Interior Health has announced that the medical lab at the downtown Trail Health Centre will permanently close as of July 28.
Located on the third floor of the medical building at 1101 Dewdney Avenue, the lab has provided outpatient services to local residents for years.
Interior Health says the closure is part of a plan to make better use of lab staff across Trail and to improve lab testing services for emergency and in-hospital patients at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH).
Outpatient lab services — including blood tests and specimen collection — will continue at the LifeLabs Patient Services Centre on the second floor of Waneta Plaza.
Interior Health said it will support patients in the coming weeks as they transition to LifeLabs, which the health authority says can accommodate all current outpatient needs.
LifeLabs Trail is open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and accepts walk-ins or online appointments through Book a Lab Visit.
Patients can access results through My Care Compass at: https://login.bc.mycarecompass.lifelabs.com.
Interior Health says patients who need urgent outpatient testing — such as for cancer care, dialysis, or upcoming surgeries — can still be sent to the KBRH lab.
Health care providers are being asked to refer those urgent cases directly to the hospital.
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