Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
Northern Vermontand New Hampshirehasexperienced an unprecedented vacancy of practicing large animal veterinarians over the past few years. Animal agriculture is a staple of the area's lifestyle and local economy. Danielle and Earl Brady LLC (dba/doing business as Cold Hollow Veterinary Services) is currently finding innovative methods to provide for the deficit of coverage in the neighboring areas.The practice provides service toapproximately 105 dairy farms across Northern Vermontand New Hampshire; about a dozenof which are located in Caledonia County. A few swine and beef cattle operations reside in thisarea as well. Home to the Caledonia County Fair, this area values it's local community and is unique feature of the state. We also service multiple goat dairys (300+milkers), and many other small ruminant producers in Caledonia County. Cold Hollow Veterinary Services has recentlyexpanded its coverage to the entirety of Caledonia County, which once was shared by 3 different veterinary practices (those establishments no longer exist). Without the practice'scontribution to serve the area, many of these producers would quite literally have no access to veterinary care; this becomes a crisis for public health, animal health, and animal welfare.In order to carry on our standard of care and ability to perform field diagnostics for these clients, our practice willgreatly benefit from a mobile digital x-ray unit and stationary ultrasound. Currently, our practice utilizes two regional offices, providing care to a clientelle that spans 120 miles. Asingle x-ray and stationary ultrasound unit are used between these two offices, and scheduling and efficiency of their use is to be improved. The new units will be intendedstrictly for the office servicing the shortage area and made available to the respectiveveterinarians and their clients. This equipment is essential to provide standard of care stall-side diagnosticsfor regular scheduled appointments, but can also be instrumental in emergency situations.A mobile veterinary clinic and truck will also be acquired, as the current primary practice vehicle and clinic used to travel to this area is in need of replacement. The mobile unit willprovide the veterinarian primarily assigned to this geographical area within our practice means to travel safely and utilize the equipment as needed. A safe travel vehicle also ensures the continuation of our practice facilitating veterinary student externships, college internships, job shadows, and high school ride alongs. Cold Hollow Veterinary Services is passionate for Vermontand New Hampshire's local animal agriculture, and has a vision for being the gold standard of care in the area. In anticipation for the increase in practice area and workload, we have hired additional new graduate veterinarians with a similar vision to expand our workforce and help us with the mission of providing essential veterinary care to farmers and producers.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
Cold Hollow Veterinary Services plans to continue providinglarge animal veterinaryservice to the Caledonia County shortage area. In doing so, immediate goals are toincreaseefficiency, and to solidifyavailability to modern diagnostics toclients. Grant funding makes this attainable by facilitating the acquisition of a mobile veterinary clinic/vehicle, a portable digital x-ray unit, and a stationary ultrasound; all to be used within, but not limited to, the shortage area.For the duration of the 3 year project, we plan to,1) Provide a veterinarian with a new mobile veterinary clinic/vehicle to be used primarily within, but not limited to, the shortage area. By providing this resource, the veterinarian will be able to prescribe and carry medications, perform surgery, obstetrics, and other veterinary procedures. This will also provide a safe, reliable means for student teachings, ride alongs, and job shadowings. 2) Facilitate the use of digital radiography in the feild. As the practice currently shares 1 mobile x-ray unit between 2 regional offices, this will allow the availablity ofradiographic diagnostics to be immediate in the shortage area. This will not only be a useful tool for sheduled appointments for chronic conditions, but will also be instrumental in emergency situations.3) Enable advanced ultrasonography. The new unit will allow veterinarians to evaluate thoracic, abdominal, and distal limb pathologies with increased clarity and image quality; this will be superiorto current equipment that the practices utilizes intended mainly for bovine reproduction.By acheiving the goals listed above,dairy and livestock clients will benefit greatly with efficient, quality veterinary care provided by our veterinarians working within the shortage area.
Project Methods
We intend to increase efficiency for coverage to the shortage area with the utilization of a the replacement mobile veterinary unit, the mobile x-ray, and the ultrasound machine.We intend to equip the veterinarian primarily servicing Caledonia county with the replacement vehicle/bowie unit. The veterinarian will have full use of the vehicle during working hours and during on call coverage shifts. They will also be able to commute from their home to the veterinary office with the vehicle. The mobile veterinary unit will be utilized for all ambulatory calls attended by that veterinarian. The veterinarian will also facilitate ride alongs, student shadowing, and extern hosting with the mobile office.The x-ray unit and ultrasoundwill dwell in the veterinary office in the region of Caledonia county. When a veterinarian is scheduled for appointments requiring the mobile x-ray or ultrasound unit, the veterinarian will transport the equipment in their veterinary vehicle. The x-ray and/or ultrasound will be available to on call veterinarians during on call hours. The x-ray and ultrasound units will also be available for use if the client opted to transport an animal to the clinic for diagnostics to be taken place there.Appointments utilizing the equipment in the shortage area will be logged.