The Laboratories Administration is a part of the Maryland Department of Health and provides analytical, scientific, epidemiological, and regulatory services and information to meet the needs of state, county, and city health departments, the Maryland Department of the Environment, and various federal agencies when monitoring and ensuring the health of Maryland's citizens. Our mission is to protect your community and promote public health by: • monitoring the environment, • screening all newborns for 55 hereditary disorders, • protecting the food supply and consumer products, and • providing surveillance and public health testing to detect infectious disease agents and preventing disease transmission. The public health laboratory system is prepared to confront serious community threats, such as emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, growing antimicrobial drug resistance, contaminated and overburdened water supplies, and foodborne pathogens associated with new and imported food products. The state laboratories are also improving disease prevention and control by implementing new molecular and genetic technologies to identify and track infectious microorganisms responsible for disease outbreaks, by detecting hazardous chemicals and their metabolites, by monitoring gene mutations associated with identifiable and treatable genetic defects, and by implementing new scientific instruments and procedures to better detect and control the possible effects of biological and chemical terrorism.