What do public health laboratories do? What is their mission and how do they use the data they produce? How are these laboratories involved in contemporary issues such as terrorism response and emergency preparedness? As the only text of its kind, Public Health Laboratories explores the objectives and inner workings of the public health laboratory. The book looks at the array of regulatory agencies such as the USEPA and the FDA, and interagency collaborations such as the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, as well as personnel issues, education and certification requirements, and management topics that impact every day laboratory operations. Topics include: history of public health labs; different testing sections, methods, missions, and technologies; personnel issues including education and certifications; different laboratory designs/levels/certifications; biological/chemical terrorism response strategies; coordination with law enforcement/outside agencies; uses of lab data; CLIA/HIPAA/other confidentiality and legal issues; personnel management basics; LIMS and other topics.
