I hope that everyone is coping during this challenging and uncertain quarantine period. I encourage everyone to reach out to your supervisors and hospital leadership if there is anything we can do to help accommodate you. Please know that the well-being of our team is paramount throughout this ordeal and beyond. The university has gone to great lengths to ensure an ample amount of paid leave is provided for personnel, as external forces like school closings begin to drastically affect our daily lives and our ability to be at work. I have been so impressed with the way everyone has continued to support one another – it is apparent that teams are experimenting with new ways to connect with one another while attempting to maintain physical distancing. Despite the challenges, this “disruption” is creating positive change in many ways, and when this period is over, we will have many new tools that we can use to better communicate with one another, teach our students, and provide better service to animal owners. I want to thank all of you for your dedication to our clients and patients. It is important that we continue to provide a safe and efficient means for our community to seek veterinary care for their animals through this outbreak. Working within the parameters of county, state, and federal regulations, we will make every effort to remain open, albeit on a reduced intake schedule. Please continue to practice proper safety measures and look out for each other. This is a great time to remind ourselves of, and practice, our key cultural pillars: Trusted Dialogue, Pursue Excellence, Recognize Our Vision, One Team, and Value People. We will get through this, together.
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Dr. Jane Sykes
Chief Veterinary Medical Officer
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The hospital’s Focused Recognition Award Program provides an opportunity to highlight our ongoing Cultural Journey and recognize those who have provided remarkable progress within our five Cultural Beliefs: One Team, Trusted Dialogue, Pursue Excellence, Realize Our Vision, and Value People.
March recipients:
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Megan Crippen, a client services representative in Reception A, was recognized for demonstrating the Cultural Beliefs of
Pursue Excellence,
Value People, and
One Team, which contributed to the Key Result of
Excellence in Client Satisfaction. “A client came in to euthanize their pet due to a poor prognosis but didn’t want the kids to witness it. They were in the waiting room crying, and Megan went over to talk to them. She had them draw and color to take their minds off of what was happening. Megan showed sympathy and made the experience much better for them.”
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Brandie Cates, an animal health technician in the small animal Emergency and Critical Care Service, was recognized for demonstrating the Cultural Beliefs of
Pursue Excellence,
Trusted Dialog,
Realize our Vision,
One Team, and
Value People, which contributed to the Key Result of
Excellence in Patient Care. “Excellent communication and technical skills. Brandie is the key ‘Go To’ RVT in small animal Emergency. Able to multitask and perform in an exemplary manner even under extreme stress. Brandie exemplifies the model employee.”
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Key Cultural Pillar
"Value People"
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Tina Maher is not only our assistant director of the school’s Career, Leadership and Wellness Center, she is also a VMTH client, and has been so for many years. She adopted her dog Winnie through the school five years ago. He had quite a few health issues and was seen by many specialty services. “The way we have been treated by everyone in the hospital over the last few years has just been outstanding,” Tina said. “I have always been grateful for the program that allowed me to provide the best healthcare possible for Winnie.” Recently, Tina’s family had to make the difficult decision to let Winnie go. “In our distraught state, we and especially Winnie, were treated with so much caring and compassion,” Tina continued. “I was touched and humbled by everyone who came by to offer their condolences and say a quick farewell to him. From staff like Kaitlin and MaryAnn to Dr. Sean Hulsebosch – everyone was so wonderful and caring. Dr. Hulsebosch kindly told us exactly what would happen and reassured us this was best. He gave us options and stayed to provide comfort. We knew that he was making Winnie as comfortable as possible during his transition. I have so many good things to say about everyone with whom we came in contact.” While saying goodbye to a beloved pet is certainly difficult on the clients, it can also be difficult for clinicians and students. If you are experiencing any stress or hardship related to your position, please reach out to Florence Soares-Dabalos and utilize her
grief counseling services.
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COVID-19 Update:
In an effort to balance the needs of our patients while minimizing the risk to our personnel, hospital leadership, in conjunction with input from the Crisis Management Team, has implemented a limited receiving schedule. Senior students were withdrawn from clinical rotations on March 16. Our immediate goal is to provide ongoing care for any existing patients that would deteriorate without our support and to provide care for animals with urgent or emergent medical needs. Changes in receiving schedules will be determined on a service-by-service basis in conjunction with the administration. We will be constantly reevaluating the situation and readjusting as necessary.
Some of the strategies we are undertaking are:
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- Asking each service to review their schedule and determine which appointments/rechecks cannot be postponed for medical reasons.
- Offering recheck appointments over the phone, perhaps with the assistance of real time or recorded video.
- Formation of clinician teams that alternate time in the hospital (e.g. alternate weeks). While one team is on duty in the VMTH, the other team does not come to the hospital for that period. If an exposure to COVID-19 occurs, this may mean we can maintain sufficient clinical support to provide ongoing patient care.
- Reduction of client traffic in the hospital through altered intake procedures. Clients are now being asked to stay in their vehicles and allow us to greet them in the parking lot. Once a plan is determined for their animal, that communication will take place via phone. We will discourage owner visits with patients unless the animal is in a critical state.
- If the emergency case load exceeds our capacity, we will consider running an urgent care service in conjunction with the emergency service in the VMTH. We may need to ask for clinicians to volunteer to assist us in the emergency and urgent care services.
We recognize that this will impact inpatient care as well as outpatient receiving. This may require moving team members to other services as needed. We appreciate your patience, flexibility, and cooperation while we work through all the logistics of these circumstances.
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