New partnership to enhance diagnostic testing, quality oversight, and laboratory diagnostic support beginning October 26, 2026.
The Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA) is pleased to announce that it has been selected as the laboratory medicine provider for the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group (The Royal). This new partnership will officially go live on October 26, 2026.
Through this partnership, EORLA will provide comprehensive laboratory medicine services, connecting The Royal’s patients and care teams with EORLA’s regional network of medical, scientific and technical laboratory expertise, quality systems and lab technology.
"We are pleased to welcome The Royal to EORLA’s regional laboratory network and look forward to working together to strengthen high-quality, timely diagnostic support for patients and care teams" said Dennis Garvin, CEO. "This partnership reflects our shared commitment to quality, patient safety, laboratory stewardship, and innovation, while
reinforcing the important role of hospital-based laboratory medicine in supporting specialized mental health care in Eastern Ontario."
The partnership will strengthen access to timely, high-quality laboratory testing while providing The Royal’s clinical team with the expertise, systems and quality infrastructure of EORLA’s regional laboratory network.
“Reliable and timely laboratory services are an important part of delivering safe, high quality care to our patients,” said Cara Vaccarino, President and CEO, The Royal. “Our partnership with EORLA provides our clinicians and care teams with access to a strong regional network of laboratory expertise, technology and quality systems.”
A partnership that benefits patients and care teams
The integration of EORLA’s laboratory medicine services at The Royal will provide several benefits for patients and care teams, including:
- Timely, high-quality laboratory testing, including priority processing for urgent STAT testing to support clinical decision-making.
- Excellent Quality oversight and technical support for Point-of-Care Testing
- Improved laboratory stewardship and specimen collection oversight
- Access to standardized reporting and benchmarking across EORLA’s regional network
- Integration with EORLA’s Epic Atlas laboratory information system
- Access to EORLA’s network of medical, scientific and technical laboratory experts
- Laboratory medicine services delivered within EORLA’s ISO 15189 Plus™ accredited quality management framework and supported by ISO 27001 information security standards
The partnership brings together two not-for-profit, hospital-based health care organizations with a shared focus on quality, innovation and patient-centred care. By leveraging EORLA’s regional laboratory network and The Royal’s expertise in specialized mental health care and research, the organizations will work together to support reliable, efficient and high-quality laboratory testing and diagnostic support for patients and care teams.
About The Royal
The Royal is one of Canada’s foremost mental illness and addiction treatment, research, and education hospitals, dedicated to supporting individuals aged 16 and older who are living with complex mental illness and addiction. Since opening in 1910, The Royal has grown into a trusted resource for people across eastern and northern Ontario, western Quebec and Nunavut.
With campuses in Ottawa and Brockville, and clinical teams working directly in homes and communities, The Royal delivers compassionate, evidence-informed care grounded in cutting-edge research, including through its partnership with the University of Ottawa and other academic and community partners. Its integrated model brings together care, research, education and strategic partnerships to help build a future of recovery.
At The Royal, we separate the person from the illness, helping more people reclaim their lives.
About EORLA
The Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA) is a member-owned, nonprofit organization operating 18 licensed acute-care hospital laboratories serving the Champlain Region. Accredited through Accreditation Canada Diagnostics and licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Health, EORLA delivers more than 15 million diagnostic tests annually.
The organization is supported by over 980 professionals, including medical laboratory staff, laboratory physicians, scientists, residents, and administrative personnel, all dedicated to advancing quality, innovation, and excellence in laboratory medicine.
