Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Louisa Veterinary Service, a food-animal exclusive ambulatory practice, serves shortage area 234 and eleven other rural counties in Central Virginia. The practice recently added a second full-time veterinarian, but because of the current 60-mile practice radius, significant investment in equipment and training is necessary to maximize use of new staffing and improve services to the shortage area. Grant funds would be used to purchase a more fuel efficient practice vehicle with a vet box to carry equipment to distances over 60 miles away, along with some continuing education courses for our newly added veterinarian. We also expect to purchase additional computer and video equipment allowing us to develop virtual presentations and telemedicine. Our goal is to provide food supply veterinary services and client education to enhance the health and productivity of the herds and flocks within this four-county area, as well as the eleven other counties we serve. We intend to build relationships with at least 200 new clients in the three-year project period and to use technology to foster those relationships and educate hundreds of producers and students in the area. Louisa Veterinary Service will work with local extension agents, producer groups, and teachers to promote the judicious use of antibiotics, enhance public health, and help our food supply continue to be the most inexpensive and safest food supply in the world.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
We aim to expand our service area to provide additional services to the four counties in the designated shortage area. We plan to do this physically, by doing more farm calls in this region, and virtually, by doing Zoom meetings for client education, 4-H and school programs, and by providing professional expertise through telemedicine. Currently, the Commonwealth of Virginia will allow a Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship (VCPR) to be established through telemedicine with an in-person follow-up.Our goal is to visit each farm once a year before providing telehealth services in order to better advise each farm on their specific animal health concerns.In June of this year, when over-the-counter (OTC) antibiotics become prescription only, weanticipate the need for a food animal veterinarian may increase by up to 50% in some of the underserved counties. We firmly believe the use of antibiotics needs to come with education to ensure the use is judicious. With a more reliable practice vehicle and the proper equipment and programs for the computer, we feel we could establish that VCPR and maintain it, even from a distance. The pandemic certainly pushed the practice to do more virtual meetings, and in rural areas, this can be challenging due to lack of infrastructure. Since 2020, the counties in the underserved area have gotten improved internet resources which will be helpful in communicating with them virtually, allowing us to reach farmers in every part of the region.We plan to double the number of educational and extension activities we do during the first year of the grant and plan to continue to expand it through the entire three years. Ideally, once our services are recognized and respected in this underserved area, the effects of the grant money will benefit the region for years to come and make it an attractive area for additional food animal veterinarians.
Project Methods
We will create line items for telemedicine consults and new clients in the four under-served counties in our Advantage veterinary software. We will track producer and student meetings on a Google calendar. Monthly, we will manually count the number of events, new clients, and services and record this information in an Excel notebook on a secure computer. Information in the Excel notebook will be backed up on site and off site in case of computer failure. Progress on the grant goals will be posted to our website and social media monthly and in our quarterly newsletter.