SAMPLE KIT COLLECTION & SHIPPING

The Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) receives and processes a variety of specimen/sample collection kits submitted by hospitals, health departments, law enforcement, Department of Environmental Quality regional offices, Virginia Department of Health Office of Water Programs field offices and other entities across the Commonwealth.

For more information on ordering kits, visit our Sample Kit Ordering page.

Shipping & Courier Services

Samples are shipped to DCLS via the contract courier service, which collects samples from over 250 locations, UPS, FEDEX, and the U.S. Postal Service. Some local DCLS customers deliver samples directly to DCLS. When shipping samples to DCLS, each customer must comply with all applicable federal and state rules and regulations pertaining to packaging biohazardous samples, environmental samples, chain-of-custody samples, and all materials, in the appropriate manner mandated for transportation.

Courier service requirements:

• Specimens/samples must be contained in a sturdy, sealed, and properly addressed container
• Containers cannot be damaged or leaking fluids
• The address on each container must be legible and include the complete address of the DCLS laboratory to which the specimen/sample is being shipped
• Containers may not exceed 70 pounds

Collection & Shipping Instructions

The following offer instructions for collecting and shipping various specimens/samples.

Clinical Specimen Instructions:

• Packaging Clinical Samples Guide

• Viral Isolation Kit Collections Influenza and Other Viruses

• Sentinel Flu Provider Instructions

• Sentinel Flu Provider PSP Instructions

• Instructions for Collecting and Submitting Sputum Specimens to DCLS

• DCLS Covid Sample training (Video)

• Bordetella pertussis PCR and Bacterial Culture Specimen Collection Instructions

• Vaccine Preventable Diseases (Measles, Mumps, Varicella Zoster Virus) Collection Instructions

• Rabies Specimen Submission Protocol

• Instructions for the Submission of Stool Specimens

• Patient Instructions for Stool Collection (English)

  • • Additional Language Versions:  Amharic  -  Arabic  -  Spanish  -  Urdu
  • Stool Collection Instructional Video

Environmental Specimen Instructions:

• Drinking Water Sample Collection Guide
• Lead and Copper Sampling Notice