherd said Albertans would have more testing capacity "if the UCP had focused on strengthening and investing in our public healthcare system."
"Instead, they continue to undermine it by diverting public dollars to profitable companies and their shareholders,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | David Johnston resigns as foreign interference special rapporteur
Foreign interference special rapporteur David Johnston has resigned, CTV News has confirmed.

Here's how some of Canada's wildfires compare in size to cities, lakes
Fires across the country are burning millions of hectares of land but what does that really look like? CTVNews.ca compared the blazes to some cities and lakes in the country showing just how big they have gotten.
Donald Trump described Pentagon plan of attack and shared classified map, indictment says
Former U.S. president Donald Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents, according to an indictment unsealed Friday that alleges that he described a Pentagon 'plan of attack' and shared a classified map related to a military operation.
BREAKING | Boris Johnson quits as U.K. lawmaker after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament
Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson shocked Britain on Friday by quitting as a lawmaker after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament.
Reactive to proactive: A push for a national campaign on wildfire education in Canada
Despite the alarming facts and figures, experts say Canada is far more reactive than it is proactive when it comes to wildfires and they’re calling for a national campaign on wildfire education to better prepare for the future.
Three people charged in alleged abduction of N.L. teen after Amber Alert issued
Police in Newfoundland and Labrador say three people are facing charges following the alleged abduction of a 14-year-old girl.
Eyes on the weather as residents pack and flee from fierce wildfire in northeast B.C.
Showers are predicted Saturday over the aggressive wildfire threatening Tumbler Ridge, but forecasters say thunderstorms could sweep through the parched region without bringing any rain.
Air Canada walks back compensation denials after thousands delayed due to tech issues
Air Canada says it made a mistake in rejecting some compensation claims from the thousands of travellers affected by delayed flights due to computer malfunctions.
Corrections defends Bernardo's privacy, as it faces calls to detail transfer reason
The Correctional Service of Canada is defending Paul Bernardo's privacy rights after the public safety minister said they should be waived.