A newly expanded laboratory at Kettering Health Troy is helping position the facility for future growth while enhancing the services it provides to patients across Miami County.
The project increased the laboratory’s footprint from 580 square feet to 2,125 square feet, relocating the department into a larger second-floor space designed to support current operations and future expansion. Employees will have an opportunity to tour the new laboratory during an open house from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 2.
For Frank Farkash, president of Kettering Health Troy, the expansion represents an investment in the hospital’s ability to meet the needs of a growing community.
“This is a really good example of maximizing our facility that’s in the local community and keeping care close to home so that we can limit the drive time for our patients,” Farkash said.
The expansion reflects the continued growth of Kettering Health Troy, which has evolved significantly since opening seven years ago.
According to Nikki Mattingly, laboratory manager for Kettering Health Troy, Greene Memorial Hospital and the Springfield freestanding laboratory, the original lab was designed for a much different vision of the facility.
“When they originally planned to open Troy, my understanding was this facility was supposed to be a freestanding ER,” Mattingly said. “For the last seven years, they’ve been functioning out of a laboratory designed to be a freestanding laboratory for a full-service hospital with a cancer center.”
As Kettering Health Troy expanded its inpatient, emergency and cancer care services, the laboratory continued to operate in a space that had long since reached its limits.
One of the most significant improvements in the new department is a newly automated blood bank. Previously, blood bank testing was performed manually in a cramped workspace, limiting staff to safely working on one patient’s testing at a time.
“Being able to bring in automation for the blood bank testing will allow us to safely work up multiple patients at the same time,” Mattingly said. “It will allow us to better serve the cancer center and get those patients in and transfused as quickly as possible.”
The larger laboratory also provides room for future growth as the hospital continues to evolve.
“With our current footprint, we are maxed out on space, so we couldn’t add any other analyzers even if we wanted to,” Mattingly said. “This investment was to make sure that the laboratory can keep up with the plans for the facility to expand.”
The new department includes a fully furnished core laboratory, a newly automated blood bank and dedicated workspace for laboratory staff and leaders. The expanded footprint also creates room for additional equipment and testing capabilities as Kettering Health Troy continues to grow.
For Farkash, the project’s greatest achievement is recognizing a team that maintained high standards despite years of working in an overcrowded space.
“I’m most proud of the people in our lab space,” Farkash said. “They’ve led through the challenge of working in a very overcrowded space that they had outgrown a while ago. They’ve maintained that level of quality and service to patients.”