The School of Veterinary Medicine is taking the next step in its outreach to the community with its new mobile veterinary unit called CARES.
A new veterinary mobile unit called Community and Regional Engagement Service (CARES) has officially arrived at Texas Tech University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. This vehicle allows the School of Veterinary Medicine to grow its efforts in giving back to a region that has generously supported the school.
“We are so appreciative of the funding we have received to date to support this initiative,” said John Dascanio, senior associate dean for academic and student affairs at the School of Veterinary Medicine.
Thanks to generous gifts from the Louise Bowers Slentz Foundation Fund and the Amber Fund, which both came from the Amarillo Area Foundation, the school was able to custom build this vehicle to provide and supply veterinary care to animals and pet owners in underserved communities of Amarillo, the Texas Panhandle and beyond.
The CARES unit offers a remote base of operation for veterinary services provided by faculty, staff and students. It will help provide veterinary care to Meals on Wheels clients and the homeless population in Amarillo, assist spay and neuter programs at regional shelters and support regional disaster response.
“We are proud to be able to provide additional outreach services to the region in support of animal welfare and disaster response capabilities,” Dascanio said. “This is the first step to educate students in serving our community, especially in providing veterinary care to those who may not normally be able to afford or access it, or who may be affected by natural disasters.”
This gives students unique opportunities to put the school’s purpose into practice by working with rural and regional communities. It also provides a real-world, experiential learning environment for students.
On board the vehicle is anesthesia equipment, a surgery suite with a surgery table, a generator for remote work, and plenty of diagnostic medicine tools. However, its compact size allows it to navigate easily.
“We envision growing our outreach to better serve the region, which has been so generous in supporting our school,” Dascanio said.
The school is working to add a support trailer to provide a mobile kennel space, medical supply storage and additional exam and surgical tables.