Each month, the VMTH Voice introductory message will come from a different member of the VMTH leadership team. We are excited that this rotating authorship will bring you viewpoints, highlights, staff recognitions, and much more from various areas of the hospital. We hope you enjoy these new and fresh perspectives of happenings around the VMTH.
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I am thrilled to be the first non-CVMO member of the VMTH leadership team to present this introductory message. I am excited to share with you how hard our team has been working in the Large Animal Clinic and will be equally excited to hear from others in subsequent months. We all work so diligently in our own corners of the hospital, so it is always interesting and inspiring to hear what the rest of the VMTH is accomplishing.
Our team of about 20 cares for the most critical patients of the LAC: equine ICU, NICU, and the equine Isolation Unit. Our caseload continues to grow, and I am so proud of how our team has stepped up and always put the patients first.
Our team has also taken on additional responsibilities throughout the LAC, helping wherever we can and accomplishing additional duties. The team has been extremely flexible, always willing to lend a helping hand, with a positive attitude.
I want to recognize our loyal, steadfast, and committed experienced staff for their ongoing efforts. I am also looking forward to seeing our new staff’s achievements and their contributions to the amazing care offered to our patients. They’re well qualified and eager to help wherever they can, like filling water buckets, taking a horse for a walk, or providing extra help when needed – all these elements are critical jobs that need to be completed. However, it does take time to train appropriately. I want to thank everyone for being flexible and patient while we work to get all our staff the appropriate amount of training and skill to ensure the Large Animal Clinic operates well.
I am so proud of our team for how they’ve stepped up during this time of uncertainty and much change; they have handled themselves exemplary throughout the pandemic. I am thankful to have a team that is there for each other and for our patients. They have done a tremendous job of making sure patient care is never compromised. I couldn’t be prouder of how our team rises to any challenge placed in front of them.
Thank you to everyone on the Large Animal Critical Care team: Mary Alexandra, Tawnya Applegarth, Lisa Bader, Clara Baisden, Katie Berg, Alex Budde, Stacey Butler, Sandy Chancellor, Ashley Chavez, Claudia Firchau, Chris Fulkoski, Katie Griffin, Ali Harman, Erin Hisey, Rafael Miranda, Lisa Navarro, Eryca Sphar, Alexis Zifer, Lorrie Spring (Assistant Supervisor), and Cody Holt (ICU Support Staff).
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–Erica Winans
Large Animal Patient Care Manager
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Recognitions
The Cultural Pillars Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the VPETT Recognition Award for the month of September. |
September Recipients:
Katherine Skorupski, faculty member with Oncology Service, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of Realize Our Vision, Value People, Pursue Excellence, Trusted Dialogue, and One Team, which contributed to the key results of Outstanding Patient Care, Student Teaching, Client/rDVM Satisfaction, and Employee Engagement.
“Dr. Skorupski is a wonderful leader on our service. She is always willing to help when we are short staffed with anything from restraint to cleaning to assisting in CT. She goes above and beyond in a way that makes the whole team feel supported.”
Dr. Skorupski is a cat lover (especially “fancy” purebred cats) and spent a summer in veterinary school volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. While she is from Southern California, she trained in Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
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Andrea Engwis, an animal health technician with the Oncology Service, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of Realize Our Vision, Value People, Pursue Excellence, Trusted Dialogue, and One Team, which contributed to the key results of Outstanding Patient Care, Student Teaching, Client/rDVM Satisfaction, and Employee Engagement.
“Andrea is such a hard worker, and always with a smile on her face. We've been short staffed, and she always steps up to help everyone who needs it.”
Thank you, Dr. Skorupski and Andrea, for your hard work and dedication to the VMTH.
In addition, Jody Deal and John Kirby also received awards for recognizing their colleagues’ hard work.
