Abbott has announced the first grant recipients of the Instrument Donation Initiative of the Labs Are Vital program. Sixteen schools accredited in clinical laboratory science were selected from more than 100 to receive diagnostic equipment, supplies, and service. Applications were accepted online and were evaluated by a panel of independent judges hailing from universities, community colleges, and hospital-based programs. The instruments to be awarded include automated immunoassay analyzers, hematology systems, and handheld point-of-care automated diagnostic equipment.

The donation is intended to address the critical shortage of laboratory personnel by aiding educational programs, as well as increasing awareness and recognition of the work’s importance. The Labs Are Vital initiatives address three areas: the value of the laboratory professional within the medical community and the larger public; current laboratory issues, such as training center closings and reimbursement coding complexities; and community efforts to create change.

According to the initiative, the National Committee for Quality Assurance studied four different disease states and found that 56,200 adverse health events, nearly 34,000 deaths, and $899 million in health care costs were linked to insufficient diagnostic testing. In addition, another study by the Rand Corp, Santa Monica, Calif, found that critical diagnostic tests are ignored as often as 51% of the time.

The recipient schools are:

•    Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, Ga
•    Clover Park Technical College, Lakewood, Wash
•    Elgin Community College, Elgin, Ill
•    Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Mich
•    Illinois State University, Normal
•    J Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond, Va
•    Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland
•    Our Lady of the Lake College, Baton Rouge, La
•    Trident Technical College, Charleston, SC
•    University of Alabama at Birmingham
•    University of Alaska, Anchorage
•    University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
•    University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg
•    University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis
•    University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio
•    Wayne State University, Detroit

Abbott will award additional grants in the next few months. Grant applicants must supply statistics on enrollment and graduates, certifications, curriculum and program information, desired equipment and planned use, and current equipment. Applications, due March 31, are available at www.labsarevital.com.

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