Under a Northern Health Authority reorganization of its lab services, Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace is to become the hub for the northwest.

But while that technically means Kitimat General will lose one lab technician position, there will be no job loss.

And, says NHA vice-president Dr. David Butcher, Kitimat patients will continue to have lab samples collected in exactly the same way they are now.

The difference will be that some of the samples will be processed at the hub lab in Terrace.

He said the key change will be in bacteriology/microbiology where samples will be processed at Mills Memorial with the results available electronically to physicians in Kitimat.

Butcher said that while the volume of microbiology work at most hospitals is low, processing is labour intensive and time consuming.

The higher degree of automation that will be available with the new technology installed in Terrace means it will take less time to process samples while improving quality and accuracy.

It will also reduce the need for overtime, “a critical issue in terms of our ability to retain and sustain our staff,” he added.

As for whether this will make any difference in terms of the time taken to get results, director of diagnostic services Ken Winnig explained in microbiology a 20 hour incubation period is required before it is possible to detect any growth.

The idea is to take the samples, transport them and start the incubation period on the same day. “That way we can deliver the results in the same turnaround time as doing the tests locally.”

Butcher pointed out that the reorganization offers another plus. “We are actually bringing back some lab work that has traditionally been sent out to other points in the province.

In addition, the quicker processing of samples is expected to mean that the NHA can deal with an annual growth in demand for lab services of 10 per cent without an increase in cost.

In fact, he added, it is expected that across the NHA the system will result in savings of about $1 million.

As for the loss of the tech position in Kitimat, Winnig pointed out that position has been vacant for more than a year because the NHA has been unable to recruit anyone to fill it. Therefore, “we don’t believe anyone will be displaced.

Butcher noted this type of reorganization had already taken place in the Interior and Northeast “quite successfully”.