About IBL

Organization

Idaho Bureau of Laboratories (IBL) is organizationally structured within the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Division of Public Health. Dr. Christopher Ball, Ph.D., HCLD (ABB) is the current Bureau Chief and Laboratory Director.

IBL employs over 40 staff when fully staffed. Funding for the Bureau’s activities comes from a combination of federal grants/contracts, state general funds, and receipts.

IBL is equipped with state of the art instrumentation, is accredited through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a high complexity clinical laboratory, and is certified for drinking water analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency.

IBL is Idaho’s only state health laboratory.

Role

The role of IBL is to provide laboratory services to support the programs within the Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho's seven public health districts, other state agencies, and citizens.

These services can be organized into four functional domains: testing, inspection, training, and outreach.

TESTING Communicable disease agents in clinical specimens Contaminants or adulterants in water, food and soil. Biological and chemical threats	INSPECTION Clinical and environmental laboratories X-ray and mammography units Air Quality monitoring stations
TRAINING Technical consultation and workforce development Continuing education seminars and telelectures Scientific presentations at local, regional, and national meetings	OUTREACH Development and validation of new analytic methods Maintenance of the Idaho Sentinel Laboratory Network Publication and presentation of applied public health research

Facilities

IBL shares a building with the Department of Agriculture. The original building was built in 1965 and expanded in 1979 with the construction of a building addition. IBL occupies 35,134 square feet with offices and laboratory space on the first floor and basement of the building; 19,984 square feet are dedicated lab space.

Operations

Shipping and Receiving

All clinical specimens, environmental samples, and supply/equipment deliveries are received at the loading dock on the back side of the building. The Storekeeper is the primary person responsible for receiving and distributing items to the appropriate location.

For outgoing infectious substance shipments, the Storekeeper and other IBL staff are certified to ship in accordance with federal regulations from the International Air Transport Association and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Data Management

IBL maintains its records in a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). Upon sample receipt, information about client, sample type, and requested testing is entered into LIMS. Throughout the process, LIMS maintains a record of contacts, tests conducted and their results, and final reports.

Quality Improvement

IBL maintains a Quality Assurance-Quality Control program to improve performance in daily operations and laboratory testing. Through a process of setting goals, capturing data, analyzing results, and developing corrective actions, IBL improves the data quality, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of its activities.

Contact Information

Address:
Idaho Bureau of Laboratories
2220 Old Penitentiary Rd
Boise ID 83712

Phone:
(208) 334-2235

E-mail:
statelab@dhw.idaho.gov

Public Records Requests

Laboratory clients and partner agencies can request information by calling or e-mailing IBL. The laboratory is dedicated to protecting client and patient confidentiality. Requests for other types of public records can be submitted through the Administrative Procedures Section.