Public Health Laboratory System
The Laboratory Services Bureau takes an active role in the promotion of a state and regional public health laboratory system. The LSB partners with clinical and environmental laboratories, epidemiologists and other public health program professionals, and many other facets of health and environmental surveillance to ensure that laboratory practice is continually improved to benefit the health and welfare of Montanans.
Montana Laboratory Forum
MT Laboratory Services Bureau will host a full-day conference at the Great Northern Hotel in Helena, MT on May 21, 2024. Hotel space is limited, so please submit your registration as soon as possible if accommodations are needed. Click here for the registration form.
The mission of the Montana Laboratory Forum is to provide leadership, foster partnerships, and promote effective communication in support of the Montana Public Health Laboratory System. To achieve this mission, the Forum has the following core values:
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Provide a coordinated response to health challenges
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Strengthen collaboration among partners
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Improve laboratory science (standards and practice)
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Assure a competent laboratory workforce
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Build awareness of the state public health laboratory system
Northern Plains Consortium
The Northern Plains Consortium (NPC) is comprised of public health laboratory leadership in the states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho. This collaborative effort started as part of a CDC grant initiative to "integrate clinical laboratories into public health, and is aimed at public health laboratory system improvement in the region. The Consortium works on projects such as the assessment, improvement, and standardization of tests of public health significance, workforce development initiatives, and laboratory sustainability efforts. The NPC has so far collaborated on activities such as shared services testing, peer-to-peer workshops and trainings, and a Biosafety Officer program.
