COLCHESTER — State officials and the University of Vermont College of Medicine say a new, state-of-the-art laboratory co-located with the college’s research facility will enhance the work of both.
Having researchers and public health workers in the same space will promote the sharing of information and ideas in fields such as infectious disease control and environmental contamination, said Dr. Frederick Morin, the medical school’s dean, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday.
“And that is synergy,” Morin said, adding that the word is overused, but said he believes this is truly an example of collaboration leading to a sum that is greater than its parts.
The $31 million state lab will also create internship and job opportunities for the college’s students, UVM Provost David Rosowsky said.
The laboratory, located in the Colchester Business and Technology Park, will begin operations in November, though officials did not have an exact timeline.
The facility will position the state health department to be on the cutting edge of public health science for decades, officials said.
The 47,844-square-foot facility will replace the Health Department’s 32,695 square-foot laboratory in Burlington, which was built in 1952 and is the oldest in the nation, state officials said.
Replacing it was necessary because it was too small and outdated for current needs.
“It’s been hard to even plug in equipment,” at the old facility, laboratory director Mary “Stella” Celotti said.
The Health Department currently has two small specialized biosafety labs. The new facility will have five larger labs for the same purpose. The space will be used for a range of purposes, from testing mosquitoes for West Nile and Eastern Equine Encephalitis — and will allow mosquitoes to be tested for other diseases not currently being screened — to testing for anthrax, pertussis and groundwater suspected of contamination.
The laboratory’s customer service operation will close for only one day, but will continue to take specimens even during the brief closure, Celotti said. The public will be notified of the closure in advance, which is expected in mid-November.
Transferring the high-tech lab equipment will be a tricky process, she added. Equipment must be decontaminated and decommissioned, packed carefully, moved into the new facility and recalibrated. Samples in cold storage must remain at low temperatures. The move will take close to a week, Celotti estimated.
Gov. Peter Shumlin and several lawmakers joined about 60 health department workers and medical college staff at the ceremony.
“We’re proud to be able to provide a new facility for Vermonters at a time when the ability to quickly and effectively respond to both existing and emerging health threats has never been more important,” Shumlin said.
The laboratory will be the third-most technologically advanced facility in Vermont, behind IBM’s semiconductor plant and Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, according to Rep. Linda Myers, D-Essex Junction, a member of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions.
Sen. Dick Mazza, D-Grand Isle, who Shumlin introduced as the “Czar of Colchester,” applauded the governor and workers from the Department of Buildings and General Services for completing the roughly $31 million project on time and on budget.
That’s never an easy thing to do, Mazza added.
“We don’t always agree,” the longtime state senator said smiling at the governor. “But today, we’re all right.”