By Angela Hill

Lab service centre in demand

Dec 27, 2010 | 6:27 AM

In the year since it was opened, last December, the laboratory service centre in Prince Albert continues to grow busier.

“There have been a lot of people going, probably a lot more than we anticipated, we were anticipating approximately, around 150, 160 people a day and we’re probably averaging closer to 190 to 200 per day,” said Lennie Balicki, regional director of diagnostic services with the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region.

Some days about 230 people go to the lab centre located in the South Hill Mall to have blood and other samples taken for laboratory work.

The centre opened last year by the health region, to replace several lab collection sites at physicians’ offices around the city.

The numbers were based on people coming from those clinics — Balicki said they are seeing people select the South Hill Mall location over Victoria Hospital as well. There are also just more people in need of lab work.

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“It’s just become busier, there are more people that are requiring lab work and so we’re seeing more people come through the lab service centre,” she said.

People using the lab service centre means reduced pressure at Victoria Hospital.

“Where we were, we had full waiting rooms every day all day, now we have, we still have some people who come here and that’s fine,” Balicki said.

With the increased numbers at the laboratory service centre there have been some changes to staffing levels, especially first thing in the morning. They have an extra staff member on four mornings a week, to deal with the early influx.

With the first anniversary passed Dec. 7, Balicki said the region is looking to get feedback from the clients.

“We are going to be doing some specific short questionnaires in the new year to get some input from our patients,” she said.

ahill@panow.com