SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Leadership staff with the Navy Bloodborne Infection Management Center (NBIMC) visited the Center for Disease Detection (CDD) laboratory in San Antonio, Texas, for a quarterly inspection on Dec. 11, 2024. The team from NBIMC, which manages the HIV testing contract for the Department of the Navy, examined the laboratory’s processes for specimen shipping and retrieval, processing, testing, result transmission, and turnaround times, ensuring compliance with the contracted work performance statement.
Upon examining CDD’s collection and processing of laboratory specimens drawn from across the world, Ryan Torres, NBIMC supervisory program analyst, stated, “Seeing the proficiency with which CDD received laboratory samples was impressive. Watching the CDD staff move the high volume of samples from station to station was remarkable. Each section was fast and thorough, and seeing this inspired confidence in the ability of CDD to provide a top-notch service for the U.S. armed forces service men and women.”
NBIMC team members also evaluated CDD staff training, competency records, standard operating procedures, proficiency scorecards from accrediting agencies, and strategies for maintaining operations during both planned and unplanned downtimes, as well as quality improvement measures and the integration of lab order systems.
CDD, a subsidiary of Labcorp, receives and tests for HIV an average of 50,000 samples per month from Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard sites and ensures a timely turnaround of results to guarantee service member’s medical readiness. “CDD efficiently manages large volumes of samples, ensuring easy retrieval and enhanced traceability to streamline the force testing process for NBIMC,” said Denise Chambers, a health science specialist at NBIMC.
“The quarterly inspections of the Center of Disease Detection reaffirms the critical role of the HIV testing contract in ensuring rapid and accurate HIV diagnostics for military readiness,” explained Vanessa Santiago-Miranda, NBIMC supervisory health science specialist. “By managing this contract, NBIMC is strengthening the ability to detect, respond to, and track HIV, ensuring a healthier future for military readiness and operational fitness in the Navy and Marine Corps.”
In the future, NBIMC staff members will continue to complete quarterly visits to CDD, as the knowledge learned and shared during these meetings is vital to both organizations, streamlining the importance of their work.
The Department of the Navy’s HIV testing contract currently awarded to CDD is crucial in supporting force health protection by providing high-volume HIV screening services for the entire Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, thereby enhancing the mission readiness of service members. “The Navy Bloodborne Infection Management Center plays a critical role in supporting force medical readiness of the Navy and Marine Corps by overseeing the HIV force testing contract to fulfill the required biannual HIV testing requirement for service members,” concluded Cmdr. Marshall Hoffman, NBIMC officer in charge. “The high volume of tests necessitates complex coordination from our staff with military labs worldwide that draw the HIV tests. Additionally, we work closely with commands, local medical teams, and Navy HIV Evaluation and Treatment Units to ensure appropriate diagnosis and care for service members with positive HIV test results identified during these screenings.”
Through the service members’ command contacts, NBIMC coordinates the delivery of new HIV diagnoses and the creation of appropriate treatment plans. NBIMC follows all Sailors and Marines living with HIV throughout their time in the military, improving their medical readiness and ability to fully serve.
Navy Bloodborne Infection Management Center, a field activity of the Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command, supports medical readiness and blood supply protection for the Navy and Marine Corps through central management of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.