NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — New equipment is expected to speed up laboratory results at Great Plains Health in North Platte.

The lab processes more than 3,000 tissue samples every month. Most samples require multiple slides, and each slide needed to be stained, cover-slipped and dried before it could be taken to pathology services. The process used to take six to eight hours.

But on Thursday, laboratory staff cut the ribbon on a VENTANA HE 600 automated staining system, which will improve safety and save a substantial amount of time.

Dani Franzen with Great Plains Health says the system will allow staff to do more than eight hours’ worth of processing in less than an hour.