JacksonvilleVeterinary Medical Society
Business Meeting
University Club, Jacksonville, FL
March 3, 2011
· Meeting called to order by Dr. Jay Erne
· A motion was made and passed to accept the minutes from the January business meeting
· ANNOUNCEMENTSS
1. New Members
Dr. Robert Engle – Baldwin Animal Clinic
Dr. Alicia Price-Keener – Relief veterinarian
Dr. Goodwin Seymour – Jackson Veterinary Hospital
Dr. Stephanie Crabb – Jackson Veterinary Hospital
Dr. Rachel Beckett – Jackson Veterinary Hospital
Dr. Anna Thompson – Jackson Veterinary Hospital
2. Guests: Dr. Scott Trebatoski, MBA from Animal Care and Protective Services (ACPS)
3. Congrats to: Drs. Kevin Drygas, Jay Erne, Brad Mackenzie and Carlos Aragon—all passed surgical boards and are now Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgery!
4. Merger of Affiliated Veterinary Specialists of Jacksonville and Orange Park—Dr. Mackenzie—On January 20, the two surgical facilities became united under one company. This merger allows AVS to increase service in our community and work more closely together on cases. The staffing at the two facilities will stay the same. Look for a formal announcement via email shortly. Thank you for supporting both practices.
· COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. Treasurer’s Report: Dr. Heidi Chupp
· See attached balance sheet.
· An updated member list and paid dues list has been sent out via email.
· 2011 JVMS dues should be remitted to Dr. Heidi Chupp. Her address is available on the JVMS website.
2. Secretary: Dr. Laura Kelsey
· The idea of holding our general business meetings at the University Club each time was proposed.
· Discussion
o Pros: The University Club is a convenient and central location for all members. The Club provides a private room with a microphone, making an ideal set-up for our meetings (whereas many other restaurants do not have a private room and it can be difficult to hear the person speaking). The staff of the Club is very accommodating and easy to work with. Our first meeting at the Club attracted a record number of members. Having a single location for meetings would eliminate the need for the secretary to find venues, which can be difficult and time consuming.
o Cons: Various meeting places may attract different members who life in different parts of the city. At $35/plate, the cost of the meal is slightly more expensive than some other venues.
· A motion to hold the meetings at the University Club was made and then tabled. An email will be sent to members so that more feedback could be heard. The idea will be discussed and likely voted on at the May meeting.
3. FVMA Update: Dr. Rick Sutliff
· The FVMA Conference will be held in Orlando April 29th – May 1st. Info can be found on the FVMA website (www.fvma.org). The conference program will be posted by the end of next week.
· The FVMA legislative days are March 23rd-24th in Tallahassee. If you are interested in going to meet with congressmen and senators to discuss issues that affect us as veterinarians and small business owners, please contact Dr. Sutliff or the FVMA office. All participants are eligible for reimbursement for mileage and overnight accommodations.
· There is currently an opening on the board of Veterinary Medicine for a civilian. This member will be appointed by the new governor. One individual trying to get appointed was upset by his local veterinarian and is interested in changing the way veterinary medicine is practiced. There are four other candidates, one of which is supported by the FVMA.
· The Sales Tax Advisory Bulletin, put together by the FVMA, is attached to the agenda and can also be found on the FVMA website.
o There was no actual change in FL state law, but the law that already existed was reinterpreted. In the past prescription diets and flea products were considered prescribed, but now all prescription diets, shampoos and flea products are taxable. The FVMA is working to get these medically necessary things to once again be tax exempt.
4. CE Committee: Dr. Mark Walker
· Upcoming CE Meeting
Parasitology
Dr. Byron Blagburn
Sunday, March 20, 2011
7:30 am (for more information, please see Dr. Walker’s handout)
· The group was asked by show of hands how many were interested in attending an upcoming CE event about social media marketing. An estimated 25% of attendees were interested.
· If anyone has any suggestions for upcoming CE topics, please email Drs. Mitch Crystal or Jay Erne.
· From now on, all notifications about upcoming JVMS CE meetings will now be by email and fax, not US Mail.
5. Holiday Party Committee: Drs. Nicole Hardie and Steve Hart
· No representative from this committee was present at the meeting, but they are currently looking into different locations and there may be poll for different options at the next meeting.
6. Website Committee: Dr. Cindy Miller
· Recently, there have been some good discussions on the message boards. All opinions are welcome. However, comments should remain civil and maintain a level of professionalism.
7. Universityof Florida: Dr. Pope
· The admissions committee has finished deliberations. There were a total of 963 applicants and a total of 100 were accepted (88 FL residents, 12 out of state).
· The question was raised as to whether there was an increase in veterinary jobs that corresponded to the increase in class size at the University of Florida. Last year, the University of Florida had 5 students who were still unemployed at the time of graduation. This is the first time that this has ever occurred. The University is not concerned at this time, but it is a concern for the profession.
o Another FL school has been trying to open a second vet school in the state. They argue that Florida is not producing enough vets. This is one of the reasons that the University of Florida increased class size this year.
