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March 28th, 2020:
A message from our CEO: Supporting our communities through COVID-19
As the world changes every day with the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), our thoughts have been with those affected by the virus and the health care workers who are continuing to serve at the frontlines of this pandemic. Like many, we want to do our part to help, and that’s why we are stepping up as much as we can to be part of the solution.
You rely upon us to provide essential diagnostic laboratory testing and we want to ensure that you continue to have access to these services.
As we monitor the COVID-19 situation closely, we’re taking many steps to do our part in responding to the public health crisis while continuing to meet your needs, all while supporting the safety and well-being of our employees and customers.
Providing COVID-19 laboratory testing
One way we are doing our part is by starting laboratory testing for COVID-19, adding critical testing capacity in coordination with our government partners. Where possible, we are redeploying non-essential testing capacity to support this urgent public health need. Working with government and public health officials, we are contributing more than 1,000 samples a day of testing capacity in Ontario and 600 a day in British Columbia. We will expand upon this as we are able to in the coming days.
Please note, we are not testing for COVID-19 at our Patient Service Centres. For information about how to access COVID-19 testing, please start by visiting local provincial self-assessments tools online (see links below) to determine if you require testing and follow the directions provided.
Reducing hours and temporary closures at our Patient Service Centres
To support our efforts to add as much capacity as possible to test for COVID-19 and to maintain service over the next few months with a global shortage of protective equipment for our frontline employees, we are both adjusting hours and temporarily closing a portion of our Patient Service Centres (PSCs).
Some locations have already temporarily closed or adjusted their hours, and more will do so in the next few days, as required. We encourage you to visit locations.lifelabs.com for the most up-to-date information on hours of service and temporary closures. If your regular location is temporarily closed, please check the Location Finder for the closest alternative LifeLabs location.
Encouraging social distancing at our Patient Service Centres by using virtual services
If you’re visiting any of our locations, we strongly encourage you to please use our Appointment Booking or virtual check-in app – Save My Spot – so that you can limit your time at our locations in the global effort to practice social distancing. In doing so, you will help to limit walk-in traffic and contribute to our efforts in protecting the health and safety of our customers and employees. We are actively monitoring our practices on walk-in traffic during this period and will communicate any further changes to our practices to continue to promote social distancing.
Keeping our customers and employees safe
Following advice and recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), our customer serving employees will continue to wear personal protective equipment for droplet precautions, which includes eye protection, masks, gloves and gowns. These measures protect both our customers and employees, and allow us to continue to provide you with lab services.
Supporting our employees
As the coronavirus continues to have a major impact in our society, we have committed to supporting employees who are directed to self-isolate by our Health and Safety team. We are encouraging social distancing by implementing remote working for employees who are able to do so.
Supporting virtual consultations for health care providers
To help ensure that Canadians are still able to access medical care throughout the pandemic, many health care providers are offering virtual consultations through video and phone. As a trusted health care partner, LifeLabs offers a variety of solutions that support required medical testing stemming from virtual consultations.
Through these unprecedented times, I would like to thank you for your understanding and patience as we ensure the necessary precautions are in place to protect both you and our employees.
On behalf of all of LifeLabs, I want to extend my utmost appreciation and admiration to all of the doctors, nurses, volunteers, and other medical staff, including our very own frontline employees – our phlebotomists in the PSCs and our mobile phlebotomists (visiting private homes, long-term care homes, etc.), our couriers, and our lab employees – all who are working tirelessly in the face of this pandemic.
We recognize that this is a challenging situation that is changing on a daily basis. Rest assured that we are doing everything we can to do our part in supporting the health care system and the communities we serve.
If you have any questions or concerns, please visit www.lifelabs.com for more information.
From our LifeLabs family to yours, stay safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Charles Brown
President and CEO
LifeLabs
