Santa Maria company provides new specialized lab equipment at Marian Regional Medical Center
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – New specialized laboratory equipment that can dramatically increase the diagnosis of disease is now in operation at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria through a recent donation from Hardy Diagnostics.
A $289,000 donation from Hardy Diagnostics allowed Dignity Health to purchase the equipment that has the ability to detect and identify potentially life-threatening bacteria and fungi in only a matter of minutes.
"Due to Hardy Diagnostics’ generosity, the Marian Laboratory will now be able to purchase highly specialized equipment that will allow health care in our community to dramatically improve by creating faster results and more targeted, effective, and definitive patient treatments," said Dr. Kevin Ferguson, Marian Regional Medical Center Director of Laboratory and Pathology Services."
With the new equipment in place, faster microbial identification will allow for physicians to guide patient therapy in a more timely manner than previously was allowed.
"Both of these pieces of equipment are for the identification of bacteria and fungi that cause disease," said Jay Hardy, President and CEO of Hardy Diagnostics. "These pieces of equipment allow the microbiologist to make a faster diagnosis, which is very crucial in getting the patient on appropriate therapy as fast as possible. There is a big push to get patients well, get them out of the hospital as fast as possible in these pieces of equipment will do just that."
Before the donation, the specialized laboratory equipment was not previously available on the Central Coast.
"We are so grateful that Hardy Diagnostics has stepped up and made a significant donation to our laboratory," said Dr. Chuck Merrill, Marian Regional Medical Center Chief Medical Officer. "It'll be cutting edge technology on the Central Coast, so we're really blessed and pleased that Hardy could step up and do this for us. This will save many people's lives because the sooner that you can identify a bacteria or fungus pathogen, you can start initiating the appropriate therapy. This is a true lifesaver, and we're really lucky to have it here on the Central Coast."
In honor of the donation, Dignity Health recently unveiled a sign near the entrance of the laboratory on its Santa Maria medical campus which reads, “Made Possible by Hardy Diagnostics."
"It gives us immense joy knowing that we can partner with Marian and other hospitals in their mission to provide superior health care to those in our community,” said Hardy. "Hardy Diagnostics’ products are used all over the world to diagnose and prevent disease. The company, which has been headquartered in the Central Coast of California since 1980, is a 100% employee-owned company that is licensed by the FDA as a medical device manufacturer, and its quality management system is ISO 13485 certified. Hardy donates 1% of its earnings to non-profit organizations and supports a variety of local charities."
According to Hardy Diagnostics, the 43-year-old company manufactures 2,700 products, distributes more than 13,000 products, offers services to more than 10,000 laboratories, exports products to over 80 foreign distributors, and maintains a network of nine distribution centers throughout the United States.
