GOUVERNEUR -- E. J. Noble Hospital is expanding the menu of laboratory analyses that can be performed on site.

The hospital, the laboratory of which had been closed for part of last year by the state Department of Health, has received approval from the department to resume many of the functions previously done by Noble laboratory technologists and technicians.

The approval means caregivers and patients will be able to receive test results more quickly, speeding up diagnosis and treatment, especially for those receiving emergency care, according to the announcement from the hospital.

“This is a major step forward for E. J. Noble Hospital and our community,” said Marlinda L. LaValley, E.J. Noble Hospital’s new CEO, formerly second-in-command at Canton-Potsdam Hospital.

“This approval was granted following a rigorous analysis by the state’s laboratory experts and reflects the very hard work our staff members have done to establish quality protocols that meet the state’s stringent requirements,” LaValley said.

The tests include analysis of blood and urine samples to aid in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure, tests for the diagnosis and management of pancreatitis or other pancreatic diseases, drug and alcohol screenings, tests to determine abnormalities in pregnancy, screenings for heart and lung functioning as well as deep vein thrombosis and infections of the blood, and a host of others.

Noble Hospital is filing regular reports with the Department of Health documenting its compliance with the state’s quality standards, as part of a new comprehensive quality assurance and performance improvement program for the hospital.

Gregory Threatte, MD, is the lab’s new medical director. He is chairman of the pathology department at the State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University and serves as medical director of the university’s core laboratory.

With the state’s approval, E. J. Noble Hospital has sent a required 30-day notice that will end its contract with Watertown’s Samaritan Medical Center for operation of the laboratory.

“We’re grateful to Samaritan for being there to assist us when the need was acute,” said LaValley. “With their help, we were able to keep the laboratory open and serving our patients and practitioners.”

E. J. Noble Hospital’s laboratory is open on weekdays 7 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 – 11 a.m. for blood draws. No appointment is necessary. The hospital has established two areas for collection, one on the main floor near the Kinney Nursing Home, and another just inside the doors of the new hospital near the inpatient floor. The second station will open for collection the week of May 20.

For more information, patients and their caregivers can call 287-1000.