Montana Laboratory Sentinel

Updates from the MT Laboratory Services Bureau
Phone: 800-821-7284 Fax: 406-444-1802
Lab Website

Lab Manual 

(Please reference this for testing or submission questions.)

June, 2025

News and Updates

Upcoming Trainings

• Biosafety and Risk Assessment

  • This intermediate-level course will be held virtually June 19^th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and has been approved for 2 P.A.C.E. continuing education credits through ASCLS-MT*

  • Description of Session: The possibility of exposure to dangerous pathogens is very real in the laboratory, and creating a safety culture is essential. No matter a person's position or authority, all laboratory employees must adhere to policies and procedures to protect themselves, each other, and those outside this working environment.

  • If you are interested in attending, please fill out the short form found here, no later than June16th: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/fE58Kf1fhs

• Packaging and Shipping

  • This intermediate-level course will be held virtually June 25th from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and has been approved for 5.5 P.A.C.E. continuing education credits through ASCSL-MT*

  • Description of Session: Through several facilitated learning activities, participants will mark, label, package, and complete documentation for various infectious substance shipments (Category A, Category B, Exempt Human Specimens). To demonstrate competency, participants will complete an online exam and practical exercises. This course provides a certificate of completion but does not certify individuals in the packing and shipping of dangerous goods. Individuals can be certified by their employer after all training requirements have been met.

  • If you are interested in attending, please fill out the following form no later than June 20th: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/An6gjUckXv

    • *ASCLS-MT is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E. ® Program.

    • Please be advised that if you have taken either of these courses in March, you will not be able to file for P.A.C.E. credit again after attending.

• MT Laboratory Forum

  • On July 17^th, the MT Laboratory Services Bureau is planning a virtual event to reconvene the MT Laboratory Forum. Sessions will be 9:00-11:00 AM (recap) and 1:00-3:00 PM (planning). The purpose of this session is to give a quick overview of the MT laboratory system, the recap the history of the forum, and plan for upcoming projects.

  • During the morning session, we will recap the core functions of public health laboratories and highlight updates in services offered by the MT Laboratory Services Bureau. Participants will hear about the most recent foodborne illness and infectious disease cases as well as surveillance efforts.

  • During the afternoon session, we will discuss needs for improvement highlighted in the May 2024 forum session in Helena. This includes progress made and plans moving forward. We will also discuss interest groups and possible forms of communication between group members. This session will conclude with plans for an in-person meeting tentatively planned for August 2025.

  • We will reach out to those expressing interest in continuing from 2024 and are encouraging anyone interested in joining to also fill out the following form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/TYaNeQmPPQ. Please share with others who may be interested.

IT Corner

• Final call to sign up for OKTA!!

  • We still have some users who need to transition to OKTA authentication for the lab portal.  Soon, OKTA will be the only method for signing in to the portal.

  • If you have not done so, CREATE YOUR OKTA ACCOUNT NOW AND NOTIFY US AT HHSLIMS@MT.GOV that you have an OKTA account.

  • We will then complete the process to link your OKTA account to the portal and notify you when you can sign in with OKTA (this process typically takes 24 hours).

  • Instructions for creating an OKTA account can be found here:

    • How to create an OKTA account

Preparedness

• Select Agent Identification and Destruction Reporting

  • The Montana Public Health Laboratory (MTPHL) is part of the Laboratory Response Network – Biological (LRN-B) and the only laboratory in the state that can confirm a Select Agent (i.e., Bacillus anthracis, Francisella tularemia, Yersinia pestis, etc.). If a Select Agent is confirmed, MTPHL and the submitting clinical laboratory are required to complete and submit an APHIS/CDC Form 4A. This form is used to notify the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP) of the identification and destruction of a Select Agent.

  • For more information on the APHIS/CDC Form 4A.

Dear Labbey, I’ve seen stories about blacklegged ticks on the news. Is this something I should be worried about? Can you tell me what Montana is doing to combat the problem? Dear Reader, There is no way to widely eliminate ticks but knowing where they are present and what you can do to avoid them is key in keeping yourselves, your family, and your pets safe. In 2024, DPHHS-sponsored active tick surveillance led to the discovery of a species of tick that is new to Montana. Three female Ixodes scapularis, also known as the “blacklegged tick” or “deer tick” were part of over 500 ticks of public health significance collected in Montana. Active tick surveillance is when DPHHS organizes trained experts to collect ticks through methods such as flagging or dragging. This is important because blacklegged ticks are the primary vector responsible for diseases such as Lyme disease, Powassan virus, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, tularemia, and hard tick relapsing fever. This means Montana citizens may have an increased risk of exposure to diseases that weren’t previously a threat in Montana. Read more…

Reminders:

• Dear Labbey

  • Please send in your dear Labbey questions to cfortune@mt.gov. We would love to help answer any questions you have.

• Careers

  • Interested in a Public Health Laboratory career?  Click here to see current vacancies: https://statecareers.mt.gov/.  Search “lab” in the keywords to find vacancies.

• Lab Portal Information

  • All of our lab portal procedures and access paperwork can be found on our website. Here is the link to the direct page with all of our forms and procedures: https://dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/LaboratoryServices/onlineorderingandresults.

  • There is also a link in our lab portal that will take you directly to this page. This link can be found under quick links. "MT PHL Lab Portal Procedures and Forms". 

• Courier 

  • Please click here for our full courier schedule.

• Previous Laboratory Sentinels 

  • All previous Laboratory Sentinels can be found on our website on the column on the left hand side by selecting "Public Health Laboratory Newsletter". Here is a link to all our previous Laboratory Sentinels.