Curry Health Network held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 25 to celebrate the acquisition of cutting-edge molecular laboratory technology that provides remarkably rapid test results with improved accuracy.
“Our clinicians can make much faster and more accurate diagnoses and begin more quickly the appropriate treatment on patients,” CEO Ginny Razo said. “While the technology is small in stature, it packs a big punch. Our lab can now perform some tests in a fraction of the time it took before, and can do more in-house testing that was previously sent out to external laboratories.” Razo was honored to cut the blue ribbon in the Curry General Hospital laboratory in Gold Beach and was equally pleased to announce the laboratory had completed validation of the new GeneXpert which is now in service.
Prior to the GeneXpert, testing for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, a staph bacterium that is becoming resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections) took 18-24 hours, and is now completed in only 2 hours.
“Not only is MRSA testing completed in a fraction of the time, we can test in-house for methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). That was a test that was previously sent to external laboratories, but now it is done along with the MRSA testing, right here in Gold Beach – and very quickly,” Laboratory Manager Tena Tiruneh said. MSSA is a staph bacteria resistant to a class of antibiotics commonly used to treat most staph infections.
The GeneXpert molecular testing technology is also used in the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile (C-Diff), a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon, and Group A streptococcus. “The test modality preparatory steps of the new diagnostic equipment are minimal compared to the old process, and less prone to other limitations that impacted quality results. The test results for C-Diff and Group A strep are now completed much quicker and more accurately.”
“Having this cutting-edge technology available to Curry Health Network’s health care providers and other providers in the community is very exciting. Improving patient outcomes is the primary goal of any health system, and this new molecular diagnostic equipment will most certainly benefit our patients,” Razo said.
Anyone with questions about laboratory tests performed at Curry Health Network are invited to call Tiruneh at 541.247.3051.
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