Lifelabs As The Medical Laboratory Partner For The NHL’s Return to Play Plan

LifeLabs is pleased to share that it has been selected as the medical laboratory partner for the NHL’s Return to Play Plan as part of LifeLabs’ WorkClear program, an evidence-based approach to help companies bring employees safely back to work.

Life Labs has worked with the NHL to design and deploy a COVID-19 testing model that best suits their needs and enables the league to return to play, while keeping all players and personnel safe. Testing combined with daily risk assessment questionnaires, temperature checks, physical distancing, and wearing face masks can significantly reduce the risk of transmission.

To ensure the safety of the community, LifeLabs will also test the hospitality and transportation staff that will be supporting the NHL’s Return to Play Plan. LifeLabs’ WorkClear program for the NHL will ensure the integrity of the bubble and will support early detection of COVID-19 to allow for intervention from Public Health officials.

“As Canada’s largest medical diagnostics company, LifeLabs is uniquely positioned to support the NHL as they restart their season and get the players back on the ice safely, so that Canadians can enjoy the hockey season,” says Charles Brown, President & CEO of LifeLabs. “This partnership allows the NHL to focus on the game, while LifeLabs focuses on providing high quality, safe, and accurate testing for its teams and personnel staff.”

“LifeLabs is a leader in its field and we are delighted to work with the LifeLabs team during our Return to Play,” says Bill Daly, NHL Deputy Commissioner. “As we endeavor to keep the 12 Clubs gathering in Toronto safe as they begin their pursuit of the Stanley Cup, we are reassured by having LifeLabs’ expertise and excellence to assist us.”

For more information about LifeLabs’ WorkClear program visit www.lifelabs.com

WorkClear Cleaning and Consulting | Lifelabs

WorkClear by LifeLabs® is an evidence-based and customizable solution to help organizations in Canada manage and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmissions within workplaces and locations where physical distancing is difficult. This approach, guided by public health guidelines and protocols, offers an end-to-end solution that helps employers reduce the risk of workplace transmission of the Coronavirus by identifying asymptomatic and symptomatic carriers.

WorkClear Offers:

• COVID-19 screening and testing for your employees.​
• Streamlined management of employees’ health and safety, with integrated technology and management systems.​
• The delivery of all lab test results for all appropriate health care stakeholders through integrated technology and information systems. ​
• Evidence-based screening, collection, and testing processes that meet compliance with accreditation standards for high quality, safe, and accurate testing. ​
• End-to-end solutions, from the back-end validation of equipment, logistics, procurement of screening, collection, and testing materials to the front-end including staffing to support screening, collection, and patient care services.​

LifeLabs will work with employers to design and deploy a unique service delivery model that best suits their needs. Current offerings include on-site collection and mobile collection to homes or offices. 

“As the world enters into a new normal, workplaces must equip themselves with new tools and processes that ensure employee health and safety,” says Lawrence Mahan, Senior Vice President, Commercial, General & Advanced Diagnostics. “Through the WorkClear program, LifeLabs is providing a value-added service that will help get Canadians back to work with confidence as we look to re-start our economy.”  

As Canada’s leading lab diagnostics company, LifeLabs will deliver and oversee evidence-based screening, collection, and testing solutions that are compliant with accreditation standards for high quality, safe, and accurate testing. LifeLabs’ WorkClear solution includes validation of equipment, logistics, procurement of screening, collection and testing materials as well as front-end staffing to support screening, collection, and patient care services.

Celiac Disease Testing By Lifelabs

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by eating grains that contain gluten such as wheat, rye, and barley. Over time, this autoimmune response to a perceived threat can cause irreversible damage to the small intestine and prevent your body from absorbing nutrients critical for good health. About 1% of Canadians have celiac disease and it can appear at any age. 

Celiac symptoms and food intolerance or allergies can appear to be similar, but allergies and intolerances do not damage the lining of the intestine. It’s important to determine the causes of your symptoms so that you have the right care plan developed.

What is Celiac Test?

If a person has celiac disease, their body produces two antibody proteins, immunoglobin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG), in response to a perceived threat, in this case, gluten. LifeLabs offers a combination of two tests to measure the amount of these proteins in the blood:

• Anti TTG IgA
• Anti Deamidated Gliadin IgG

While IgA is the primary antibody produced in individuals with celiac, some people have an IgA deficiency which produces a false negative. This is why our bundle of celiac tests includes a second test to detect the antibody IgG.

Who Should Get Tested?

You can be tested for celiac disease at any age. The symptoms are often nonspecific and variable, making the disease difficult to spot. You should speak with your doctor if you have a family history of celiac disease, or if you are experiencing one or more of the symptoms commonly associated with celiac disease including:

• abdominal pain and bloating
• chronic diarrhea
• weight loss
• extreme fatigue
• flatulence
• unexplained iron-deficiency anemia
• joint pain

How Can an Individual Get Tested?

Testing is completed by LifeLabs at a Patient Service Centre or via our mobile lab service (available in select cities) through a simple blood sample. You will require a completed test requisition from your healthcare provider.

Results:

Test results will be provided directly to your healthcare provider for discussion with you. The report will indicate:

• Whether IgA protein is present in your blood and the levels
• Whether IgG protein is present in your blood and the levels

If your test results show the presence of either the IgA or IgG proteins, your healthcare provider may suggest additional testing before developing a treatment plan. Order the test here.

Lifelabs and Rocky Mountain Analytical

Together with parent company LifeLabs, and partnership with industry leader Genova Diagnostics, Rocky Mountain Analytical offers a complete suite of tests to help easily identify a broad range of health conditions. Canadian owned and operated, Rocky Mountain Analytical has significant expertise in functional and integrative medicine. Our broad expertise enables us to provide clinical support to both new and experienced functional and integrative medicine professionals.

Rocky Mountain Analytical has been providing functional medicine testing to arm healthcare practitioners with vital insights into their patients’ health since 2002. With roots as a small lab in Alberta, we have since grown to become part of Canada’s largest community lab, LifeLabs, and partnered with one of the largest functional medicine labs in North America, Genova Diagnostics.

Since 2013, RMA and LifeLabs have worked together to support the growing community of functional medicine practitioners across Canada. Through this partnership, LifeLabs and RMA provide the infrastructure, investments, and strategic partnerships that help practitioners and their patients manage their health in a way that’s most meaningful to them.

In 2020, LifeLabs and RMA began a partnership with Genova, a leading global clinical laboratory, to provide a comprehensive test menu to RMA clients and their patients. Through our shared commitment to innovation, quality, care, and outstanding customer service, RMA and LifeLabs—and now Genova—are working to continually advance the health and wellbeing of Canadians with a complete offering of both conventional laboratory and integrative functional medicine testing.

Lifelabs care about people’s health and are committed to building a healthier Canada. At every step in the testing process, from collection to reporting, we provide caring, efficient, reliable, and high-quality services. As a trusted partner supporting patients, healthcare providers, corporate customers, and entire provincial healthcare systems, we are continually harnessing our medical expertise to build the best test offering while investing in technology to transform the delivery of health care.