VA Connecticut Healthcare System

The mission of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System is to fulfill a grateful nations' commitment to its veterans by providing high quality health care that meets the needs of the veteran patients, promoting health through prevention and maintaining excellence in teaching and research. The two VA medical centers in Connecticut at West Haven and Newington, as well as a number of community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) form the VA Connecticut Health System.

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service's mission is to provide accurate, timely and efficient laboratory testing, pathologic diagnoses, and transfusion services, for the veterans of Connecticut. We will meet future veteran's needs through medical research and the training of new professional and technical personnel.

The service is organized into a Laboratory Medicine section and a Pathology section. The Laboratory Medicine Section has 8 subsections: Chemistry, Hematology, Blood Bank, Microbiology, Molecular Diagnostics, Mycobacteriology, Virology, and Specimen Acquisition and Processing. The Mycobacteriology, Virology, and Molecular Diagnostics laboratories perform testing for the New England Veteran's Integrated Service Network (VISN) and other VA facilities nationwide.

The Chemistry, Hematology, and Blood Bank are all open 24/7, though some testing services have limited availability on nights, weekends, and holidays. Microbiology is staffed during the day, 7 days a week. The Molecular Diagnostics, Virology, and Mycobacteriology laboratories are open during the day, M-F.

Four attending faculty cover the Laboratory Medicine Section. Faculty are available 24/7 for consultations and questions via the Laboratory Medicine resident on-service.

• Hematopathology; Mondays, 3:00pm

• Microbiology; Fridays, 2:00pm

• Transfusion Medicine; Quarterly

• Test of the Week; Fridays, 3:00pm