PERSONALITY

PERSONALITY

Dog’s Best Friend

Dr. Kevin Drygas fixes pets and preserves bonds

by TIM LINAFELT

It’s 4:15 a.m., and Kevin Drygas’ alarm clock is demanding attention.

Never mind that 4:15 is typically offlimits for early birds and night owls alike, or that the sun isn’t due to rise for another three hours.

Drygas has things to do, and he needs all day to do them.

A board-certified veterinary surgeon at Capital Veterinary Specialists on Mahan Drive, Drygas spends most of his time at his clinic, where he performs the oh-soimportant duty of fixing up sick or injured pets and returning them good as new to their concerned owners.

But it’s 4:15 a.m., and Drygas isn’t scheduled to arrive in his office until 7.

Drygas gets started by preparing for the workday ahead, hitting the gym for an hour or more and then grabbing breakfast before putting on his lab coat and greeting his first round of patients.

All of this before most offices open their doors for the day. And Drygas will be there, performing surgeries, setting bones or repairing ligaments until 6, 7, 8 or 9 p.m., depending on what needs to be done. Recently, he didn’t close up shop until after 11.

It’s a head-spinning schedule, but Drygas doesn’t mind.

“It’s a rhythm and a balance,” Drygas said. “It seems like a lot, but it really is not. When you love what you do, it’s easy. It doesn’t seem like work to be there.”

Being in Tallahassee helps, too.

A University of Florida graduate who grew up in Jacksonville, Virginia, South Carolina and St. Augustine, Drygas had never set foot in the capital city before visiting with his wife Amber, who had attended Florida State. The two were married in 2005 and have two children, Liliana and Will.

Rolling hills, canopy roads and a strong sense of community — as well as the obvious need for a veterinary specialist in the area — convinced Drygas that Tallahassee was a place he could put down roots both personally and professionally.

“After finishing my residency, I knew I wanted to do my own thing,” Drygas said. “And Tallahassee was underserved as an area. It seemed to make the most the sense.”

He was right.

After arriving in Tallahassee and starting out with a team of two doctors and four nurses, Drygas has seen Capital Veterinary Specialists expand to 14 doctors, 90 nurses, and thousands of happy pets and pet owners.

“I love it,” Drygas said. “This is a phenomenal place to be.”

Success didn’t happen overnight. Drygas said his first two years in business involved a “lot of shaking hands” and finding ways to connect with both pet owners and the surrounding veterinary community.

But after a few years of pounding the pavement and making friends and believers with both his engaging personality and his work in the clinic, things started to click.

These days, Capital Veterinary Specialists has locations in Tallahassee and Santa Rosa Beach — Drygas visits the coast every

Veterinarian Kevin Drygas connects with Planet Earth along with wife Amber; children Will and Liliana; and dogs Ford, Boss and Roma.

↖ ON BOARD Kevin Drygas takes to the streets with his kids Liliana and Will, both of whom also enjoy hanging out at Dad’s veterinary clinic.

other Friday, making for more early mornings — and serves patients from throughout the Panhandle and South Georgia.

“It was a lot of work,” Drygas said. “Really from the ground up.”

Drygas owns three dogs — Ford, Boss and Roma, all of them rescues — and often knows pets and their families for the entire duration of a pet’s life.

When he was just 12 years old, he came into possession of a pair of rabbits with painful ear infections. Their owner couldn’t take care of them anymore and couldn’t find anyone who could.

In a sense, those rabbits would become Dr. Drygas’ first two patients.

“She gave them to me, but I had to take care of them,” Drygas remembers. “In that instant, I realized it was very cool to be able to make a real difference in an animal’s life.”

And that, Drygas said, is the most satisfying part of his job.

“The absolute biggest reward is being able to restore the bond between people and their fur baby,” he said. “We have pets to give us fulfillment and enrich our lives. And when our pets are sick, we stress about them like a loved one.

