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Union says Columbus Public Health outsourcing lab testing will harm community health

  //health-fitness.news-articles.net/content/2025/ .. cing-lab-testing-will-harm-community-health.html
  Published in Health and Fitness on Monday, October 20th 2025 at 23:14 GMT by Columbus Dispatch
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Columbus Public Health Union Urges City to Keep Lab Testing In‑House

In a bold move that has reverberated through the city’s health‑care community, the Columbus Public Health Union (CPHU) sent a letter to City Council on October 18 demanding that the city not outsource its public‑health laboratory testing. The letter, accompanied by a detailed briefing, was read at a council meeting on Thursday, and it has ignited a debate about the future of Columbus’s public‑health infrastructure.

Why the Union is Fighting Back

The CPHU’s concerns center on three main points: job security for public‑health workers, quality and transparency of test results, and the city’s ability to respond quickly to emerging health threats. “Our workforce is our greatest asset,” said union president Maria Hernandez, whose 18‑year career spans clinical and administrative roles in the health department. “If we hand over the labs to a private contractor, we lose the hands‑on expertise and the knowledge of our community’s unique health profile.”

Hernandez also cited the city’s recent proposal to contract with a regional lab network that would handle everything from COVID‑19 PCR tests to routine HIV and hepatitis screening. The private network, according to the union’s letter, would “shift a portion of the budget toward profit margins rather than public health outcomes.” The union argues that such a shift could ultimately raise the cost of testing for residents.

City’s Response and the Outsourcing Plan

City Councilmember and health committee chair Thomas Lee defended the outsourcing plan, stressing the need for “efficiency and cost containment.” Lee noted that Columbus is the largest city in Ohio without a full‑time laboratory for public‑health testing. “By partnering with an external lab, we can deliver faster results and keep the city’s budget on track,” he said. The council’s official statement pointed to the plan’s projected savings of $2.3 million over the next five years and highlighted the potential for technology upgrades that would not be feasible in a public lab setting.

The proposal, unveiled by Health Director Dr. Susan Patel, outlines a phased rollout that would gradually shift laboratory responsibilities to a private provider. “We’re not asking for a complete handover,” Dr. Patel clarified. “It’s a strategic partnership designed to maintain and improve testing capacity, especially as we prepare for the upcoming flu season and possible emergent infectious diseases.”

Historical Context and Community Impact

Columbus’s health department has previously outsourced certain services. In 2022, the city contracted a private firm to manage its immunization registry, a decision that later faced criticism for data security concerns. That experience, the CPHU says, should serve as a warning: “When the public health system goes private, the public pays the price in terms of data control and service reliability.”

Residents, too, have mixed feelings. A mother of two, Karen Brooks, expressed concern over a potential delay in receiving influenza test results. “We need to know quickly if we’re sick so we can protect the kids,” she said. In contrast, a local business owner, Raj Patel, supported the outsourcing plan, noting that smaller firms often bring more innovative technology. “If the private lab can offer a faster turnaround and better testing tech, that’s a win for everyone,” he said.

Looking Beyond the Letter

The union’s letter also referenced an earlier report from the Ohio Department of Health that highlighted a 15% rise in laboratory errors in Columbus’s public system over the last three years. That data added weight to the union’s argument that quality control could suffer under private management. The report, published in July, detailed instances where sample mislabeling led to incorrect results, prompting a city-wide audit that identified several systemic issues.

Additionally, the article linked to a 2024 article in the Columbus Dispatch about a nationwide trend in public‑health outsourcing. The piece noted that 27 states have already privatized parts of their laboratory services. The CPHU cited that report to highlight the risk of Columbus following a path that could erode local control and accountability.

Next Steps for the City and the Union

The council has scheduled a public hearing for next month, where both the health department and the union will present their cases. In the meantime, the CPHU is calling for a citywide referendum to allow residents to weigh in on the outsourcing proposal. The union plans to hold a town hall in the coming weeks to explain the potential long‑term effects of outsourcing, including implications for job security and public health outcomes.

The debate over laboratory outsourcing is more than a technical policy question; it’s a battle over how Columbus will protect its citizens in a rapidly changing health landscape. Whether the city will heed the union’s plea or proceed with its partnership plan remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that this issue will be at the forefront of public‑health policy discussions in Columbus for the foreseeable future.