Lifespan’s Coastal Medical labs struggle to stay open with staffing issues

Want a job? Be a phlebotomist!

That’s the message coming out loud and clear from two of the state’s medical testing lab chains. If you go to a lab at Coastal Medical you might find that the lab will be closed. The labs that are closed vary from day to day, swaying with challenging staffing issues.

Frank Prosnitz, a writer at WhatsUpNewp discovered that approximately half of the Coastal Medical labs were closed one day, leaving the closest lab for Aquidneck Island residents to be in East Providence. (https://whatsupnewp.com/2022/05/coastal-medical-closes-half-its-laboratories/)

Coastal Medical Laboratories is owned by Lifespan. They are one of the largest laboratory groups in Rhode Island, and patients from Coastal Medical are usually directed to go to their labs for blood work and other medical tests, though they are free to go to any testing lab, within the constraints of their insurance or private pay capability.

Lifespan’s Kathleen Hart, Director of Public Relations provided this statement: “Coastal Medical has not permanently closed any of its labs. Because of a current phlebotomist shortage, Coastal has to temporarily limit operations as it does not have enough phlebotomists to fully open all lab locations at this time. We are actively recruiting staff and hope to provide availability at Wakefield, Newport and Lincoln again soon, and are re-opening locations as staffing permits. Lab locations and hours are subject to change on a daily basis. We update Coastal’s website daily with the current lab schedule and we ask patients to please visit  www.coastalmedical.com/laboratory-services to check availability before traveling to any Coastal lab. Please note:  Weekend hours are available at the Coastal Medical labs both in East Greenwich and East Providence. 

The situation comes soon after learning of the sudden closure notice given to Lifespan’s Weight Loss and Management program members. While the official statement didn’t give many details about that closure, sources have said that they want to consolidate their weight loss/management programs and no longer use dietary supplements. The current program offers Optifast for patients interested in that option.

How are other labs doing?

East Side Clinical Lab, owned by Sonic Healthcare of Australia has approximately 32 labs in Rhode Island and a total of 50 including Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Human Resources office indicated that labs can be closed on any day due to staffing issues and yesterday two were closed – Westerly and North Scituate. The public relations office had not returned our call by deadline time.

Salaries posted at Indeed for phlebotomists positions range from $32,000 to $56,000 a year. College education is not required. Training and certifications are. Jobs are part time, full time, mobile, in-home care, and floaters.  There appear to be from 51 positions open at Lifespan and 19 at East Side, with a total of 155 jobs listed on Indeed for Rhode Island.