​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​APHL position statements articulate the informed opinion of members on issues affecting public health laboratory practice and policy.

Biosafety

Improving Biosafety in Ou​r Nation's Laboratories​: Sunsets June 2027 ​​​​
APHL urges laboratories in the United States to enhance their biosafety practices by implementing routine risk assessments, identifying best practices and standardized training, developing consensus standards and guidelines, and improving reporting of exposure events. 

Environmental Health

Biomonitoring: Sunsets February 2026​​
Population based biomonitoring is a fundamental public health practice that should be in every state. 

State Laboratories Should be the Principal Drinking Water Laboratories: Sunsets March 2024
The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) urges states (inclusive of commonwealths and territories) to continue designating state laboratories as their principal drinking water laboratory under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Global Health

Improving Health Outcomes by Strengthening National Public Health Laboratory Systems Globally: Sunset February 2023
A fully coordinated and integrated National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) System is essential for the surveillance, detection and response to address public health threats.

Quality Systems for Point of Care Testing: Sunset July 2023
A Quality Management System (QMS) for point of care (POC) testing including rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) is needed to ensure that testing performed in all settings is of high quality globally.

Infectious Diseases 

Sustaining US PHL Capacity for Mosquito-borne Disease Testing: Sunsets October 2022
Public health laboratories (PHLs) must maintain high quality testing capacity to effectively detect and respond to emerging and endemic mosquito-borne diseases relevant to their jurisdiction. 

Laboratory Developed Test Regulation

Regulation of Laboratory Developed Tests​: Sunsets February 2026 
Inflexible oversight of laboratory developed tests would adversely impact public health.

Laboratory Systems and Standards

​Rescind CMS' Nursing Degree Equivalency Determination: Sunsets August 2022

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) should immediately rescind its directive that an associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing is equivalent to an associate's or bachelor's degree in a biological science for a high complexity laboratory.​​

Newborn Screening

Newborn Screening Contingency Planning:  Sunsets December 2022 
The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) recommends that all state newborn screening (NBS) systems maintain and update a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) that ensures minimal or no interruption of services.

Newborn Screening Residual Dried Blood Spot Specimens: Sunsets August 2022 
APHL supports the position that public health newborn screening (NBS) programs should be able to store and use residual dried blood spot (DBS) specimens and test results for program activities without requiring parental consent. ​

Newborn Screening Short Term Follow-Up: Extension granted by APHL Board of Directors, Sunsets January 2023
Timely, efficient and integrated short term follow-up programs are a critical and necessary component of a successful newborn screening (NBS) system.

​​Public Health Preparedness and Response

Field Screening Kits and Devices Must Work: Sunset November 2023
APHL opposes the use of federally unapproved field-screening kits and devices used to detect biological and chemical warfare agents.

The Need for Sustained Funding of PHLs to Ensure All-Hazard Preparedness: Sunsets October 2022
To ensure PHL’s remain at the frontline to respond to all-hazard public health threats, it is essential to our Nations’ preparedness that public health laboratories receive sustained funding to acquire and maintain sophisticated instrumentation, highly trained technical staff and essential infrastructure necessary to ensure their ability to respond to all-hazard emergencies quickly and reliably at any time.​