8. Awards/Auditing/Bylaws/Peer Review/Trust Fund Committees
· Dr. Snyder posed the following question to the group: Should the JVMS president be required to be a local practice owner? He pointed out that a practice owner would be more concerned about management issues. This topic is to be discussed at the May meeting.
9. Sanford-Brown Institute: Dr. Daniel Jacoby
· The site visit went well. Thank you to Drs. Ann Silverness, Russ Snyder and Mitch Crystal. The inspectors reported that Sanford-Brown had the highest OSHA compliance they’ve ever seen. A decision about accreditation is expected by April 15. If approved, the first graduating class will be accredited.
· Statistics
o 62 active students
o Attrition rate at 17% (goal 15-20%)
o Another class will start in June and we are anticipating 20-24 students
o The school can accommodate 75-90 students at a time.
o 9 students will be starting externships in June. If you are interested in hosting an extern, please contact Dr. Jacoby.
· Sanford Brown is working with ACPS to do surgical procedures on site.
· Sanford Brown is interested in helping to provide CE opportunities for technicians, both certified and non-certified. Campus facilities would be available for such meetings.
10. ACPS/FCNMHP/Humane Society
· The Trail of Tails Dog Walk & Festival is Saturday May 21, 2011 at the Jacksonville Landing. Proceeds benefit the Jacksonville Humane Society.
· Scott Trebatoski, MBA is the head of ACPS in Duval County. He was asked to attend tonight to clarify any misinformation that may have been presented at past meetings.
o Mr. Trebatoski took over as head of ACPS 2 years ago. At the time, 75-80% of animals entering the system were euthanized. Currently, the euthanasia rate dropped to 37% for the first quarter of this fiscal year. Great efforts have been made to get truly adoptable animals out to rescues or homes.
o ACPS is partnering with education institutes including the University of FL, Sanford-Brown Institute and Auburn to provide opportunities for shelter vets and employees to gain knowledge and experience.
o Efforts are being made to target backyard breeders and hoarders (for example, 127 pets from three hoarders were confiscated in the month of January).
o Duval County Licenses
§ Many mobile vaccination clinics were sited recently for not selling county licenses. Now 100% of them are participating in the licensure program.
§ At this time, the city is willing to allow a 30 day window for licensure of animals by a rescue organization. Once purchased, the license can be transferred to another animal if one is adopted out to another county/state.
§ A computer system was not purchased for Herschel Animal Clinic by the city, as was incorrectly stated at a previous meeting.
§ The city is interested in having computerized licensing. If you are interested in having the system tested at your clinic, please contact Mr. Trebatoski.
§ They are in the process of getting pre-paid mailing envelopes to clinics for city licenses.
o Wildlife that needs to be tested for rabies must go through the health department, not ACPS, which gets charged $100 to have an animal tested. In addition, ACPS does not have personnel available to get wildlife after hours. Also, the ACPS personnel are not all vaccinated for rabies. If there is bite exposure, please contact the health department directly.
o Dr. Jay Erne proposed that the JVMS should appoint a liaison to work with Mr. Trebatoski and ACPS so that JVMS can be kept in the loop and maintain a positive relationship between the two groups. The appointment/election of a liaison will be further discussed at the next business meeting.
o If you have any questions for Mr. Trebatoski, please feel free to email him. He is very good at returning emails and prefers this to phone calls.
· CURRENT EVENTS
1. Rabies Alert: The first Rabies alert was issued for 2011. A rabid raccoon was reported in Mandarin. See attached report for details.
· Dr. Ann Silverness gets the alerts from the health department, and forwards them to Dr. Cindy Miller, who emails them to members of JVMS.
2. City Animal Ordinance Update – Scott Trebatoski, MBA
· Mr. Trebatoski is making every effort to keep the JVMS updated on changes to procedures of the ACPS. A JVMS liaison, as discussed previously, would help to make this more efficient.
· See the attached handout from Mr. Trebatoski for clarifications/corrections to previous JVMS discussion of the animal ordinance.
3. Status of Propofol
· The DEA has proposed that propofol become a schedule IV controlled substance. Propofol is becoming increasingly popular as an abused drug with a reported 28% mortality rate among abusers. 96% of abusers are healthcare providers. The AVMA has responded to the DEA and expressed concerns that the new rules would make disposal of unused propofol inconvenient. Current disposal recommendations include placing unused propofol into an absorbent substance and container for incineration.
4. In Memoriam: Dr. Everett Moore’s wife, Sandra, passed away on Tuesday February 1st after a lengthy illness. The JVMS made a donation to the Mayo Clinic in Sandra’s name.
