Member Profile: Napa-Solano-Yolo-Marin Public Health Laboratory

Year built: 2009

Location: City of Fairfield, County of Solano, California

Facility: The Solano County Public Health Laboratory was founded more than 50 years ago and was first located in a former canning factory on Tuolumne and Tennessee Streets in Vallejo. The laboratory moved to its current location in November 2009. The Napa-Solano-Yolo-Marin Public Health Laboratory (NSYM PHL) is a specialized, regional public health facility serving healthcare professionals, law enforcement and residents across four California counties. Managed through Solano County Health and Social Services, it performs crucial functions in outbreak monitoring, infectious disease control and environmental testing

Number of staff: 14

Distinguishing characteristics: NSYM PHL primarily performs diagnostic, reference and environmental testing focused on infectious diseases to four counties in California with a total population of over 1 million people. It offers a variety of testing:

• Clinical and infectious disease testing, encompassing bacteriology, mycobacteriology, virology and molecular PCR, immunology and serology, mycology and parasitology
• Vector-borne diseases and wildlife safety, including tick identification and testing, rabies testing
• Environmental health testing, including bacteriological water testing and chemical water testing
• It is a sentinel laboratory for select biothreat (BT) agents.

Highest volume testing: Mycobacteriology, using acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smears and cultures, QuantiFERON Gold-Plus (TB testing) and MTB/Rif GeneXpert molecular testing.

Notable success story: The laboratory won the prestigious Healthiest Laboratory Award from APHL in 2026, specifically recognizing its excellence in environmental sustainability and workforce safety, such as:

• Workplace wellness programs, ergonomic workstations, supportive break policies and staff-led team walk activities
• Regular training, ongoing education and standard operating procedures for safe laboratory practices, including the proper handling, segregation and disposal of chemical and biological materials
• Required use of personal protective equipment to reduce risk and exposure
• Dedicated personnel responsible for biosafety, hazardous materials and quality assurance
• Routine health screening and vaccinations for laboratory personnel
• Opportunities for professional development, like the public health microbiologist training program

Biggest challenge: Workforce training and staff retention with rising cost of living.