Thursday, April 14, 2016

Dept. of Health opens public health lab

The Mississippi Department of Health issued the following press release:



State-of-the-Art Thompson Public Health Laboratory

Now Open for Business


JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) held a ribbon-cutting today for the Dr. F.E. “Ed” Thompson, Jr. State Public Health Laboratory on its central office campus in Jackson.



Construction began on the $36 million laboratory in 2010. The 80,000 square foot facility provides

state-of-the-art lab space that now allows the agency to more efficiently monitor and respond to public health threats.



“This new facility gives Mississippi the capacity to prepare and respond to all types of public health emergencies and to test for numerous diseases,” said MSDH State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier. “Our previous lab was built in 1959 and was no longer adequate to support the technology used today to protect our citizens from disease outbreaks, harmful environmental contaminants, and emerging health threats.”



The MSDH laboratory has assisted health authorities in the prevention and control of public health threats in Mississippi since 1917. As the state’s only public health laboratory, the facility serves the citizens of Mississippi by performing more than 175 different tests on the more than 600,000 samples received each year. 



The facility routinely performs a wide range of tests that detect biological, toxicological, chemical and radiological threats to the health of the population including testing for Zika Virus in recent travelers, rabies in animals, Salmonella or E.coli in food, and contaminants in drinking water.



The laboratory also has capabilities to respond rapidly to public health emergencies such as novel strains of flu, suspicious substances containing anthrax or ricin, and unusual events like widespread flooding or hurricanes.



“This sophisticated, 21st century lab was a dream for Dr. Thompson,” said State Board of Health Chairman Dr. Luke Lampton. “He was a true public health champion in every sense and was incredibly instrumental in getting this project off the ground. I am certain Dr. Thompson would be especially pleased with the final result.”



Unlike the former facility, the Thompson lab meets the national standards established for laboratories that work with highly infectious substances. The laboratory is equipped with more than 3,000 square feet of Biosafety Level 3 containment areas, which allow the laboratory staff to work safely with highly infectious agents such as multi-drug resistant tuberculosis or newly emerging pathogens such as Ebola.



The MSDH laboratory’s 85-member staff moved into the facility in January 2016.



For more information on services the public health laboratory provides, visit the MSDH website at www.HealthyMS.com/phl.



Follow MSDH by e-mail and social media at HealthyMS.com/connect.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

1959 - 2016? Uh, yea. It was time for a new one.

Anonymous said...

Maybe they can do something to lower the high rate of STDs in Jackson.

Anonymous said...

After 4+ years of promising laboratory employees that they will be moving into the new facility “soon”, it finally opened. Using the facility as a glorified storage unit all of those years was, by no means, an efficient way of spending taxpayers dollars!!! Maybe they can get some of the lost grants and federal funding back. #TheCheapComesOutExpensive

Anonymous said...

lowest bidder got the job and screwed up the ventilation. took several years to fix. unbelievable. lowest bidder gets job, screws it up, then cost taxpayers more to correct the problem. Maybe instead of using lowest bidder we can use competent bidder

Anonymous said...

10:38, how competent a bidder is has nothing to do with who is awarded the bid. What color the owner is has much more importance than competency.



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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


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Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

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Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

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This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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