New DynaLife lab opening in Grande Prairie on Dec. 5

A scientist is seen testing a sample of the novel coronavirus in a lab. (File photo)

A new DynaLife medical lab will open next month to replace two older community facilities in Grande Prairie, Alberta Health Services said.

The new "state-of-the-art" laboratory will open on Dec. 5 at 11002 104 Ave.

AHS says it will replace the two existing lab spaces operated by Alberta Precision Laboratories at the Grande Prairie College and Junction Point.

"The new site is more spacious and will offer more appointments, adding capacity needed to serve the growing Grande Prairie community," AHS said in a statement.

The decommissioning of the APL spaces is part of the larger provincial transition of medical lab testing services away from the AHS subsidiary to DynaLife, a private company.

Alberta awarded DynaLife the contract for the majority of lab testing in the province earlier this year. Previously, it provided community lab services in Edmonton and some communities in the North health zone for more than 25 years.

"The DynaLIFE and APL partnership is improving community lab services, while APL focuses on maintaining lab quality and providing a more efficient, effective, and sustainable laboratory system that supports Alberta’s ever-growing demand for lab testing," AHS said.

Appointments at Junction Point will remain available until Dec. 4 and until Dec. 2 at the Grande Prairie College lab. Appointments can still be made using the APL website until Dec. 5, when they will need to be made using DynaLife's webpage.

According to AHS, other health services offered at the Grande Prairie College Community Clinic will remain in place and are not impacted by the lab changes.