New UMC Health system lab has top technology

UMC Health System revealed a new testing lab Wednesday. [SARAH SELF-WALBRICK/A-J MEDIA]

UMC Health System revealed a new state-of-the-art laboratory Wednesday that will help the hospital process thousands of samples a day.

Amanda Tijerina, director of the lab, said the renovation has been a years-long process, from design through completion. Employees in the 24/7 lab have worked in the construction chaos for months, she said, and are grateful for the new facility.

“They knew what they would be working in once we got through this process,” Tijerina said.

The renovation included a new patient waiting area, private phlebotomy draw areas, new automation machinery and a new tube system for receiving specimens, reads a news release from the health system.

The lab chose automation machinery that will help employees work more efficiently. As the number of samples coming into the lab increases, this will help technicians process more tests in a timely manner, Tijerina said.

“We are now prepared for the next 10 years and beyond to take on extra capacity and to take care of every patient,” Tijerina said

The UMC lab tests samples from the Emergency Center, UMC Southwest Cancer Center, all UMC Physicians clinics, Texas Tech Physicians and several regional hospitals.

The lab administers around 4,000 tests a day, Tijerina said. With the new system, samples can be processed within an hour, at the longest.

Tijerina said functionality for patients and employees was the top priority of the redesign.

“We do a lot of testing here that if we didn’t do it, patients would have to go to Dallas or Houston to have that work done,” Tijerina said. “So, it’s very important that we keep that technology here - not just for Lubbock, but for the region.”

The renovated laboratory at UMC Health System operates 24/7. [SARAH SELF-WALBRICK/A-J MEDIA]