ISS opens expanded sample intake facility

Sample intake is the first thing that happens to anything submitted for testing, and it's also where a delay is most likely to ripple through everything downstream. To keep pace with growing submission volume, the lab has opened a larger, dedicated intake facility separate from the analytical floor.

The expanded space gives intake staff room to log, inspect and seal incoming samples without competing for space with outgoing shipments or general lab traffic. It also gives couriers a clearer drop-off point, which has been a minor but recurring source of friction as volume has grown.

Staffing in the new space is dedicated to intake tasks specifically: verifying seals, logging chain-of-custody details, and assigning samples to storage ahead of scheduling. Keeping that work separate from analytical staff and equipment reduces the number of handoffs a sample goes through before it's actually assigned for testing.

None of this changes how clients submit samples — packaging, labeling and shipping instructions are unchanged. What should improve is the time between a sample arriving and its submission being confirmed, since intake no longer has to be squeezed in around other lab activity.

The new facility is part of a broader, ongoing investment in lab operations as testing volume across service lines continues to grow. Further updates on capacity will be posted here as they happen.