5. Any other business/concerns/issues
· Proposal for Legislative Action Committee—Dr. Cromer made a motion to start a legislative action committee to discuss issues with local politicians. The goal of this committee would be to give veterinarians a voice in local government.
o Members of the JVMS recently went to speak with city council members and felt they did not get respect because they’d never been to meet with the politicians in the past.
o Dr. Cromer proposes that we draw out city council areas, find JVMS members in these areas and get someone to make a connection and a donation to their local councilman’s campaign. With upcoming elections, now is the time to start.
o Dr. Sutliff reported that he has presented checks to candidates for FMVA in the past and that when you make a financial contribution, they are willing to listen to what you have to say.
o Dr. Snyder spoke out to say that the recent animal ordinance problems (for which we didn’t think to get involved until after it was all but passed) makes an excellent case for the JVMS getting more involved in local politics
o Dr. Erne commented that it would take everyone to be involved and would require an open line of communication between members and the committee. If a member met a local politician, they would contact the committee.
o Dr. Farrell raised the concern that there would likely not be a consensus amongst the JVMS itself, as many members don’t agree on different issues. Other members voiced the opinion that we would have to agree to disagree on some issues, but that it was important to openly discuss the issues at business meetings to try to reach some consensus. Dr. Cromer felt this may not be a big problem, as money for campaign donations would come from private members, not from JVMS as a whole.
o The motion to start a Legislative Action Committee was seconded and passed.
o We now need volunteers to be involved. Committee members will be elected/appointed at the next business meeting.
o We need to start a database of contacts. Each member is encouraged to see if there are politicians in your practice.
· Service Project—Dr. Cindy Miller
o Dr. Miller would like to provide help with routine preventative care to homeless people with their pets. These are people who are not getting care elsewhere (i.e. it would not take business away from local veterinarians).
o Pets of Homeless People is an organization started in Nevada that is now nationwide, with a presence in many large cities. They provide bowls, food, collapsible crates and cleaning supplies to help people going into shelters to be able to take their pets with them. They also have volunteer vets to help with medical care for homeless pets
1. Cindy plans to email the organization and find out how to get started.
2. Cindy asked for a show of hands to see if anyone was interested in volunteering for this project—several people responded.
ii. Comments
1. Dr. Kelly Farrell reported that FCNMHP partners with the Sulzbacher center to provide shelter for pets whose owners enter homeless shelters. The Humane Society has a program as well. It was proposed that we all get together to see if we can make a coordinated effort to help.
2. Dr. Sutliff—He has a bin in the lobby of his clinic to collect pet food for the Mandarin Food Bank. The food bank is very appreciative of this and reports that the pet food is one of their most popular items.
3. Dr. Patty Snyder—Meals on Wheels is now taking pet food donations as well because participants were sharing their food with their pets
4. FCNMHP has a pet food bank that is open one Saturday a month. Participants must meet certain qualifications (financial criteria similar to qualifying for the Spay Jax program as well as a pet that is spayed/neutered). The program is very popular. For more information, please visit the FCNMHP website.
- Meeting Adjournment
CLARIFICATIONS & NEW ISSUES
- Herschel Computers
The City of Jacksonville or ACPS are NOT buying Herschel Animal Clinic a computer system. The city has been working with Herschel Animal Clinic to assure that the computer they were planning to purchase (with their own
funds) was compatible and loaded with the appropriate software so that
once ACPS begins accepting electronic rabies certificate information
they would be able to take advantage due to the large volume of rabies
vaccinations (estimated at 65,000/yr).
2. Penalties
If clients are unable or unwilling to purchase a license
at the time of vaccination they only have 5 days to purchase it from the
tax collector or ACPS before facing a $25 fine for being late (that fine
is applied from day 6 through day 45). On day 46 after vaccination the
client will be cited for "failure to license.” Under the ordinance, the
fine is $250 for the first animal, $400 for the second, and $500 for
each additional unlicensed pet. ACPS does not require the clinics to
enforce late fees on clients. That can be done administratively at ACPS.
3. Compliance
Enforcement of the license provision on non-compliant
clinics/veterinarians will likely begin in March or April giving
everyone time to come into compliance. ACPS has already issued a
citation to one mobile/limited service provider for failing to offer
the license & they continue to monitor any reports of non-compliance.
A citation had to be issued to one company to ensure compliance. 100% compliance is expected. A few clinics had difficulty understanding and implementing the process.
4. Exemptions for Rescue Organizations
ACPS is currently discussing providing rescues a 30 day exemption from
licensing following a rabies vaccine. If they place them within that time
they will simply forward the owner information to ACPS and the new owner
will be required to get the license. If they have an animal in rescue
beyond the 30 days they will need to license it (but that license can be
transferred with the animal). Several rescues had raised concerns over
the costs when they try to turn over animals quickly into new homes and
ACPS thinks this could be a good compromise.
5. Saleof unsterilized animals
ACPS has been actively enforcing the new requirement that
everyone is required to have a health certificate if they sell or give
away an unsterilized animal in Jacksonville. Several flea market sellers
have abandoned their booths and many regular roadside sellers have
stopped selling due to the fines of $250 per animal.
Dr. Laura Kelsey