Downtown Trail lab closure called ‘unconscionable’ by patient

“Unconscionable and irresponsible,” is how one patient describes the impending closure of the downtown Trail medical lab.

“It’s always busy and the staff there are amazing,” said Jim Bailey. “I asked my nurse today, and she’s devastated. She’s a single mom with two kids and didn’t see this coming.”

Bailey said the worker told him that Interior Health officials arrived at the lab Thursday morning to inform staff.

The health authority publicly announced the closure the following day.

“Another blow to the Trail health community,” Bailey added.

He is referring to Interior Health’s June 13 announcement that the medical lab located at the downtown Trail Health Centre will permanently close as of July 28.

Situated on the third floor of the medical building at 1101 Dewdney Avenue, the lab has long provided outpatient services to Trail and surrounding towns.

Interior Health says the decision is part of a broader strategy to, in their words, “optimize” laboratory staffing in Trail and improve testing for emergency and in-hospital patients at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH).

Outpatient lab services — including bloodwork and specimen collection — will continue at the LifeLabs Patient Services Centre on the second floor of Waneta Plaza.

Interior Health said it will work with patients over the coming weeks to support their transition to LifeLabs, which the authority says can accommodate all current outpatient needs.

The Trail Times contacted Interior Health for further details.

Joanne Isber, program director of pathology and laboratory medicine, provided a written response.

“Nothing is changing today – we are notifying the community now so that we can take steps to support patients who currently access service at the Trail Health Centre Laboratory,” Isber stated.

“Over the coming weeks, Interior Health will be supporting health centre patients to transition to using the LifeLabs Trail site, which has capacity and resources to accommodate them.”

Isber confirmed this support will be in place prior to the July 28 closure.

She added that Interior Health is working with the Provincial Health Services Authority and the Ministry of Health to manage the transition.

Isber said the aim is to better serve emergency department patients, inpatients at KBRH, and to make more effective use of laboratory staff across the region.

“Interior Health’s priority is to ensure timely access for laboratory services for both the overall community and acute care patients,” Isber said.

“And we will continue to monitor wait times for patients once this change happens and work with LifeLabs to adjust our collective services as needed.”

When asked about the status of lab staff, Isber said they will not lose their jobs and will be reassigned to hospital-based roles.

“All current Interior Health staff at the health centre will keep their positions and support ongoing laboratory services at KBRH,” she told the Trail Times.

For patients, shuttering the clinic raises immediate challenges.

Without a personal vehicle, options are limited to taxi, public transit, or relying on others for a ride to Waneta Plaza, seven kilometres away.

“Community lab work will shift to an existing LifeLabs location at the Waneta Mall, about 10 minutes from downtown Trail and the health centre,” Isber stated.

“The mall has ample parking and is serviced by regular public transit for individuals who do not drive.”

Isber noted LifeLabs has been supporting local patients since early 2024 and has the capacity to absorb the volume of those currently served at the health centre.

Urgent outpatient testing related to acute care — such as cancer treatment, kidney care, and pre-surgical assessments — will still be available at KBRH.

According to Isber, patients who require those tests will be referred to the hospital by their health care providers.

LifeLabs Trail is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and accepts both walk-ins and online bookings via “Book a Lab Visit.”

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This latest closure follows one earlier this year.

The Beaver Valley Clinic in Fruitvale ceased its lab services on Feb. 28 after over 40 years in operation, citing regulatory changes introduced by the Diagnostic Accreditation Program as unsustainable for a rural practice.

The clinic’s physicians, who had personally funded the lab for decades, said the new standards required extensive documentation and oversight beyond their capacity.

That closure affected thousands of patients in the Beaver Valley, particularly seniors and those with mobility or transportation challenges, who now must travel to the Trail mall for lab services.

Interior Health clarified it was not involved in the Fruitvale decision, but emphasized that all medical laboratories in British Columbia must meet provincial accreditation standards.

Lab deal reached

Following 14 months of negotiations and a 10-week strike, approximately 1,200 LifeLabs workers across B.C. inked a new collective agreement, effective April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2027. According to the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), the agreement was reached after mediator Mark Brown issued binding recommendations in May, which were accepted by both parties. Workers will receive wage increases ranging from 11.3 to 20 per cent over three years, bringing them in line with their public sector counterparts. The union also confirmed that key concessions sought by the employer, such as changes to sick pay, were removed from the table.