About DCLS
The Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) plays a leading role in making Virginia a healthier place to live and work. Through the statewide services we provide to governmental agencies that protect consumers and the environment, we promote good health and prevent the spread of disease. Each year, DCLS touches the lives of many Virginians by performing about 3.0 million scientific tests on an array of samples.
Experts at Your Service
DCLS has scientific experts that are highly regarded in their field of specialty. Aware of the latest technology, we use state of the art instruments and equipment to perform testing procedures. DCLS covers the fields of neonatal screening, microbiology, microscopy, molecular biology, food science, water chemistry, virology, metals analysis, radiochemistry, chromatography, and mass spectral interpretation.
Our scientists work directly with customer services, analytical services and the customer to resolve technical issues. These issues include developing new test methodologies, evaluating test effectiveness, setting up and evaluating quality improvement procedures, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, lab accreditation standards, and consulting with the customer.
DCLS is certified by four national programs. They are: Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and American Industrial Hygiene Association. Considered one of the best state laboratories, DCLS consistently has the finest proficiency testing record within our seven-state Eastern Region.
Partnerships
- DCLS works closely with each local, state and federal agency and organizations to design long-term goals and specific objectives to ensure Virginia’s good health, clean environment and agricultural product safety.
Quality Assurance
DCLS ensures an exceptional standard of quality service by:
- Supporting customers with high quality and responsive laboratory services.
- Providing early detection and accurate laboratory testing of diseases, alerting health care practitioners to potential health problems so proper treatment and community-based intervention can occur.
- Furnishing cost effective ways to strengthen public health in Virginia.
- Conducting timely analytical services to support safety and to prevent disease in the agricultural industry.
- Testing and monitoring the quality of the air, drinking water, agricultural, and industrial discharges.
Rapid Assessment
Getting work done quickly and accurately for our customers is integral to our approach to exceptional service quality. As a result our customers benefit by:
- Rapid emergency response and notification for biological or chemical weapons of mass destruction.
- Furthering community health, a cleaner environment, and safer agricultural business by providing systematic data collection, analysis and distribution of lab data, and education.
- Serving as a clearing house that sends accumulated test data to state agencies for use with the public in their communities.
- Training and developing individuals to be the best in their professions.
Policy Development
To ensure our commitment to our customers and compliance with state laws and regulations, DCLS develops policies that are key in:
- Enhancing the community by promoting healthy living, protecting the environment, and supporting the agricultural sector of commerce.
- Promoting aggressive health policies that make a difference in the quality of life in Virginia.
- Providing research expertise that ensures state and national legislators and agencies have data needed to develop and implement public health policies.