February 26 , 2009

Volume VI, No. 24

Legislative Update

ISVMA lobbyists have been very busy so far this legislative session. A few key bills were voted upon in committee this week in their house of origin:

• House Bill 364 - Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program Act

On February 19, 2009 a motion to pass House Bill 364 was approved by the House Higher Education Committee on a vote of 7-0-0. The bill was moved to the order of 3rd Reading/Short Debate in the House on February 24, 2009.

• House Bill 583 - Repeals Prohibition on Horse Slaughter

On February 24, 2009 a motion to pass House Bill 583 was approved by the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee on a vote of 11-2-0 and the bill is currently on Second Reading in the House.

• Senate Bill 38 - Euthanasia Limitations

On February 25, 2009 a motion to pass Senate Bill 38 was approved by the Senate Agriculture and Conservation Committee on a vote of 6-4-0 and the bill is currently on Second Reading in the Senate.

 

*ISVMA removed its opposition to Senate Bill 38 when the sponsor agreed to an amendment we proffered.

More bills affecting the veterinary profession have been introduced this week including a few introduced by ISVMA. To see an updated list of the bills we are working on your behalf please visit http://capwiz.com/isvma/issues/bills/. You can link to each bill on this list and read a short description, read the entire bill text, and use the "Take Action Now" link to contact your legislators to communicate your thoughts and position on the bill.

How a Bill Becomes a Law in Illinois

We are often asked by members to describe how a bill becomes a law. It is a very convoluted process with many possible twists and turns. The Legislative Research Unit developed a flow chart that demonstrates how complicated the process can be.

In a nutshell, a bill has to pass both the House and Senate (in identical form) before it can be approved or vetoed by the Governor. There are several steps a bill must take in each chamber before it is approved.

ISVMA Releases Information on Rabies

The ISVMA Public Relations Committee recently issued a press release urging pet owners to vaccinate their pets against rabies and providing information on what to do if someone in their family is bitten by an animal. A copy of the ISVMA press release and links to information you can share with your clients is available on the ISVMA website at http://www.isvma.org/pet_owners/rabies_information.html.

The ISVMA Public Relations Committee will be releasing information on other important topics throughout the year in an effort to better inform the public and provide useful resources for veterinarians to share with their clients.

Register Now for the ISVMA Spring Seminar Series

ISVMA is excited to announce the 2009 Spring Seminar Series! This is the first license renewal cycle in which veterinarians must obtain 40 hours of CE and veterinary technicians must obtain 15 hours. Therefore, we have expanded our program and we are offering concurrent sessions for veterinary practice owners/managers and veterinary technicians/assistants.

Full program information (including course descriptions, speaker bios, directions and schedule) is available on the ISVMA website.

Registration is open and limited for each venue. Please register early!

The practice owner/manager program is called, "Hard Times Management: Improving Your Hospital in a Recessionary Time." The presenters include Christine A. Merle, DVM, CPA, CVPM; Judy Jennings, MBA; and Fran Hoyt, CPA from Maloney & Company.

The veterinary technician/assistant program will be presented by Mr. Angel Rivera CVT, VTS (ECC). He will speak on a number of topics including: Veterinary Nursing: Ethics and Professionalism; 20 essential tools of monitoring, diagnostics and assessments to use in the critically ill ICU patient; Basic Patient Parameter Assessment (Triage); and How to become an indispensable part of a winning team and increase practice profitability through the appropriate use of staff.

The 2009 ISVMA Spring Seminars will be offered at three locations:

· March 14 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Springfield, IL

 

· March 21 at the Stonegate in Hoffman Estates, IL *no technician program at this location

 

· March 22 at the Holiday Inn in Willowbrook, IL

 

Seminar Schedule:

8:30 a.m. Registration opens
9:00 a.m. Sessions begin
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch break
1:00 p.m. Sessions resume
3:30 p.m. Sessions end

The ISVMA wishes to thank the sponsors of the 2009 ISVMA Spring Seminar Series:

Website Addresses Veterinarian Shortage

(AVMA) The question is, "Are there enough veterinarians to keep this growing food supply safe’? According to several studies, the answer is "no." The growing shortage of veterinarians involved in food animal practice is a concern to many.

“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for veterinarians will increase by 35 percent in the next several years, much faster than the average for all occupations,” says Ron DeHaven, DVM, chief executive officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

As part of its effort to help address this shortage of food supply veterinarians, the AVMA recently unveiled a revamped Food Supply Veterinary Medicine Web page. The page contains information about careers in food supply veterinary medicine, why it's such a critical field and which states are being hit harder than others by the shortage.

The public's interest in the shortage has mushroomed, says DeHaven. “By calling attention to the situation, I believe we have really touched a nerve." DeHaven said the AVMA's decision to update and enhance the Web page is partially a result of this growing concern.

The AVMA predicts that the supply of food animal veterinarians will fall short of what is needed by about 4 percent or 5 percent annually. The number of veterinary school graduates entering food supply medicine remains stagnant, and this lack of growth, DeHaven says, has all the makings of a crisis.

Few jobs are more important when it comes to food safety than that of the veterinarian, DeHaven notes. “They are not only checking the well-being of food animals and maintaining healthy herds and flocks, veterinarians are also first responders on the front lines of disease prevention and outbreak.”

The AVMA Food Supply Veterinary Medicine Web page is a clearinghouse of information, containing everything from career videos, to new studies detailing the shortage, and examples of what veterinary schools and states are doing to attract more students to food supply veterinary medicine.

About the Photo

The Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) is one of the most common birds of the Western montane coniferous forests. It is distinguished from all other North American chickadees by its white eyestripe.

This small passerine is a common inhabitant of montane coniferous forests in the western United States. They range from the southern Yukon to California and western Texas. Although primarily nonmigratory, in the fall and winter Mountain Chickadees may extend their range into the lowlands typically inhabited by the similar Black-capped Chickadee.

Mountain Chickadees breed monogamously, producing 1 to 2 broods per year. Their primary diet is insects during the summer and breeding season; conifer seeds and other plant seeds are taken throughout the year. They cling to the undersides of branches and to tree trunks, searching for food in the bark or breaking seeds open by hammering them with their beaks.

I photographed this Mountain Chickadee in Nevada in February 2009.

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