Rhode Island State Health Laboratories

Vision:

Healthier and safer communities through quality laboratory services.

Mission:

The Rhode Island HEALTH Laboratories (RIHL) constitute an essential component of the state and national public health infrastructure and clearly operate with a different mission and purpose than do private sector laboratories.

The mission of the RIHL is to provide quality analytical and technical laboratory information in support of state and national disease prevention programs, environmental health programs, provide science in the service of justice and to maintain capacity to respond to emergencies.

Core Functions:

• Disease Prevention, Control and Surveillance
• Emergency Response
• Environmental Health and Protection
• Food Safety
• Integrated Data Management
• Laboratory Improvement and Regulation
• Partnerships and Communication
• Policy Development
• Public Health Related Research
• Reduction of Violence and Crime
• Reference and Specialized Testing
• Training and Education

Departments

Public Health Microbiology

• Bacteriology
• Bioterrorism Response/ Special Pathogens
• Molecular Biology
• Quality Assurance
• Sanitary Microbiology
• Serology
• Virology

Public Health Chemistry

• Air Pollution
• Biomonitoring
• Food Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Lab Certification
• Organic Chemistry
• Quality Assurance
• Radiation

Forensics

• Breath Analysis
• Evidence Collection in Forensic Biology
• DNA Analysis Protocol
• DNA Biology
• Drug Chemistry
• Toxicology