A Win-Win: The Move from Yuma to CSU Spur
By Marianne Walthier, volunteer writer
The Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at Yuma opened in 2018, offering donor-subsidized services for sick and injured pets whose owners needed help with the cost of necessary medical care. A primary goal was to reduce the number of pets relinquished to the shelter as a result of financial constraints. Yuma was remodeled in 2019 to accommodate an even greater number of clients and has been a wonderful success and asset to the community.
With the recent completion of the League’s new Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur and the realization that Yuma needed considerable capital improvements, the organization decided to consolidate them into a single hospital serving our community through access to care. This merger will facilitate greater efficiency and expanded service hours, enabling the League to serve more animals and their people. The Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur occupies the first and second floors of the Vida building and serves clients with same-day appointments and limited pre-scheduled appointments for their sick and injured pets. The Spay/Neuter Clinic, operated by the League, moved from Yuma over to CSU Spur in March. Additionally, the League offers transportation assistance to clients who face this barrier to accessing care for their pets.
A feature unique to the Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur is the public-facing educational space with experiential learning opportunities for visitors. The space is designed to allow our veterinary team to interact with observers using large observation windows and microphones while performing various veterinary procedures. The hope is this will encourage more people, including those from underserved and under-represented groups, to pursue careers in animal health.
On July 1, the entire Community Veterinary Services team moved to the CSU Spur campus. Roles may have changed, but each employee had an opportunity to express their preferences, and no one lost their job in the transition. Daria McKay accepted the position of Director of Community Veterinary Services and Katy Schroeder is now the Practice Manager. They will soon be joined by an Associate Manager and Medical Director. In addition, the community vaccination clinics will continue and selected neighborhoods, such as Westwood, will remain a priority.
This is indeed a win-win for the League and the community!
