WINNIPEG – Dynacare has taken over all diagnostic labs that do blood and urine work – except for those in hospitals – in the city of Winnipeg. The company bought out labs previously owned by Unicity Laboratory and X-Ray Services and now owns 63 diagnostic labs across the city.

Thirty-five Unicity employees were laid off and 21 sites were closed in the changeover. Dynacare also hired 47 former Unicity employees in the process.

Spokesperson Andrea Price said Dynacare locations across the city are now collection sites; specimens are sent twice daily to a lab in St. James for interpretation and next-day reporting. If a level is “critical,” lab staff will notify physicians the same day, she added.

Dynacare is a Brampton, Ont.-based company with 200 locations in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario. According to its website, it offers blood collection, urinalysis and ECGs. It bills Manitoba Health when services are not covered by insurance. The company’s medical director is Dr. Jenisa Naidoo, who is based in Manitoba.

According to Price, the takeover of Unicity is a “good news story” for Winnipeg. “In the past decade, Dynacare has developed a strong reputation as a leader in the provision of lab services in Winnipeg,” she said. Several Dynacare labs have been up and running in Winnipeg since 2008.

The company opened a “state-of-the-art” lab in 2013, according to Price, and uses “leading-edge” technology for its diagnostics.