The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) Laboratory is one of the recipients of Medical Laboratory Observer’s (MLO) 2025 Lab of the Year Runner Up Awards.

“This award is not given out lightly,” said Chris Goldman, director of MVHS Laboratory Services. “There is heavy competition for this national award and I am proud that my staff earned this acknowledgment. This is truly a team effort as our staff has joined forces to make our laboratory stronger and better than ever.”

Entries are judged on elements in the following areas:

MVHS Laboratory services are available for inpatients, outpatients, nursing homes and home-bound patients, providing a unique continuum of care by offering clinical laboratory and pathology services.

Building on MVHS’s mission, MVHS Laboratory leads with a “patient care first” approach. When it comes to patient care, Goldman added, “We treat them like you would want your family treated.”

With the move to the Wynn Hospital, creating a strong team environment and utilizing advanced technology has been a top priority. When the labs merged, the teams also merged their send-out staff. They reviewed each of their processes and created one standardized workflow and worked together to train each other. In regards to technological advancements MVHS was recognized as the first lab in the country to:

Goldman said at the MVHS Laboratory, they like to promote from within and her team encourages employees to pursue education to advance in their respected fields. Several staff continue their education outside of MVHS while others are cross-trained to obtain the skills needed to apply for higher positions at MVHS if they wish. “MVHS Laboratory administration is fully supportive of these educational endeavors and have, on numerous occasions, made significant changes in an employee’s work schedule to accommodate their education,” she added.

In order to tackle staffing shortages and boost employee retention, the MVHS Laboratory team implemented an international program to recruit medical technologists from around the globe. Management also hires and mentors lab aides who hold science degrees, fostering their passion for laboratory science and inspiring them to continue their education.

MVHS Laboratory managers and supervisors have helped multiple professionals achieve their medical technologist and medical technician licenses and many of these employees choose to stay with the MVHS Lab. Currently, five staff members are involved in a NAACLS-accredited program to become medical technologists or medical lab technicians and a sixth employee joined a program to become a histotechnician. Goldman went on to state, “Our hospital prides itself on being a teaching institution, and our laboratory maintains affiliations with several medical technology and laboratory science programs, as well as local phlebotomy educational institutions, thus enabling students to obtain their clinical experience requirements at our facility.”

“This recognition underscores the dedication and innovation of our laboratory team,” said Darlene Stromstad, president and CEO of MVHS. “Their commitment to excellence, particularly in implementing cutting-edge technology, ensures our patients receive the highest quality of care. We are incredibly proud of their achievement and their ongoing efforts to advance laboratory services in our community.”

For more information about the MVHS Laboratory Services, visit www.mvhealthsystem.org/lab.