Diagnostics
Laboratory
Most results back the same visit, because the lab is down the hall rather than in another county.
Having a laboratory in the building changes what your physician can do in a single appointment. A chest pain workup, a check on kidney function before adjusting a medication, a culture that decides which antibiotic you leave with: all of that happens while you are still here instead of over the following week.
We run chemistry panels, blood counts, clotting studies, urinalysis, cultures, cardiac markers, medication levels, thyroid studies, and pregnancy testing on site. The more unusual work goes to a reference laboratory, and those results generally come back in two or three days.
The lab is staffed continuously for the emergency department and inpatients. Outpatient draws happen at the health center between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, and at the community clinic whenever the clinic is open. Bring the order from your provider if you have a paper copy, though we can usually pull it electronically.
No appointment is needed for most draws. If your order requires fasting it will say so, and the scheduler will tell you when you book anything that does. Drink water beforehand unless you have been told otherwise, since it makes the draw easier on both of us.