Tulare County Public Health Laboratory

The Tulare County Public Health Laboratory (TCPHL) is charged with the responsibility of protecting Tulare County's public health by providing necessary services in support of public health programs of the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency. These services include the examination of specimens from suspected cases of infectious and environmental diseases, including but not limited to, specimens from humans, water, milk and milk products, vectors, and the environment.

TCPHL provides analysis required to assist in community disease surveillance, including rule-out and/or confirmation of agents that may cause natural or intentional outbreaks of infectious diseases, and agents of emerging or reemerging infectious diseases.  TCPHL provides expertise in microbiology to clinical laboratories in Tulare County, and serves as the reference laboratory for the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) Catchment Area of Kern, Kings, and Tulare Counties.

TCPHL is CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act) certified, is ELAP (Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program) certified for water testing, and is Department of Food and Agriculture (FDA) approved for dairy laboratory testing.  The Dairy Laboratory is the "official laboratory" for the Tulare/Kings milk shed, the largest milk shed in the United States, with over 450 dairies.

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