The State Hygienic Laboratory (SHL) established in the Iowa Administrative Code to provide the following services, public health and environmental testing and surveillance, food safety testing and surveillance, chemical and bioterrorism response, newborn screening and testing, education and training, and applied research. Key partners include the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, hospitals and clinical labs throughout the state and region, and university researchers. SHL serves all 99 Iowa counties, in addition to providing services from clients throughout the nation.

Revenue                                                                                                     

FY 2027 projected revenue is $6,557,582 and category breakdown as follows:

The FY 2027 state appropriation ($4,822,610) is unchanged from last year.

FY 2027 budget dollars will fund laboratory support and administrative functions, infrastructure, supplies, and services. 

Expenditures

Salaries:  Salaries comprise 66% of the laboratory expenses. Non-Clinical faculty and P&S staff will receive an average of 3% salary increase in FY 2027. Merit staff will receive a 2% contractual increase.

Supplies, Services, and Rentals:  These expenses constitute 34% of SHL’s budget: reagents and consumables, service contracts, laboratory software, UI Administrative and Shared Services, the statewide courier, and DAS-leased space for the Ankeny facility. Most of these costs continue to increase annually.

Challenges and Strategies

Securing funding remains a primary focus as SHL operates in an environment of rising costs. Funding from all sources has not kept pace with increasing costs for staff benefits, reagents, the statewide courier, equipment maintenance agreements, and other laboratory supplies. Recruiting and retaining staff as SHL transitions to a high-throughput laboratory is critical. The job market for qualified laboratory staff is highly competitive, making it essential for SHL to offer salaries competitive with other employers. Retention is also crucial to avoid the high cost of training new hires and the loss of institutional knowledge from experienced staff. A key strategy is to implement an updated LIMS system and acquire new instrumentation to increase testing capacity. Additionally, DAS-leased space for the Ankeny facility is in growing need of repairs and will require assessment for continued use.

SHL is taking multiple steps to improve its financial position despite funding challenges. Efforts include reducing supply costs and enhancing revenue through fee-for-service testing and expanded collaborative grant funding.