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New brick & mortar location expands vision with drug screenings

LAPLACE — When Kim Hollins and Lisa Hill worked together at Quest Diagnostics, they saw firsthand the physical and emotional burden placed upon elderly patients whose health issues or lack of transportation prevented them from receiving the highest standard of care.

Angels’ Phlebotomy Services was birthed out of a vision to provide mobile blood collection, stat draws, and pickup and delivery services to individuals unable to travel to a traditional laboratory setting. What started with visits to area assisted living homes eventually led to residential and workplace visits throughout the region.

Now known as Angels’ Phlebotomy and Community Services, the former LLC has transitioned into a nonprofit organization with a new brick and mortar location at 2015 W. Airline Highway in LaPlace.

By providing urine drug screening services at the brick-and-mortar location, Hollins and Hill hope to generate revenue to fund mobile phlebotomy services for patients otherwise unable to afford it. The ladies plan to pursue grant opportunities that will allow them to expand care to more homebound individuals in need across the Greater New Orleans region.

“Everything is done for the convenience of our elderly. Our services can be for anyone, but our hearts really went out to the elderly after working for so many years at a lab. It’s so hard to see people struggling out there physically and mentally,” Hollins said.

The grand opening of the new building was celebrated February 1 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. During the grand opening, Hollins and Hill shared their vision of serving patients with integrity and care with St. John the Baptist Parish officials and the River Region Chamber of Commerce.

Parish President Jaclyn Hotard encouraged Angels’ Phlebotomy Services to lean on the resources of the St. John Economic Development Department and the River Region Chamber.

“It sounds like what you are doing is a labor of love, and obviously that labor of love has paid off because you now have a brick and mortar to expand what you’re doing while still providing a service to some people who may not be able to pay for that service on their own. It gives them that dignity of being able to have their blood drawn from home,” Hotard said.

Services are offered through private pay. However, profit has never been the goal of Angels’ Phlebotomy Services, and the owners often end up digging into their own pockets to meet the needs of the community.

“This came about because we were going to houses, and people just didn’t have the funds. We can’t take from people who just don’t have it,” Hollins said. “By becoming a nonprofit, that opens the door to help people who can’t afford it. We hope opening the brick and mortar and having the drug screenings will bring in some funds.”

Drug screenings and mobile phlebotomy services can be booked online at wwww.angelsphlebotomy.com. Through partnerships with several doctors, clinical facilities and laboratories, the Angels’ team can ship or deliver collections to Quest Diagnostics, Lab Corp or other lab settings at the patient’s request.

“It’s not limited to St. John Parish,” Hill said. “We go outside of the area, to Slidell, Covington, Lafayette, Uptown New Orleans, or anywhere there is a need.”

Angels’ Phlebotomy and Community Services is licensed and insured, and the owners have a combined 40 years of experience. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 504-356-2207 or visit www.angelsphlebotomy.com.