2007 - Alabama Department of Public Health

ureau of clinical laboratories
Bureau of Clinical Laboratories
The goal of the Bureau of Clinical Laboratories is to
provide testing for diseases of public health significance;
offer diagnostic capabilities unavailable to the private
sector; provide private laboratories with reference
services; administer regulations; provide educational
services; institute testing procedures; and provide data to
agencies. In fiscal year 2007, the bureau received 803,414
specimens for analysis and performed almost 2 million
laboratory tests.
Administrative Support
Services Division
As the name implies, this division has the responsibility
of providing services which support the Bureau of
Clinical Laboratories. These services include:
• Preparing and monitoring the bureau’s budget
• Purchasing supplies, reagents, and equipment
• Maintaining the property inventory
• Maintaining a stockroom
• Shipping testing supplies to county health
departments
• Building maintenance
• Performing personnel actions such as leave and
payroll
• Maintaining the Laboratory Information System
• Quality Management activities
In addition to these activities, personnel in Quality
Management serve as technical consultants in the
Alabama County Health Department Laboratory System
(ACHDLS). These employees ensure that the ACHDLS
maintains compliance with the Clinical Laboratory
Improvement Amendment.
clinical Chemistry Division
The Clinical Chemistry Division at the Bureau of
Clinical Laboratories offers services through three
testing branches: Clinical Services, Lead, and Chemical
Terrorism/Biomonitoring (CT). Testing includes both
clinical and environmental sample analysis.
The Clinical Services Branch of the division performs
testing for routine chemistry profiles, complete blood
counts, CD4 lymphocyte subset enumeration, and
quantitative HIV Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for
viral loads. This branch is also expanding its test menu
in a collaborative effort with the HIV/AIDS Division
to provide genotype testing. Genotyping provides DNA
information which can be used for drug susceptibility
and enhance case management for HIV-positive patients
serviced by the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Specimens for analysis performed in this branch are
submitted from county health departments, federallyfunded
primary health care centers, and communitybased
HIV treatment programs. During fiscal year 2007,
the Clinical Services Branch received and validated new
equipment to automate specimen preparation for the
quantitative HIV PCR analysis.
Also, during 2007, the Clinical Blood Lead Section of
the Lead Branch of the division identified 2.7 percent of
the 15,269 clinical blood lead specimens submitted for
lead analysis as positive. Blood leads are positive when
test values are > 10 ug/dl. Specimens for blood lead
analysis were submitted by county health departments
and private providers. The Environmental Section of the
Lead Branch tested 1,983 samples submitted by state
environmentalists. Three hundred sixty-five of these
samples (18.4 percent) tested positive. Wipes constituted
79.5 percent of the total samples submitted with 20.2
percent of wipes testing positive; soils represented 9.0
percent of the total sample volume with 17.9 percent
wipes testing positive; paints comprised 0.5 percent of the
total specimens submitted with 77.8 percent of the paints
testing positive; and waters comprised 10.5 percent of
the specimen volume with 2.9 percent of waters testing
positive.
The Chemical Terrorism/Biomonitoring Branch of
the division received a new high performance liquid
chromatograph to upgrade the Liquid Chromatograph/
Mass Spectrometer currently in use. In addition, a gas
chromatograph with several detectors was received
to address potential biomonitoring needs. During
2007, branch personnel attended training sessions at
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for
three new methods that enhance and expand current
capabilities. New methods include blood metals
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