Island Health is working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and BC Centre for Disease Control to respond to COVID-19. The situation is evolving quickly and our strategies are evolving to keep people in the communities we serve safe.
To support the Provincial Health Officer’s directions around social distancing and to ensure laboratory staff and supplies are best positioned to respond to COVID-19, Island Health will temporarily adjust the hours at some outpatient labs across Vancouver Island and temporarily close others.
Services will be focused on collecting medically necessary samples. Patients with urgent needs or standing orders for lab work will be accommodated at the nearest available Island Health or LifeLabs location. We are asking people requiring non-urgent lab tests to please postpone their visits at this time until normal service levels resume.
In coordination with LifeLabs, we will ensure people in all communities on Vancouver Island have an option to access lab services.
These changes are only temporary and will remain in effect for an indefinite amount of time, as necessary to respond to COVID-19.
To ensure you are aware of the most recent information around hours and which location is available to you, please check the Medical Laboratory Locations page at islandhealth.ca or call 1-877-370-8355.
This backgrounder outlines changes to hours and closures at all labs: Backgrounder for laboratory schedule changes and temporary closures.
We thank you for your support during this time and apologize for any inconvenience.