Meadville Laboratory Services
Meadville Medical Center (MMC) Lab at Crawford County
The effect our laboratory at Meadville Medical Center (MMC) has on the
people of this community is quite evident when given the number of tests
performed there. In one recent year alone our lab personnel performed
483,425 tests of all types. The average breakdown of this incredible total
is 21,000 outpatient, 16,000 inpatient and 3,000 emergency patient tests
per month. The volume increases every year due to changes in research
and diagnostic tests—the further the advancements in research, the
more tests our technologists are asked to perform! Read answers to frequently
asked questions on our
Laboratory FAQ page.
Laboratory Staff
Medical laboratory personnel are one of the largest groups of ancillary
healthcare workers. Our laboratory is operated by approximately 50 staff
members, including medical technologists, clerical staff, phlebotomists,
and two pathologists, Dr. Allan Smith and Dr. Shuaib Okponobi. The lab
is staffed 24 hours a day by these highly trained individuals who work
in various areas within the department.
Eric Shaffer, manager of laboratory services at MMC commented, “The
purpose of the lab is to provide objective information to the medical
staff to be used for the diagnosis and treatment of their patient. This
information can be used by physicians to complement their physical examination
of the patient.” Blood samples can provide information to physicians
that can be obtained in no other way. The actual chemical composition
of the blood and blood components can be measured to aid in prevention,
treatment and management of illness or disease.
Areas of Service
The laboratory at MMC is made up of seven technical areas. These areas
and their functions are as follows:
-
Hematology – Blood cell analysis
-
Microbiology – Growth of abnormal bacteria and fungus
-
Blood
Bank – Match of donor units with patients in need of blood transfusions
-
Pathology – Diagnosis of abnormal, primarily cancerous, cells by processing
tissues from surgery
-
Chemistry / Special Chemistry – Diagnosis and treatment by using serum to analyze chemical components
and enzymes
-
Serology / Immunology – Detection of specific disease states by using antigen antibody reactions
-
Urinalysis – Conducting chemical and microscopic exams of urine for diagnostic purposes
Lab personnel also conduct toxicology screenings or drug tests, but usually
send those samples out to another lab for confirmatory testing.
Contact Laboratory Services at Meadville Medical Center
The Grove Street labs are closed. Please visit our other locations at Liberty
and Vernon. Outpatient phlebotomy services are available at Liberty Street
and Vernon facilities. The Liberty Street phlebotomy services is located
just inside the main entrance and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday, and from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The
Vernon Lab is located at One Vernon Place in Vernon Township. Hours are
Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. You can reach our Vernon
lab at (814) 724-7011.
If you have questions about a laboratory procedure, please contact the
Laboratory Department at (814) 333-5511.