EDINBURG, Texas - South Texas Health System Edinburg has held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the official grand opening of its new laboratory.
The upgraded laboratory department is part of a multi-phase project that included a new five-story, $100 million patient tower that opened in September 2022.
The new lab is four times bigger than its predecessor and features new technology aimed at improving turnaround time.
Among other benefits, the upgraded equipment allows the lab staff to conduct testing that was previously outsourced, reducing wait times for patients and, overall, improving the quality of services offered at STHS Edinburg.
Rose Castellanos“This expansion is an investment in the health and welfare of our community,” said Rose Castellanos, system director of laboratory operations for STHS. “By upgrading our laboratory, we will have the capacity to serve a larger number of patients, reduce wait times for diagnostic tests and enable faster and more accurate diagnosis. This will contribute to a more efficient healthcare system where patients can receive timely treatment and begin their journey toward recovery sooner.”
Castellanos said an expanded laboratory means access to a wider range of diagnostic tests and advanced technologies. She said this will lead to improved medical care and more comprehensive patient management,.
“We will be able to conduct specialized tests that were previously outsourced, allowing us to provide a more holistic approach to healthcare within our own facility,” Castellanos added.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service interviewed Lance Ames, CEO of STHS Edinburg.
“With all the new beds, the new ER, the new radiology services and everything that we’re offering with the new tower, we also need to make sure that we take care of our staff on the inside,” Ames said. “Our volume is growing; we’re increasing in a lot of areas, but we have to make sure that the infrastructure for the hospital can keep up with all of that growth.”
Ames addedL “As we grow, we want to make sure that we have a large enough space to take care of the growing services here at STHS Edinburg and we’re grateful for the investment in our infrastructure.”
Here is the interview with Ames:
The Guardian also interviewed Zayra Benitez, a medical laboratory scientist and lab course supervisor for STHS Edinburg. Here is the interview:
An Echo Lumena, a fully automated analyzer in the lab’s blood bank department that provides the fastest type of screening tests on the market, including high sensitivity for clinically significant antibodies, has been added to the STHS Edinburg laboratory.
So has a Cephaid GeneXpert System. This machine performs CLIA-waived molecular, rapid tests for COVID-19, the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other respiratory diseases. It will also test for Clostridioides difficile infection (C. diff) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
Additionally, the expanded lab will also include the ADVIA Centaur XPT Immunoassay System. Designed with one of the most advanced systems on the market, the system will enable the Edinburg lab to conduct in-house testing of samples that previously would have been sent to South Texas Health System McAllen for testing, improving turnaround time.
The tests that will now be moved in-house include, but are not limited to:
· Tracrolimus
· Intact PTH
· CEA
· FSH
· Progesterone
· Testosterone
· CA125
· Enhanced Estradiol
· Hepatitis testing
· HIV testing
On top of adding new equipment, the facility also upgraded the area dedicated to outpatient laboratory draws, by increasing its size and providing more privacy to patients.
Editor's Note: For more information on the inpatient and outpatient laboratory services available at STHS Edinburg, call (956) 388-6710 or visit STHSEdinburg.com.
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