St. Joseph’s Health upgrading its hospital-based lab in $9.1 million project, creating jobs

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — St. Joseph’s Health says construction has started on a project to expand laboratory services at the hospital in a $9.1 million project that it says will result in dozens of new jobs.

As announced earlier this year, the health-care system is divesting its co-ownership of Laboratory Alliance of Central New York (LACNY) in January. The project allows for the expansion of a high-tech anatomic pathology laboratory at the hospital that is designed to “optimize work processes and enable faster delivery.”

In addition, St. Joseph’s Health and St. Peter’s Health Partners in Albany are evaluating ways to share resources to better serve the needs of both regions.

Both entities are part Livonia, Michigan–based Trinity Health and share the same CEO, Dr. Steven Hanks.

“The demand for high-quality lab services in our community remains strong,” Meredith Price, senior VP of acute operations at St. Joseph’s Health, said in a statement. “To meet that demand, we’re expanding our Anatomic Pathology area by 1,600 square feet, which will allow us to better process the approximately 45,000 pathology and cytology specimens that originate at our facilities every year.”

Effective in January, laboratory testing that is currently being sent from St. Joseph’s Physician practices to LACNY will be redirected to the St. Joseph’s Health Hospital laboratory. The hospital is also integrating a new lab-information system called Epic Beaker.

“We have extended offers to all the LACNY employees who work at the existing hospital-based Rapid Response Lab,” Price said. “We also started recruitment efforts in the community a few months ago and continue to bring new colleagues into St. Joseph’s laboratory positions with each orientation.”

St. Joseph’s Health is offering a $5,000 sign-on bonus to all new lab hires and a $5,000 referral bonus to current St. Joseph’s Health employees and new lab colleagues who refer someone to a lab position.