“So, to be able to take a sick or injured pet and turn them around, not only are you helping that pet and restoring its health and comfort and quality of life, but at the same time, you are enhancing the owner’s quality of life by restoring that bond.”

By his own admission, Drygas does only four things in his life: work, sleep, work out and spend time with Amber, Liliana and Will.

If Drygas is away from the office, Liliana and Will, ages 9 and 7, are likely with him. They run, ride bikes, skateboard and visit area parks together.

More than anything, “The absolute though, they love to cook together. The Drygas family specialty biggest reward is being able is homemade pizza. to restore the Drygas sometimes spends nights or weekends at work, but it turns bond between people and out that a veterinary clinic their fur baby.” can be a pretty cool place for a kid to hang out. — Dr. Kevin Drygas

“They love coming to work,” Drygas said of his kids. “They love to help the nurses. So that’s what we do.” TM

Looking to provide health care coverage designed for affordability?

There’s a solution available for small business owners in Florida

By UnitedHealthcare

With the health care industry and economy experiencing continued uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, small business owners may be dealing with the financial challenges of offering adequate, affordable coverage to their employees.

Alternate funding plans offer a potential way to help control costs

Also called level-funded plans, alternate funding plans may help small businesses reduce their overall health care costs and help employees get more out of their benefits. These plans include 3 components:

1. The employer’s self-funded

medical plan. This pays medical expenses for covered employees and their dependents.

2. A third-party claims administration

agreement. The employer enters into an agreement with the administrator, who provides claims processing, billing, customer support and other services.

3. A stop loss insurance policy.

This provides coverage for large, catastrophic claims by a single covered individual and provides overall coverage in the event all medical claims go beyond a certain dollar limit.

At the end of the plan year, if the actual health care claims are higher than expected, the insurance company covers them. But if they’re lower, the insurance company keeps the difference.

Alternate funding: With an alternate funding plan such as All Savers® Alternate Funding from UnitedHealthcare, the employer sets up a medical plan that pays for employees’ medical benefits directly. Part of the risk is taken on by the medical plan, with the rest covered by stop loss insurance. The plan’s level-funding structure means the administration fees, stop loss premium and monthly maximum claim liability are included in one fixed monthly invoice throughout the plan year.

At the end of the plan year, if the total health care claims are lower than expected, the employer may receive money back (where allowed by state law).1 And if they’re higher? The stop loss insurance policy covers them.

Traditional insurance vs. alternate funding plans

Traditional: With traditional insurance plans, the employer pays a fixed premium to the insurance company. The insurance company assumes all of the risk, paying the health care claims, administrative costs, sales commissions and taxes.

A great way to experience financial flexibility and freedom

All Savers is easy to understand and was specifically designed for small businesses. It may help the employer: • Pay lower premium taxes throughout the year (stop loss coverage is still subject to premium tax) • Be exempt from most Affordable

Care Act regulations and state insurance mandates

• Get protection from unexpected

high claims with stop loss insurance • Receive money back at the end of the plan year if medical claims are lower than expected (where allowed by state law)1

Meet the challenge of health care costs head-on

Consider an alternate funding plan such as All Savers from UnitedHealthcare. All Savers offers a variety of plan designs, innovative wellness programs, robust member tools and access to the vast UnitedHealthcare provider and OptumRx® pharmacy networks. It’s a great way for small businesses to provide coverage designed for affordability and help their employees get the most out of their benefits.

For more information, contact your broker or visit uhc.com/allsaversfl

1 Please consult a tax and/or legal advisor to determine if, by receiving this surplus refund, there are any restrictions or obligations, or whether the surplus refund is taxable. Administrative services provided by UnitedHealthcare Services, Inc. or their affiliates, and UnitedHealthcare Service LLC in NY. Stop-loss insurance is underwritten by All Savers Insurance Company (except MA, MN, NJ and NY), UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company in MA and MA, UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance Company in NJ, and UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of New York in NY. B2B EI21573327.0 3/21 © 2021 UnitedHealthcare Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 21-569750-C