MOVVC Needs You

Missouri Volunteer Veterinary Corps: Here for the bad times.

Are you interested in putting your unique skill set to use in case of a disaster?

The Emergency Management and Public Health (EMPH) Committee of the MVMA is actively recruiting veterinarians, registered veterinary technicians, and veterinary students to enroll in the Missouri Volunteer Veterinary Corps, MOVVC, “The Corps”. Currently we have over 300 members. The Mission of The Missouri Voluntary Veterinary Corps is to provide veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals as assets in support of government and nongovernment actions in response to the needs of animals and animal owners during disasters. The MOVVC is a project founded in 2002 by the MVMA EMPH. The objectives are: Assist the Missouri Department of Agriculture, State Veterinarian, and the USDA/APHIS Area Veterinarian in Charge for Missouri during response to an animal disease emergency, and assist local/county emergency managers with planning for animal disease and natural disaster emergencies in a role as a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Corps enrollees will be required to take one National Incident Management System (NIMS) IS 700 course and IS 100. b., introduction to the Incident Command System. These courses takes about 3-hours each to complete including an examination. No need to wait until you complete these courses to sign up. Signup now and take the courses at your earliest convenience. TWO Steps to Becoming a Veterinary Volunteer in a Disaster: 1. Sign up with ShowMeResponse.org - www.ShowMeResponse.org MOVVC member information is housed in the Show Me Response (SMR) database. SMR is a statewide, cross discipline emergency response database of volunteers. Create a login and fill out your personal information on their website at www.ShowMeResponse.org. 2. Take FEMA online course To be deployed, all volunteers must be certified to two courses in FEMA incident command structure. Two courses are needed ICS 100.C and ICS 700.B. This is a set of online courses to review the leadership structure and organization in emergencies. These courses are free and can be found online. When an animal disease emergency or natural disasters occurs, the MOVVC could be activated, and enrollees will be notified by phone or e-mail. Enrollees should keep their contact information up to date on their Show-Me Response profile. Activation will be done by the State Veterinarian and/or the AVIC (area veterinarian in charge) or by SEMA. In case of activation, response by CORPS enrollees will be entirely voluntary. Currently the state cannot offer compensation to MOVVC volunteers for time spent during the first 48 hours of response. If the emergency continues for more than 48 hours and/or extends beyond state borders, an APHIS program, the National Animal Health Emergency Response Corps (NAHRC) would likely be activated.

The Corps

Missouri Volunteer Veterinary Corps

(continued from page 8.) of the animals for which we care. The AVMA is attempting to expand both “grass tops” and “grass roots” capabilities, grow the PAC, continue to improve the quality of interactions with state and allied VMAs. AVMA PAC The AVMA Political Action Committee has grown 30% over this time last year. This is an incredible accomplishment! Our new goal is $400k by end of year. Membership support is so important. This money does not stay in PAC bank account; it does no good if it’s not contributed. All of this money goes out to congressmen. The PAC website is updated regularly to show where money goes state to state. PAC funds are distributed on a non-partisan basis focused on veterinary issues only. It’s this historical non-partisan stance that allows AVMA access to both sides of the aisle. AVMF The mission of the AVMF is to raise funds to improve animal health. The AVMF has raised over half a million dollars for Ukraine relief including supplies, care, food etc. You can visit the website AVMF. org where you can find stories and heartbreaking images of what our colleagues are going through in this part of the world. New this year to the AVMF mission is education. There is an educational debt problem and workforce shortage, so AVMF plans to award $300,000 in scholarships for veterinary technicians. Information about these programs can be found on the AVMF website.

AVMA Trust The AVMA Trust doubled down on its efforts to provide new /better ways to help, recognizing needs of members at every step of their professional journey. For practicing DVMS the trust has been working on insurance portability, consent to settle, and individual coverage limits, Trust Vets do claims review, advocating for 4000 claims a year and handle more than 1000 calls. Risk management resources include 13 webinars, 12 publications, 7 educational blogs. School based teams at each school are available to encourage awareness for students. Expanded liability coverage is available for students during their 3rd and 4th year with very simple underwriting: The trust has created 2 new axon webinars, and 5 new “My Veterinary Life” podcasts. For practice owners, in addition to the Association Healthcare Plan, there is also a new Practice Healthcare Solutions (PHS a solution-based program), a veterinary safety manual, online training, and resources available for online reputation management. AVMA Online Educator Community The AVMA Online Educator community has continues to grow. Individuals involved in academia and the education of the next generation of our colleagues are invited to join this online community. This is a place to exchange ideas, learn about AVMA resources designed to make jobs easier, and discuss challenges and opportunities unique to the world of academia. Educators can sign up at http://form.jotform./com/210466066513047 We are looking forward to the next House of Delegates meeting held in January 2023 in conjunction with the Veterinary Leadership Conference. The next summer House of Delegates meeting and AVMA convention will be held in Denver in 2023. We hope to see you there! If you have any questions regarding the AVMA, member benefits, or governance, please feel free to contact Dr. Chuck Barry or Dr. Carol Ryan. Respectfully Submitted, Chuck Barry, DVM • chuck.barry63@gmail.com • 660-909-1504 Carol Ryan, DVM • rhodesgang@yahoo.com • 636-295-3020

Dr. Lori Teller Newly Elected AVMA President for 2022-23

During the recent AVMA Convention held in Philadelphia, Dr. Lori Teller was elected the 2022-2023 president of the association. Dr. Teller is a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in canine and feline practice and clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She pledges to strengthen the profession through collaboration and a focus on wellbeing. “The AVMA is here to protect, promote and advance the veterinary profession,” Dr. Teller told the AVMA’s House of Delegates on Friday at the organization’s annual convention. “This is what we do every single day, and we are really good at it because our focus is on you, the veterinarian.” “Nourishing all parts of our complicated selves makes us better veterinarians—and better people,” Dr. Teller said. “So, from one human being to another, let’s work together to be role models for wellbeing, for dignity, for kindness and for respect. As president of the AVMA and its first mom to serve in this role, I will work hard to build bridges, increase our collaborative efforts and continue to focus on improving veterinary medicine for all of us.” “We have real issues that the AVMA continues to address and tackle,” Dr. Teller told the delegates, adding: “We also have much to celebrate, and I want to make sure we remember that, too. So, when I have the opportunity to meet with you and our colleagues, be sure to tell me about your concerns, and be sure to share with me your joys and accomplishments because I also want to celebrate those.” Dr. Teller is a clinical associate professor of telehealth at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (TAMU), from which she graduated in 1990. Last year, she was elected to serve as AVMA’s president for the 2022-2023 term. Dr. Teller practiced for several years at Meyerland Animal Clinic in Houston before joining Texas A&M University’s faculty in 2018. She was a founding board member of the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative and is a former chair of the AVMA Board of Directors. For many years, Dr. Teller has been involved in organized veterinary medicine at the local, state and national levels. She has served in the AVMA House of Delegates, AVMA Board of Directors and on several AVMA committees and task forces, including the Animal Welfare Committee and as chair of the State Advocacy Committee.

Lori Teller, DVM