Photo By Esther Garcia | (From left) Sgt. Maj. Donald Freeman of the 502nd Mission Support Group Command,...... read more read more
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The $17.7 million remodeling and expansion of the laboratory building and administrative wing of Public Health Command-South began July 17 during a renovation ceremony held on the lawn of Building 2631, as Lt. Col. Deydre Teyhen passed the sledgehammer to Randall Nimocks with Austin’s J&J Maintenance Inc.
“The Army Surgeon General has set the vision that we are to move from a sick care paradigm to a paradigm for health; which means that we need to move from a health care system to a system of health,” Teyhen said.
“In order to accomplish this goal we need a stronger Public Health Command fully equipped to take on the mission challenges, present and future.”
The renovation of the entomological science program with the Environmental Health Engineering Division will have three new operational areas to identify insects, process insect specimens and an isolated insectary.
An isolated insectary will provide an area for rearing and housing of medically significant species, conducting surveillance studies for area of operation and educational purposes.
The new design for the food safety and technical support section creates separate room for sample receiving and retrieval, and a larger dock will increase capacity for multiple, simultaneous deliveries.
The microbiology section will move into new labs with state-of-the-art instruments designed to facilitate rapid identification of food and water pathogens. The new co-location of Micro and Diagnostic Labs will enhance the lab equipment utilization and interaction of personnel.
The new facility will combine the chemistry section’s testing and analytical instruments into larger dedicated labs, creating a more efficient and unified work environment.
New methods utilizing liquid chromatography mass spectrometry will allow identification of poisons and toxins in foods. The chemistry section will also add new instrumentation for radiation analysis and heavy metal analysis.
Upgrades will also be made to the extraction rooms, fume hoods, water lines and safety equipment to meet new requirements for analytical labs. Separate office spaces will be created for chemistry personnel.
The work of the diagnostics section has increased over the years in the range of tests offered, the number of samples tested, and the technologies available to perform the testing.
The merger of U.S. Army Veterinary Command with the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine further increased the capabilities of the Diagnostics Section. The renovation of this section will improve testing space to accommodate for increased workload and bring the equipment and testing together in a common space for utilization by a unified staff. The new molecular biology labs will be designed specifically for DNA analysis using state of the art equipment and latest techniques.
The renovation to the cholinesterase reference laboratory will provide improved temperature regulation of the laboratory. The analysis this team runs is temperature sensitive and at times disrupted by poor environmental control in the laboratory. Co-location with the chemistry section will provide synergy for sharing laboratory equipment.
“This building renovation will provide a solid foundation for our future success as we continue to expand and grow to take care of America’s sons and daughters by ensuring a healthy environment, healthy animals and healthy people,” Teyhen said.
Keynote speaker for the ceremony was retired Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Thomas Murnane, U.S. Army Veterinary Corps.
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2012 14:38 |
| Story ID: | 92206 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 154 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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