Coronavirus-19 Resources

COVID-19 is here in the USA and our daily lives are all being affected. As VetPartners members, it is important to have the resources on hand to help our clients manage the day to day impact of the virus. To that end, we have put together this website page, which will be fluid as events change, to assist you because each of us can make a difference.

First and Foremost

The message to convey to pet owners is the statement from the CDC that “at this time, there is no evidence that companion animals, including pets, can spread COVID-19.” If there is a single communication point that we would suggest members share with vets, these are them.

• (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/interim-guidance-managing-people-in-home-care-and-isolation-who-have-pets.html)
• https://www.idexx.com/en/about-idexx/news/no-covid-19-cases-pets/?_lrsc=3cf42bec-427c-464f-8313-ac7baaa29119

Content Disclaimer

The material and information contained on this webpage is for general information purposes only. While VetPartners endeavors to keep the information up to date and correct, VetPartners does not endorse, approve, certify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, or timeliness of the information, products, services or related graphics contained herein. Any reliance you place on such material is therefore strictly at your own risk.

Since this is a rapidly changing environment, we recommend staying on top of various credible news sources:

• VetPartners hosted two COVID-19 Town Halls:
  • Town Hall 1 – featuring 6 expert panelists who gave us insights and updates on pre-emptive measures they are seeing being taken to confront the pandemic, 3/25/2020
  • Town Hall 2 – Featuring 7 veterinary industry panelists who provided insights and strategies their companies are taking to help veterinary clients in this time of crises, 4/7/2020
• The AVMA COVID-19 Resource Center is the place to go to get answers to frequently asked questions about the virus, including “essential businesses” guidances, how to protecting staff and patients, and resources for reporting information on supply-chain effects around drug and supply shortages for veterinarians:
  • Latest information on COVID in animals 
  • Veterinary practices are “essential businesses”
  • https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19
  • AVMA Flowchart: Minimizing COVID Exposure in Veterinary Practices: View AVMA’s “Minimizing COVID-19 exposure and social distancing in veterinary practice” flowchart.
  • Guidance and expert resources on use and reuse of PPE: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19/guidelines-ppe-covid-19-pandemic-demand-exceeds
  • AVMA Covid-19 Essential Employee Authorization Template
• VMAE COVID-19 Resources
• Today’s Veterinary Business
  • Available webinars and podcasts on the COVID-19 pandemic and what veterinary professionals need to know and do.
  • Today’s Veterinary Business, Tales From the COVID-19 Front Line
• Clinician’s Brief has a valuable COVID-19 resource page that they are updating continually as they work with experts to find answers to your most pressing questions, from best practices for cleaning and disinfecting to telemedicine and team testing:  https://cliniciansbrief.com/covid-19-updates
• CareCredit has created a reference guide on the new federal stimulus benefits for small business, employees and individuals: COVID_Small Business_OnePager
• Nationwide has created a COVID-19 Resource White Paper to provide support for businesses under the CARES Act.
• Patterson Veterinary has two great COVID resource pages and a complimentary Telehealth Curbside Care course:
  • https://www.pattersonvet.com/cp/COVID-19-Resources
  • https://www.pattersonvetuniversity.com/pages/covid-19-veterinary-practice-resources
  • https://www.pattersonvetuniversity.com/courses/telehealth-veterinary-curbside-care?client=
• VetSuccess has created an amazing dashboard to track the daily impact of COVID-19 on the veterinary industry. With data from almost 2,500 practices, the tracker shows daily visits and revenue, plus how each day compares to the same day last year on a regional basis. Use this tracker to monitor the industry and compare your practice numbers.  https://vetsuccess.com/resources/covid-19-resources/
• VitusVet has created an Industry Pulse page, which showcases some anonymized poll data from our member practices that highlight some trends in client communication strategies.

OTHER VALUABLE INDUSTRY LINKS

• VetPartners members Karen Felsted, DVM, CPA, MS, CVPM, CVA and Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA produced two podcasts on ways to sustain your practice, available via Today’s Veterinary Business
• Emergency Relief Grants for Non-Profits through PetSmart Charities application
• Today’s Veterinary Nurse feature article: Lions, Tigers, Domestic Cats, and COVID-19: How Do We Educate Pet Owners? written by Kara Burns, MS, MEd, LVT, VTS (Nutrition), VTS-H (Internal Medicine, Dentistry), Editor in Chief, Director of Veterinary Nursing:
• Important links re HR issues on COVID-19 (provided by Betsy Choder): https://member.vetpartners.org/resources/Documents/VetCounselResource.pdf
• The American Association of Veterinary State Boards has a running list of states/provinces that have modified their CE requirements, telehealth rules, or made any other special action or announcements in response to COVID-19:  https://www.aavsb.org/news/article/83

TOOLS TO USE IN A WORK AT HOME ENVIRONMENT:

Just because we might be working from home versus in a face-to-face environment doesn’t mean our ability to help our clients stops. Here are some tools to consider to enable your business to continue.

• Tips on Telecommuting from one the longest telecommuting companies Beyond Indigo
• Web conferencing like ZOOM.us, BlueJeans.com, or Webex.com.
• One-on-one communication such as FaceTime, Skype, or Google Hangouts.
• Slack instant messaging to have ongoing real-time communications with clients as they have questions or situations arise.

STAYING CONNECTED!

We are stronger as a community than any single individual could be. Connecting with members to share information on what we are seeing at our local and professional levels will help us all. To that end, if you are a member of the organization, please join us on the VetPartners Members Forum under the COVID-19 Forum:  https://www.vetpartners.org/forums/topic/covd-19-updates/

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 
• Government services and information on COVID-19 response, including  CARES, financial aid and stimulus payments
• Johns Hopkins Interactive Map, for the epidemiologically inclined
• FDA Drug Shortage Updates
• Department of Labor,
  • OSHA COVID Standards
  • OSHA COVID Control and Prevention

Animals still need medical care and pet owners need access to practical, accurate information during times of crisis. Making sure pet owners have access to both can be done through technology.

Communicating and Providing Healthcare to Pets

We Love TeleMed (www.welovetelemed.com): Veterinarians have technology tools at their disposal to still see and treat animals. They may not be the traditional method of hands on fur, but they allow animals to get the help they need. Jess Trimble, a former VetPartners member, is creating a page that lists all the virtual care companies, information on how to choose a care partner that is a good fit for a practice, and information about telemedicine as a whole.

VetPartners members Craig Spinks and Josh Barnes of Veteos have created some great social media style videos for practices to personalize and use, one of which gives an overview on the virus and pets, and the others on virus myth-busters. They are also working on additional free videos:  http://veteos.com/coronavirus

Google My Business & Maps: Hospitals should update their Google My Business areas (www.google.com/business) to reflect if they are open or not during this time. Google is showing this information on Google Maps as well.  https://support.google.com/business/answer/9773423?hl=en

Emails, texts, blogs, newsletters, and social media: Most hospitals have access to one, or many, of these modes of communication. Remember that constant, consistent messaging helps give people reassurance and lets them know that you care. Set up a schedule for reaching out to your pet parents to let them know about your hours, how they can receive care, and the latest news surrounding pet health.