MDHHS describes laboratory testing volume, newborn screening and new consolidated state lab due Dec. 2026

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Health that the state's public health laboratory system conducts millions of tests each year, operates a network of seven regional labs and is building a new consolidated laboratory expected to be completed in December 2026.

“This CLIA and CAP certified lab conducts nearly 7,000,000 tests every year, making it 1 of the top 7 public health, state public health labs in the nation,” Dr. Sarah Lancallo, who oversees the department’s Public Health Administration, told lawmakers. She said the bureau tests human, animal and environmental samples, supports outbreak investigations, and runs Michigan’s newborn screening program.

The bureau screens for 58 disorders in newborns, Lancallo said. “Last year, the laboratory conducted 110,000 newborn screens, and each year we identify more than 300 Michigan babies who need immediate response,” she said.

Lancallo and Amy Eppke, senior deputy director of financial operations at MDHHS, described how the laboratory network operates under a hub-and-spoke model with the main facility on North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Lansing and seven regional labs hosted by local health departments. Officials said the arrangement speeds testing statewide and provides redundancy when machines or sites have problems.

Lawmakers heard reasons for building a new consolidated laboratory on Crowner Drive in Diamondale. Lancallo said the existing building is aging and has practical limits: instruments are sensitive to vibration from nearby trains and airport traffic, the facility is physically full and cannot accommodate new tests or more staff, and some problems cannot be solved with remodeling.

“The new lab … will enable MDHHS to double our footprint, making us more safe, efficient, and accurate, but also preparing us for the next 25 years,” Lancallo said. She told the committee the Department of Technology, Management and Budget is leading the construction to bring together the Bureau of Laboratories, Eagle’s Laboratory Services and LEO’s Occupational Health Laboratory under one roof. Officials said the foundation and framing work were underway and that staff will begin moving equipment after completion in December 2026; both sites will operate in parallel for a period while tests are revalidated in the new facility.

Committee members asked technical and operational questions about the lab’s role in outbreak response, partnerships with federal agencies and the practical steps involved in revalidating tests after a move. Lancallo emphasized the lab’s role in rapid investigations, sequencing and coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; she described the 2022 E. coli outbreak investigation in which sequencing and interviews helped identify a national restaurant chain as the source and end the outbreak within three weeks.

Officials also invited lawmakers to view facilities and provided a contact for follow-up. “If you’re interested in hearing more, perhaps seeing some of the facilities, you could certainly reach out to Shardae Burton about that,” Lancallo said.

Ending: The subcommittee did not take a formal vote on lab-specific funding in the hearing; members asked for follow-up details on operational timelines and the revalidation process as the construction progresses.