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Public Health Laboratory

The OSDH Public Health Laboratory (PHL) delivers critical laboratory services that help support local, tribal, state, and federal partners, as well as health care providers, in safeguarding public health and formulating patient care.

Laboratory services include:

  • Newborn screening and testing for heritable disorders
  • Diagnostic testing for infectious diseases
  • Laboratory testing associated with foodborne disease outbreaks
  • Early detection and characterization of emerging pathogens 
  • Testing of clinical and environmental specimens for biological and chemical threat agents

CLIA Certificate

The OSDH Public Health Laboratory (PHL) is CLIA-certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Laboratories are required to verify that any reference laboratories they use for clinical testing are CLIA-certified at the appropriate level of testing complexity and in the relevant specialty or subspecialty. This requirement may be met by obtaining a current CLIA certificate from each reference laboratory.

As the OSDH PHL serves as a reference clinical testing laboratory for OSDH County Health Departments and other facilities, a current copy of our CLIA certificate (#37D0656594) is provided to support compliance with this requirement. When the OSDH PHL forwards specimens to another reference laboratory for additional testing, submitting sites are not required to independently verify the CLIA certification of those laboratories and may rely on OSDH PHL accreditation for compliance.

Hours of Operation:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., CST, Monday through Friday
Closed on weekends and all state holidays

General PHL Inquiries
The OSDH PHL is committed to providing quality laboratory services to our customers to enhance patient care and health of Oklahomans. If you have a question about specimen submission, test results, testing processes, or other PHL-related inquiries:

  • Email PublicHealthLab@health.ok.gov (preferred for non-emergency)
    • Please include your phone number so we can call you if needed.
    • If you do not have an ”…@health.ok.gov” email address, make sure you encrypt the email when including patient Protected Health Information (PHI) (type “[SECURE]” anywhere in the subject header).
  • Phone (405) 564-7750
    • An operator is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., CST, Monday through Friday. If you do not get through to the operator, please leave a clear and brief message providing name, return phone number and information about your inquiry – please do not include any PHI.
  • Access the test-specific webpage applicable to your inquiry from the navigation menu. These pages provide information regarding test methods, specimen collection and submission requirements, shipping, turn-around time, results interpretation, and billing. 
  • Epidemiologist-On-Call
    • The Infectious Disease Prevention & Response Epidemiologist-On-Call can be reached at (405) 426-8710. This is manned 24 hours/7 days a week where an epidemiologist is available for communicable disease consultations for health care providers and the general public.
  • Press and Media Inquiries

To request enrollment: Email the OKHAN Coordinator at OKHAN@health.ok.gov and provide current credentials to begin enrollment process.

The OSDH has established a list of reportable pathogens and diseases that health practitioners, laboratory personnel, and county health departments are required to report. This list is essential for OSDH to evaluate and direct control, education, and prevention efforts statewide. The official list of reportable pathogens and diseases and details for reporting and submission of specimens, as required, can be found in the What to Report section of the OSDH Infectious Diseases Prevention and Response (IDPR) website.

Contact Information

Address:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Public Health Laboratory
4615 W. Lakeview Rd.
Stillwater, OK 74075
Phone: (405) 564-7750
Fax: (405) 900-7611
Email: PublicHealthLab@health.ok.gov