The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) Laboratory is one of the recipients of Medical Laboratory Observer’s (MLO) 2025 Lab of the Year Runner Up Awards.
“This award is not given out lightly,” said Chris Goldman, director of MVHS Laboratory Services. “There is heavy competition for this national award and I am proud that my staff earned this acknowledgment. This is truly a team effort as our staff has joined forces to make our laboratory stronger and better than ever.”
Entries are judged on elements in the following areas:
- Customer service
- Productivity
- Teamwork
- Education and training
- Strategic outlook
- Lab inspections
MVHS Laboratory services are available for inpatients, outpatients, nursing homes and home-bound patients, providing a unique continuum of care by offering clinical laboratory and pathology services.
Building on MVHS’s mission, MVHS Laboratory leads with a “patient care first” approach. When it comes to patient care, Goldman added, “We treat them like you would want your family treated.”
With the move to the Wynn Hospital, creating a strong team environment and utilizing advanced technology has been a top priority. When the labs merged, the teams also merged their send-out staff. They reviewed each of their processes and created one standardized workflow and worked together to train each other. In regards to technological advancements MVHS was recognized as the first lab in the country to:
- Implement use of the Tosoh G8 A1c analyzer on the Sysmex Hematology automation line.
- Put the Siemens BN II on the Aptio Automation Line.
Goldman said at the MVHS Laboratory, they like to promote from within and her team encourages employees to pursue education to advance in their respected fields. Several staff continue their education outside of MVHS while others are cross-trained to obtain the skills needed to apply for higher positions at MVHS if they wish. “MVHS Laboratory administration is fully supportive of these educational endeavors and have, on numerous occasions, made significant changes in an employee’s work schedule to accommodate their education,” she added.
In order to tackle staffing shortages and boost employee retention, the MVHS Laboratory team implemented an international program to recruit medical technologists from around the globe. Management also hires and mentors lab aides who hold science degrees, fostering their passion for laboratory science and inspiring them to continue their education.
MVHS Laboratory managers and supervisors have helped multiple professionals achieve their medical technologist and medical technician licenses and many of these employees choose to stay with the MVHS Lab. Currently, five staff members are involved in a NAACLS-accredited program to become medical technologists or medical lab technicians and a sixth employee joined a program to become a histotechnician. Goldman went on to state, “Our hospital prides itself on being a teaching institution, and our laboratory maintains affiliations with several medical technology and laboratory science programs, as well as local phlebotomy educational institutions, thus enabling students to obtain their clinical experience requirements at our facility.”
“This recognition underscores the dedication and innovation of our laboratory team,” said Darlene Stromstad, president and CEO of MVHS. “Their commitment to excellence, particularly in implementing cutting-edge technology, ensures our patients receive the highest quality of care. We are incredibly proud of their achievement and their ongoing efforts to advance laboratory services in our community.”
For more information about the MVHS Laboratory Services, visit www.mvhealthsystem.org/lab.
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Photo Caption: The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) Laboratory team members.
About Medical Laboratory Observer (MLO)
Established in 1969, Medical Laboratory Observer (MLO) connects clinical laboratory professionals with peer-authored articles, continuing education (CE) courses, lab management tips, new testing techniques in molecular diagnostics, infection prevention, oncology and pathology practices, regulatory updates, industry trends, and new product reviews.
A multimedia resource, MLO delivers nine print magazines and digital editions per year, daily e-newsletters (LABline), monthly product spotlights, and a comprehensive website for lab professionals working in hospitals, group practices, physicians’ offices, public health and independent labs, as well as blood banks, medical schools, freestanding emergency care centers, group purchasing organizations, and HMO/PPOs.
MLO also publishes Clinical Laboratory Reference (CLR), an annual buyers guide, mailed to subscribers each August. An annual subscription is free to qualified clinical professionals.
For more information visit www.mlo-online.com.
About MVHS
MVHS is dedicated to delivering premier healthcare to our region, keeping our patients as the focus of all we do. MVHS strives to be the leading patient-centered medical and healing environment, the employer of choice and the pride of Central New York. MVHS is the parent company of the Wynn Hospital as well as MVHS Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (RNC) and Visiting Nurse Association of Utica and Oneida County. MVHS serves a multi county area of central New York. The MVHS Medical Group has 15 primary care locations. The group also provides services in many specialty areas including Women’s and Children’s Health; General, Cardiothoracic, Vascular, Orthopedic and Neurological Surgery; Advanced Endoscopy, Wound Care, Bariatric, Cardiovascular, Comprehensive Stroke, Cancer, Immune Health, Behavioral Health, Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Pulmonary Critical Care and Urology.
In October 2023, MVHS opened the Wynn Hospital – a new, state-of-the art, 373 bed hospital in downtown Utica. The Wynn Hospital replaces two aging community hospitals, St. Luke’s and St. Elizabeth, and is capable of handling 85-90 percent of all healthcare needs in the community. The Wynn Hospital will strengthen and grow full service cardiac offerings, support the development of a Neurosciences Institute that will include a Neurovascular Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center, will be a world class diagnostic center, including Interventional Radiology and Advanced Endoscopy and provides a Level III Trauma Center plus the ability to serve 90,000 emergency visits per year.
For more information, visit mvhealthsystem.org and find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
