OSPHL mainly conducts screenings of newborn baby blood samples from a six state region, and testing for and investigations of infectious diseases.

[3] In response to agency efforts, Oregon’s 2002 to 2003 legislature passed an appropriations measure that authorized building a new facility to house the two laboratories.

[3] The month following the approval of funding, the Department of Administrative Services purchased a single-level building in Hillsboro’s Techpointe Commons business park near Cornelius Pass Road for $5.5 million to house the labs.

[4] The lab also serves as an accrediting agency in Oregon for laboratories that test environmental samples for drinking water, air, and soil.

[4] The OSPHL also processes blood samples from all newborns from the state along with those from Hawaii, Alaska, Idaho, and Nevada in an effort to identify any possible disorders.

[16] Common spaces in the building such as a lunchroom, the entry, conference rooms, and several support areas, are shared by the two state agencies.

[7] The building met state energy efficiency standards, in part by using natural light in offices located along the exterior walls and by incorporating skylights for interior hallways.

[7] Other efficiency items include a high-efficiency boiler that can be controlled from Salem, a waterless urinal, and motion detectors in offices to turn off lights after periods of no usage.

[17] In order to house the exhaust system on the light-industrial designed building, the entire roof had to be reinforced to hold 250,000 pounds (110,000 kg) of equipment.