The Office of the State Public Health Laboratory Director (OSPHLD)

The Office of the State Public Health Laboratory Director (OSPHLD) protects the public health by assuring accurate and reliable clinical, environmental and public health laboratory services through the provision of support services, consultation and regulatory compliance oversight to the six independent public health laboratories that comprise the State Public Health Laboratory. OSPHLD provides an executive staff level focus for laboratory science policy issues and coordination. The Chief of the Office is designated as the director of the state public health laboratory and has responsibility for laboratory related policy development, oversight responsibility for the state public health laboratory at Richmond, and responsibility for adherence to all federal and state laboratory requirements.

OSPHLD provides administrative direction to: Laboratory Central Services and the Laboratory Resource Preparedness and Response Office. The OSPHLD also coordinates and ensures the provision of adequate facilities, equipment, instrumentation, employee health and safety, contractual equipment maintenance/repair services, and technical/scientific support and supplies to support the mission of all the Public Health Department's Laboratories; coordinates the evaluation and integration of the latest clinical laboratory technology into the healthcare delivery system; serves as the liaison between the Department and the California Association of Public Health Laboratory Directors (CAPHLD), and in the capacity of California's representative to the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), and to the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC).

Description

• Laboratory Central Services – Laboratory Central Services (LCS) provides centralized, professional and technical support to the public health laboratories at the CDPH Richmond Campus. These services include: receiving, processing and routing medical and environmental samples and specimens; developing, evaluation and performing decontamination protocols on medical waste; washing and preparing glassware and instruments; purchasing, breeding, maintaining a variety of laboratory animals and maintaining animal facilities.
• Laboratory Resource Preparedness and Response Office– This office is responsible for maintaining the department’s All-Hazards Risk Assessment Laboratory (AHRAL),which protects both staff and existing physical infrastructure at the Richmond Campus from threats posed by suspicious parcels, specimens, and samples which could harbor Chemical, Biological, and Radiological agents. This office participates in the Richmond Campus Laboratory Practices Health and Safety Committee and the chief of the office currently serves as the Campus Radiation Safety Officer. In addition, the office coordinates the efforts and resources of the California Amateur Radio Emergency Service (CARES), to ensure that emergency radio communications capability will be available to link communications between key areas of the State through real-time radio communications in times of crisis.