Outreach Programs
Ankeny staff who organized an open house and Coralville colleagues gather during the event.
With clients in each of Iowa’s 99 counties, the Outreach program manager travels to all corners of the state, meeting with environmental and public health clients to share new testing information and collect customer feedback.
The Outreach section carries out the Hygienic Laboratory’s service, education and research mission by increasing understanding and use of the state’s public health and environmental laboratory system. Strategic planning, process improvement, market research and analysis, and customer feedback are key parts of the section.
The Outreach program manager is the liaison between the laboratory and clients.
- Met with more than 250 external customers through regional meetings and onsite visits to Iowa DNR field offices, public water suppliers, environmental laboratories, local public and environmental health agencies, and major regional hospital and clinical laboratories throughout Iowa.
- Coordinated the update, redesign and distribution of the 2015 Iowa DNR Guidebook – a 132-page laboratory user’s guide designed for IDNR field staff and central office staff.
- Coordinated the launch of a pilot program to provide Blackhawk County Health Department with CLIA oversight and administration of its public health laboratory. This allows the Hygienic Laboratory to assist local laboratories with expertise and management.