[Canonsburg, Pennsylvania] – Production VetNOW – a branch of VetNOW – together with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), today announced the launch of an exciting project aimed at bringing veterinary telemedicine services to rural areas of Pennsylvania.
In December 2020, the Pennsylvania Center for Poultry and Livestock Excellence named Production VetNOW and Penn Vet as the recipients of a competitive grant that will fund a project to develop best practices in veterinary telemedicine for rural communities. “Veterinarians are important stewards of public health and food safety. Using technology to stay connected with farmers and producers is key to improving animal health, bridging gaps in veterinarian accessibility and availability, and driving business in rural communities,” says Dr. Gil Patterson, Chief Medical Officer of VetNOW. “We are grateful to have this opportunity to support Pennsylvania’s rural veterinarians, as well as its livestock and poultry industry.”
Dr. Patterson and his team believe that the one-year pilot project will determine the capabilities and limitations of veterinary telemedicine in rural areas, helping the project to develop into a multi-year effort to broaden the adoption of veterinary telemedicine across the Commonwealth.
To begin, VetNOW and Penn Vet will work with a select group of veterinary practices across the state that specialize in swine, poultry, and small ruminant medicine. These practices will be provided with veterinary telemedicine equipment and resources that will allow them to conduct virtual consultations with their clients in the field. Data and feedback from these experiences will be collected, helping to optimize platform resources and expertise needed to garner broader implementation of an effective and sustainable telemedicine practice across Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania’s rural food animal practitioners face a unique set of challenges in their critical role of supporting farmers across every corner of the Commonwealth,” said Dr. Gary Althouse, Associate Dean of Sustainable Agriculture and Veterinary Practices as Penn Vet. “By coupling VetNOW’s comprehensive telemedicine platform with Penn Vet’s dynamic expertise at the intersection of livestock health and on-farm productivity, we hope to create a reliable, practical tool that will help these crucial guardians of animal and public health to not only optimize access to their care and increase the scope and sophistication of their practices, but ultimately put them in a stronger position to support Pennsylvania’s producers.”
For more information about the VetNOW telehealth platform, please visit www.vetnow.com.
To learn more about Penn Vet’s role in supporting farmers and the agriculture industry, please visit www.vet.upenn.edu/ag@pennvet.
About Production VetNOW:
Production VetNOW is a branch of VetNOW, the industry-leading veterinary telemedicine platform that connects veterinary practitioners with their clients and farms through an easy, secure, and VCPR-compliant virtual interface.
Founded in Canonsburg, PA by Dr. Apryle Horbal in 2016, VetNOW began when Dr. Horbal incorporated a human telehealth platform into her companion animal veterinary hospital to bring remote specialty consultations to her clients. Since then, VetNOW has created their own proprietary, veterinary-specific, cloud-based telehealth solution for veterinarians and veterinary hospitals. With a mission to enhance global animal health through digital clinical care, VetNOW continues to develop strategic partnerships with industry leaders to advance veterinary care through its continuing education and research initiatives, veterinarian telehealth expertise, and virtual care platform.
About Penn Vet:
Ranked among the top ten veterinary schools worldwide, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) is a global leader in veterinary education, research, and clinical care. Founded in 1884, Penn Vet is the first veterinary school developed in association with a medical school. The school is a proud member of the One Health initiative, linking human, animal, and environmental health.
Penn Vet serves a diverse population of animals at its two campuses, which include extensive diagnostic and research laboratories. Ryan Hospital in Philadelphia provides care for dogs, cats, and other domestic/companion animals, handling nearly 35,300 patient visits a year. New Bolton Center, Penn Vet’s large-animal hospital on nearly 700 acres in rural Kennett Square, PA, cares for horses and livestock/farm animals. The hospital handles nearly 5,300 patient visits a year, while the Field Service treats more than 38,000 patients at local farms. In addition, New Bolton Center’s campus includes a swine center, working dairy, and poultry unit that provide valuable research for the agriculture industry.
For Program information:
Gil Patterson, VMD, MPH, DACVPM
Chief Medical Officer, Food Animal Services
Production VetNOW
1000 Noble Energy Drive, Suite 600
Canonsburg, PA 15317
Office: (412) 550-0076
Cell: 507-995-7612
For media information:
Jane Vardzel
Marketing Director
VetNOW
1000 Noble Energy Drive, Suite 600
Canonsburg, PA 15317
Office: (412) 550-0076
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