a. Manage and operate Mecklenburg County’s Public Health laboratories including both on-site and off-site laboratory operations. i. Conduct on-site testing for all time-sensitive tests and laboratory services. 1. For example, on-site time sensitive tests (also known as STAT) may include but are not limited to gram stains, RPRs, wet preps, and point of care (waived) tests. 2. Routine RPRs and Molecular NAATs are preferred to be batched and completed in house. Molecular instrumentation would need to be onsite. ii. Conduct on-site testing and laboratory services at existing Public Health laboratory locations (currently three locations) and a willingness to conduct on-site testing at future Public Health locations (i.e. applicable Community Resource Centers-not to exceed 6) for a mutually agreed upon additional cost. iii. Provide trained and qualified laboratory staff for the Public Health laboratories on-site testing and laboratory services. iv. Provide laboratory supervision for the Public Health laboratory’s on--site testing and laboratory services. 1. Supervisor(s) or designee to serve as the point-of-contact for special circumstances that arise such as a lab test being accidentally omitted or a venipuncture that needs to be done in an isolation room. A single point of contact for all on-site services is requested. v. Provide Laboratory Medical Directorship for the Public Health laboratories on-site testing and laboratory services. vi. Provide a mechanism for submitting feedback and concerns and providing timely responses. vii. Conduct off-site testing for all non-time sensitive tests within expected turn around time (TAT). viii. Conduct off-site testing for all existing Public Health laboratory locations (currently three locations) and for future Public Health laboratory or non-laboratory/community locations (i.e. applicable Community Resource Centers – not to exceed 6). ix. Provide courier transportation services for Public Health laboratory test specimens. Courier transportation needs may include but are not limited to: 1. Transportation of specimens collected at an on-site Public Health laboratory location to be tested off-site at the commercial laboratory. 2. Transportation of specimens collected at a County facility or Community Resource Center (with or without a laboratory) that are to be tested off-site at the commercial laboratory. 3. Transportations of specimens collected at any Public Health facility will be transported to any other Public Health facility as needed. x. Ensure ability to ship specimens to government laboratories and other certified reference laboratories as necessary or required by Federal or State regulations (i.e. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State Laboratory). xi. Ensure mechanism for testing of specimens obtained for novel organisms (i.e. conducting tests or shipping specimens to State Laboratory or CDC for testing for diseases such as Zika). xii. Implement a standardized testing methodology for all laboratory tests in accordance with laboratory industry standards and methodologies.
