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Resilience Through Learning
Continuous learning is the key to resilience, growth and innovation
At LifeLabs we believe that learning is the foundation of our ability to grow and change with agility. LifeLabs’ commitment to improving access to health diagnostics means we typically open several new Patient Services Centres (PSCs) every year. We also continuously upgrade equipment and laboratory procedures to ensure Canadians are receiving the highest-quality diagnostic testing. Each year, we make innovative new tests and technologies available so that Canadians and their healthcare providers have access to cutting-edge diagnostic information, in the most convenient format.
Changes to equipment, procedures and services require employees to constantly learn and adapt to new ways of working. It helps that our employees embrace continuous learning with passion. In 2023 we took a big stride forward in expanding learning opportunities by opening the Learning Studio, a real life/digital facility dedicated exclusively to training.
Growing with agility and speed to meet community needs
In 2023, LifeLabs continued to identify underserved communities and respond to their needs.
We opened our first Patient Services Centres (PSCs) in Vernon and Trail, bringing services closer to home for customers in these British Columbia towns. We also opened additional PSCs in Vaughan, Komoka and North Pickering in Ontario to respond to the incredible growth these communities are experiencing. In North Pickering, we are testing a Wednesday-to-Sunday operating model based on the growing number of customer requests for additional weekend hours.
Our commitment to accessible services was recognized when Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones visited our International Reference Laboratory (IRL) in Toronto in the spring of 2023. They thanked employees for their service to the community and helped us celebrate a $41 million investment in state-of-the-art laboratory equipment that will create capacity to support the growing needs of our partners and customers.
Innovating through partnership brings cutting-edge care to Canadians
Our teams at LifeLabs constantly strive to improve both the quality and the range of diagnostics services we offer to keep up with advances in medicine and changes in Canadians’ health care needs.
During 2023, the British Columbia government asked LifeLabs to take on responsibility for 13 tumour marker tests to support cancer screening efforts across B.C. and the Yukon. The team at our Burnaby Reference Laboratory (BRL) stepped up immediately to procure and install new analyzers required to perform these tests, integrate the new work into existing procedures and schedules, and obtain necessary training. Our Ontario teams stepped up in similar fashion when LifeLabs was selected as a laboratory service provider for the new Ontario Cervical Screening Program. Launching in early 2025, the program will combine human papillomavirus (HPV) testing with cervical cytology (Pap testing) to improve the sensitivity of screening for cervical cancer.
Our teams embrace innovation through partnerships. As a result, we’ve been able to develop products and services to improve the customer experience in various aspects. Recently, we introduced LifeLabs’ At Home Collection Kit Program to offer customers more convenience and flexibility in how they manage their health. The program already includes the Cervical Health (HPV) Kit, Colorectal Health (FIT) Kit and more. Our partnerships have also helped expand access to important testing. Earlier in 2023, we partnered with Klinrisk, a Canadian medical company focused on improving early detection and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Through this partnership Canadians now have access to Klinrisk’s proprietary algorithm the Klinrisk Score. This tool uses standard blood and urine test results to predict how kidney function will change over five years, giving patients with chronic kidney disease a clear picture of how their disease will progress. With this clarity, patients and their doctors are better able to choose the most effective treatment path to manage the disease and slow its progress.
