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APHL Applauds Commitment to Build New Laboratory in Maryland
SILVER SPRING, MD--(Marketwire - January 20, 2010) - The Association of Public Health
Laboratories (APHL) congratulates Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley,
Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp on their decision to
build a new state-of-the-art public health laboratory to serve the people
of Maryland. Today's action correctly recognizes the importance of
providing improved facilities where testing that is critical to ensuring
the public's health can be performed with even greater efficiency.
"The laboratory employees and professional staff who work tirelessly to
detect outbreaks of infectious diseases, like the H1N1 pandemic influenza
and food-borne diseases as well as the daily screening of newborns for
genetic and metabolic disorders, certainly deserve a workplace that
reflects the significance of their work," said Susan Neill, President of
APHL. "I know first-hand the benefits of having an updated facility on both
workflow and employee recruitment and retention, and I am certain that
Maryland will reap similar benefits because of this decision."
"The bold decision by the Maryland Board of Public Works during a time of
considerable economic turmoil underscores the tremendous value that public
health laboratories bring to the people they serve," said Scott Becker,
executive director of APHL. "Bravo on your commitment to protecting the
health of Maryland's families through the construction of the new public
health laboratory. John Colmers, Secretary of the Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene, said it best when he called the public health laboratory
'the backbone of Maryland's public health system.' This simple fact holds
true in all states and many of our large urban areas, and it is fitting
that these facilities receive the support they need."
The Association of Public Health Laboratories is a national non-profit
located in Silver Spring, MD, that is dedicated to working with members to
strengthen governmental laboratories with a public health mandate. By
promoting effective programs and public policy, APHL strives to provide
public health laboratories with the resources and infrastructure needed to
protect the health of US residents and to prevent and control disease
globally.