House of delegates report

By Chuck Barry, DVM and Carol Ryan, DVM

(To

view

the complete report, go to www.movma.org under “Member Resources”)

The AVMA House of Delegates met on January 5-7 in Chicago Illinois. Your MVMA, delegates to the AVMA met along with the representatives of 52 Jurisdictions and 18 Allied Groups for an in-person meeting in Chicago over 2 days to conduct the governance business of the AVMA. The meeting was presided over by AVMA President-Elect Rena

Carlson and Executive Vice President

Janet

Donlin

Your association is now over 100,000 members strong and works to represent, guide, and enhance our ability to thrive in our profession every day.

ECO n OMIC UPDATE

During the economic update, information was provided regarding the suspected upcoming recession. The recession is predicted to be uneven, and without a general downturn. All types of pet ownership is being affected by the impending recession. The number of household pets increased during covid spring 2020 and 2021, but by spring 2022 there was a decrease in number of households owning pets and that number is trending down.

Inflation has taken a toll on everyone. Historical salary trends have been positive, especially in the last 5 years, but the reality is that even with all the growth experienced, inflation continues to take a bite out of the earnings and has decreased disposable income. Inflation will drop during the recession, but not significantly.

WORkFORCE UPDATE

Retention and attrition continue to be a priority for the veterinary profession. We have seen a slight decline in the number of veterinarians considering leaving the profession, but we still have a problem with retention in practice as well as within the sector and attrition to the profession itself. AVMA has created many workforce initiatives to help target where our challenges are and how we can tackle them. Some of these initiatives include:.

• Economic State of the Profession report-

•The Practice Pulse, a monthly digest of key practice data, trends, and expert insight

• Language of Veterinary Care Initiative,

• Organizational Interventions to Burnout Study

More information is avaiable can be found at AVMA.org

DEI JOURnEY FOR TEAMS

Provides a learning pathway for vet professional to deepen knowledge of diversity and improve DEI in work spaces. The platform is designed for busy professionals to enhance and nurture their work experience and build meaningful relationships with clients and community. The goal is to expose, encourage, engage, inspire, and motivate your team. There is a 15 minute welcome webinar, and once completed you can advance to educational models. A cornerstone guide is the navigator handbook which helps to lead staff meeting and facilitate discussions. Journey for Teams launched on July 29th, 2022 has progressed to it’s second module. All resources can be found at https://www.journeyforteams.org/.

MARkETI n G UPDATE

The AVMA marketing team is committed to supporting the veterinary community. They have created a reputation management toolkit with an educational grant from Banfield. The toolkit is online and provides new tools to address situations. A new benefit is that this is now available to all vet team members not just AVMA members. AVMA has created a list of shared responsibilities on a poster that you can share in your workplace to help manage expectations. It poses question such as: As a client what can you expect? As a client you are responsible for. Find more information at avma.org/reputationmanagement.

TREASURER’S REPORT

The AVMA is financially secure with a 1.57mm projected operational net income and a 9.8mm projected investment revenue. The year 2022 brough about a persistent pandemic, a bear market, and continued threat of recession leading to a decreased bottom line. AVMA reserves maintain 100% of operations, and it’s because of this fiscal responsibility that has allowed AVMA to continue to fully serve members and pursue initiatives amid the wild market.

AVMA GOVERn MEnT REl ATIO nS D IVISIO n

The AVMA remains non-partisan and works with those in congress that want to work with AVMA on veterinary issues. The AVMA’s annual legislative fly-in to be held in April 2023. The upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill will be one of the top priorities for the AVMA as it will consist of funding for many programs vital to veterinarians and animal health. Additional issues atop the AVMA’s legislative agenda include increasing access to veterinary services in rural areas, entrenching the concept of One Health among federal agencies, ensuring the health of over a million dogs imported into the United States every year, and many others.

Avma Pac

The AVMA Political Action Committee continues to grow. In 2021-22 election disbursements made totaled $544,500. This was the most since 2009-2010! Of Pac supported candidates the House of Representatives win rate was 96% while the Senate win rate was a 100%. In addition to candidate support there were 170 PAC-supported events attended by AVMA Ambassadors or staff. Learn more or donate at pac.avma.org

AVMF

In 2022, AVMF provided grants totaling nearly $85,000 to individuals and organizations impacted by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Ian in Florida, flooding in Kentucky, and wildfires in Kansas, Colorado and California. In addition to those relief funds, over $500,000 has been disbursed to provide food, medical care, disaster relief, and emergency support for veterinary and other organizations to protect animal welfare and the welfare of the care providers affected by the war in Ukraine. The AVMF continues to assist veterinary studen with over $676,500 in scholarships awarded to 401 students in 2022. The Zoetis Foundation and the AVMF have partnered to offer a scholarship program that will provide $1,000 scholarships to 223 students annually. The REACH program (Reaching Every Animal with Charitable Healthcare) provides grants to AVMA members providing charitable veterinary care. In 2023, the program is being expanded to further improve access to veterinary care nationwide. Members can find more information on at avmf.org/programs/veterinary-charitablecare/?back=programs.

Please visit AVMF.org where you can find out more about these programs or make a donation to “pay it forward” and support those in working in our profession.

Avma Trust

The AVMA Trust, through AVMA LIFE and AVMA PLIT, offers unparalleled insurance programs and other services available to AVMA member veterinarians and affiliated organizations. Currently the Trust programs focus on professional liability insurance, retirement plan offerings, and the new Pracitce Health Care Solutions service.

If you have any questions regarding the AVMA, member benefits, or governance, please feel free to contact me or Dr. Carol Ryan.

Respectfully Submitted,

Chuck Barry, AVMA Delegate chuck.barry63@gmail.com

660-909- 1504

Carol Ryan, AVMA Alternate Delegate rhodesgang@yahoo.com 636-295-3020