The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A newly-opened medical laboratory is already eyeing Family Island expansion after just one month in existence while also preparing to launch an exercise club as part of its push to offer more accessible healthcare services.

Regional Medlab Services, which opened on June 20, expects to expand beyond New Providence by the end of this year or early 2027 while simultaneously growing from its current four-person team to about 15 employees as demand increases.

The company, located on the second floor of the new Roker’s Gas Station in suites three and four, specialises in laboratory testing with an emphasis on mobile healthcare services, including blood sample collection and electrocardiograms (ECGs) for patients who are bedridden, have mobility challenges or maintain busy schedules.

“Our goal is to bring healthcare to a person, no matter where they are,” Ms Woodside said, adding that the company is particularly focused on improving access for elderly residents who she believes are often underserved.

She added that Family Island expansion is a key priority, with Andros, Exuma, Eleuthera and Cat Island among the initial markets under consideration. Physical locations on those islands will likely be rolled out gradually.

“I’m looking at that coming into play between the end of this year and early 2027, Lord’s willing,” Ms Woodside said. “I am definitely looking at Andros, Exuma, Eleuthera, Cat Island. Until we can actually open facilities there, we’re definitely going to start making trips.”

As part of its expansion strategy, Regional Medlab is also broadening its range of preventative health services through the launch of an exercise club, which Ms Woodside expects to begin within the next one to two weeks at the company’s headquarters.

“We’re looking to start an exercise club,” she said. “We’re hoping that we can get that started within the next coming week, two weeks minimum… We’re trying to take care of the whole person.”

The initiative will require additional staffing, with Ms Woodside estimating that three employees will be needed specifically for the exercise programme.

The laboratory currently employs four, including Ms Woodside, two physicians and a phlebotomist. One physician specialises in holistic medicine while the other practices general medicine.

“We’re trying to service the whole man,” she said. “You have some persons that prefer a holistic physician… and then you have other persons that prefer the general medical doctor.”

Ms Woodside expects staffing levels to increase significantly over the next year, targeting around 15 employees by 2027. She said recruitment is already underway. “I am in the process of sourcing, in meetings, and just seeing how we’re going to do what needs to be done. So 2027, I think, is going to be a year of a lot happening,” she added.

Ms Woodside said it took about a year to transform the concept into an operating business despite several setbacks along the way. “The vision has always been there because I’ve always had a passion for people, especially the elderly and babies,” she said. “It’s been a little bit of a rough road getting there. We’ve had some setbacks, but we’re finally on the right track now.”

Beyond diagnostic services, the company is also positioning itself as a community health education provider. Every Saturday, Regional Medlab offers free blood pressure screenings, consultations and $12 blood sugar testing in an effort to increase awareness of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.

“We’re bringing awareness and spreading knowledge to the community one person at a time,” Ms Woodside said. “Those two things are so big in this country simply because of the way that we live, our lifestyles.”

She added that affordability remains central to the company’s business model, particularly as families prepare for the back-to-school season.

“One of the other goals is to make healthcare accessible and affordable,” Ms Woodside said. “We have single parents, especially with school about to open, school physicals, those things like that. So we’re trying to come up with contingency plans that can make these things affordable for parents.”

Regional Medlab is also promoting discounted screening services on July 10 and 11, offering HIV testing for $25 and syphilis testing for $25. Walk-in patients will be accommodated without appointments at its second-floor facility above Roker’s Gas Station.