General Information
Laboratory medicine is an important part of patients’ healthcare journey. In fact, more than 70% of medical decisions around diagnosis and treatment are based on laboratory test results.
Our Laboratory Medicine program at Scarborough Health Network (SHN) consists of clinical laboratories at all three of our hospitals. Our laboratories are licensed with the Ministry of Health and accredited by Accreditation Canada Diagnostics.
Our highly skilled team of laboratory medicine staff are here to assist in answering questions you may have about our tests or laboratory processes. We are committed to providing high quality, timely, accurate and reliable service to our physicians and community. We pursue excellence in providing diagnostic services and information to our customers and help in educating our customers in the appropriate testing strategies and use of our services.
Services
Our services
Through our Laboratory Medicine program, we provide a range of services to support patient care.
Blood collection is done for both patients who are staying in the hospital and patients coming for appointments and procedures across many different SHN departments, units, and clinics.
Sample processing is performed by skilled lab technicians, who receive and prepare hundreds of samples daily and ensure the right samples get to the right testing area quickly.
Histology/Cytology includes the preparation of tissue samples and body fluids through various technical processes and staining procedures by Pathology Assistants and technologists for examination and interpretation by SHN pathologists, which helps with the diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, blood disorders, and infections.
Microbiology testing specializes in the identification of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites that invade the body and cause disease. The majority of our microbiology testing services are performed by the Shared Hospital Laboratory, which is a partnership between SHN, North York General Hospital, Michael Garron Hospital, and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Hematology tests provide physicians with complete blood cell counts, white blood cell differential counts, and red blood cell morphology, which helps with diagnsosis and treatment of blood disorders such as anemia, leukemia, sickle cell disease etc. Patients’ blood coagulation may also be monitored through the use of hemostasis tests.
Chemistry tests involve a wide variety of biochemical analyses, including those to determine cholesterol and thyroid levels, enzyme levels for heart disease, and glucose levels for the diagnosis and management of diabetes.
Technologists in transfusion medicine perform testing such as patient blood typing and screening and compatibility testing. This specialized testing ensures blood products such as red cells, platelets and plasma are safe to administer to the patient.
Results & Locations
Getting your lab results
Please contact your primary care physician or SHN specialist for results.
You can also receive test results through MyChart Central East Ontario. This online tool, which is available on web and mobile platforms, allows you to access all your health information in one place – including lab results. You can sign up for MyChart at your next visit to SHN, or by registering at mychart.ourepic.ca.
Locations and hours
Our blood collection areas operate Monday through Friday. Hours and contact information for each area are listed below.
Birchmount Hospital
Open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Phone: 416-495-2476
Fax: 416-495-2477
Centenary Hospital
Open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Phone: 416-284-8131 ext. 4020
Fax: 416-281-7486
General Hospital
Open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Phone: 416-438-2911, ext. 6081
Fax: 416-431-8123
Other labs
Our Laboratory Medicine program provides blood collection specifically for patients who are admitted to the hospital or visiting a clinic. Other patients who require bloodwork (requested by their physician) are referred to a community blood collection centre.
For your convenience, there is a Lifelabs location at Centenary Hospital:
Lifelabs
2863 Ellesmere Rd, Unit 218
Open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Phone: 1-877-849-3637
For other Lifelabs and Dynacare sites in the community, please check their website to find a location near you.
For information on donating blood and Blood services, click here.
Licenses