This project is a series of qualitative case studies to better understand the legal challenges and opportunities, perceived and actual, related to shared delivery of laboratory services at the state level.
In May 2012, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in conjunction with the Association of Public Health Laboratories, released a report titled “An Overview of Legal Considerations in Assessing Multi-jurisdictional Sharing of Public Health Laboratory Testing Services.” The report was followed up by a convening of ten state lab directors at the CDC in late August 2012. The meeting focused specifically on key legal questions that prevent laboratories for collaborating with other state labs to deliver services in the most efficient manner possible, particularly given current budget crunches. The emerging effort to address these concerns is a two part project including a legal mapping component and an in-depth case study of state public health laboratories. The legal mapping component is already underway at the CDC, with this project serving as the second part.