Please utilize the PerfectForm icon link available on every VMTH desktop (or through VIPER>VMTH>Forms>VPETT) to nominate your colleagues for recognition of an outstanding example of one of our five Cultural Pillars: Realize Our Vision, Value People, Pursue Excellence, One Team, Trusted Dialogue. |
Key Cultural Pillar
“Realize Our Vision”
For the past month, VMTH clinicians and staff have been assisting animals from the Dixie, Caldor, and Cache Fires. In the field, teams from the Equine Field Service, Livestock Herd Health and Reproduction Service, Integrative Medicine Service, Diagnostic Imaging Service, and Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service have assessed and cared for hundreds of animals in the fire zones and at evacuation centers and rescue habitats, including livestock, horses, poultry, waterfowl, parrots, cats, dogs, bears, and bobcats. By working together with the Veterinary Emergency Response Team, Student-VERT, the Rural Veterinary Experience Teaching Service, the California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps, and the Wildlife Disaster Network, these dedicated veterinarians and technicians have provided exceptional care. This year, fewer animals were referred back to the VMTH due to the expert level of care they are receiving in the field. However, there have been 22 animals brought to the hospital to date. They include horses, pigs, cattle, goats, cats, chickens and other birds, including a bald eagle evacuated from a refuge near Lake Tahoe. They were cared for by members of the Livestock Medicine and Surgery Service, Equine Internal Medicine Service, Equine Medical Emergency and Critical Care Service, Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Service, Neurology/Neurosurgery Service, and Community Surgery Service, as well as many small animal ward technicians and B-Barn and C-Barn crews. To the dozens of individuals who provided first-hand care and the entire VMTH team who supported those efforts, the communities of Northern California are grateful for your dedication. The outpouring of support on social media has been overwhelming. Thank you for helping us “realize our vision,” as we continue to transform lives through compassionate care.
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Clinician Update:
- Dr. Hugues Beaufrère recently joined the VMTH as an associate professor with the Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service, effective September 1. Dr. Beaufrère received his DVM at the University of Lyon in France. He is specialty board certified by the European College of Zoological Medicine (Avian), the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (Avian), and the American College of Zoological Medicine (Zoological Companion Animals).
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- Dr. Allison Mattingly recently joined the VMTH as a staff veterinarian with the Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Service. Dr. Mattingly is a graduate of UC Davis and has extensive experience in small animal ERs in the Bay Area and Sacramento regions.
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Facilities Update:
- IT Services has established a go-live date of November 2 to start using the Instinct Treatment Plan in the Small Animal Clinic. We are in active implementation mode to connect VMACS to Instinct to allow automated check-in/check-out. Large dashboard screens have been installed in the back hallway of the SAC and in the back of the Feline Treatment and Housing Suite. One additional dashboard is still pending for the Intermediate Care Ward. We will be deploying dedicated Instinct laptops to ICU, ICW, and the wards. Training will be offered for Client Services, students, technicians, and clinicians. There are a few short overview and feature videos available on the Instinct help site to familiarize you with this new service.
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VMC Update:
- The general contractor, Roebbelen Construction, has been selected for the All Species Imaging Center and has begun pre-planning activities with campus designers. We anticipate construction staging to begin shortly. You will begin to see signage around the complex alerting employees and guests of the latest activities and areas to avoid. If you have not done so already, please familiarize yourself with the ASIC project, as clients will be curious about the advancements being made to the hospital. This central hub of imaging is the first major building construction of Phase I of the Veterinary Medical Center campaign.
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VMTH Committee Update:
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Infection Control and Prevention Committee – The Infection Control and Prevention Committee develops and oversees protocols for infection control and responds to infectious disease outbreaks that occur in the VMTH. The committee is responsible for surveillance of nosocomial infections; monitoring interventions to prevent and control infections; approving and updating policies and procedures relating to infection control activities; and oversight of antimicrobial stewardship in the VMTH. Over the past year, members of the committee included: Drs. Gary Magdesian (LAC Chair), Steve Epstein (SAC Chair), Krystle Reagan, Barbro Filliquist, Jennifer Surmick, Julie Dechant, and Barbara Byrne, as well as staff members Krisztina Forward, Cheryl Primas, and Marika Pappagianis.
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Wellness Tip of the Month
Florence Soares-Dabalos, MS, LMFT, the VMTH’s client support and wellness professional, offers a brief tip on managing stress through the current crisis. Please see full website of services that Florence offers.
- Want a quick way to meditate by using all five of your senses? The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique takes less than two minutes and can help you through stressful situations. See this video to learn how you can utilize your senses to help calm you.
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