06 Feb Access to Veterinary Care Report Now Available

The Access to Veterinary Care Coalition (AVCC) has released their report, Access to Veterinary Care: Barriers, Current Practices, and Public Policy (available at http://avcc.utk.edu/avcc-report.pdf).  Michael J. Blackwell, DVM, MPH, FNAP, chairs the AVCC and provided the following comments about the issue and the report.

“Through a generous grant from Maddie’s Fund^®, the AVCC commissioned a national population study to better understand the barriers to veterinary care experienced by pet owners across the socioeconomic spectrum. The study also sought to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices veterinarians have regarding access to veterinary care.

“In addition to the results of the national population study, the report includes results from research targeting pet owners experiencing housing insecurity; technical reports from experts discussing pets as family, evolving animal laws, public health implications, and an economic comparison of for-profit and nonprofit veterinary practices; and a discussion covering a broad range of issues and attitudes that are relevant to access to care in veterinary practice.

“The lack of access to veterinary care is a complex societal problem with many causes. This report furthers our understanding of these interrelated issues. Our goal is for it to inform the development of solutions to reach underserved families with pets. Barriers to veterinary care can be mitigated through determined effort and better alignment of existing resources.”

Dr. Blackwell can be reached at mblackw1@utk.edu or 865-414-6044.