There are big plans for a major expansion of equine health services at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Hospital in Raleigh.
The college has had an existing Equine and Farm Animal Veterinary Center (EFAVC) since its inception in 1983, and is committed to pioneering advances in medical technology and providing the highest level of care to horse owners, trainers and producers. Taking full advantage of the progress of veterinary medicine today, however, requires increasing the size and scope of that center.
NC State has ambitious plans for doing just that.
The proposed expansion and renovation of equine health services – part of the university’s broader Think and Do the Extraordinary fundraising campaign to raise $1.6 billion in private support by the end of 2021 – calls for a $37.9 million investment while setting a new standard for equine and farm animal health.
In addition to the plan for upgrading and consolidating diagnostic, medical and surgical services, funding has already been secured for the Tiffany and Randy Ramsey Equine Sports Medicine Program.
The timing coincides with a growing incidence of sports-related equine injuries in recent years, as more and more people become interested in sport horses. This program will treat performance-related diseases in Olympic, dressage and pleasure-riding horses, as well as endow professorships, fund equipment purchases and assist in the construction of new and renovated facilities.
Combined with the cutting-edge work being done at NC State in the realm of regenerative therapies using platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow-derived stem cells for equine tendon injuries, this initiative will place the university at the forefront of equine sports medicine.
“This is a big project, but we can do it and we must. The impact on our equine and our farm animal programs will be tremendous,” said D. Paul Lunn, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “This will give us an entirely new equine hospital and a new farm animal hospital that will be the match of any facilities anywhere. It will be a welcoming place to bring your horse, and it will give our clinicians, staff and students the space they need to be the best.”
The overall expansion plan calls for a phased approach, in order to continue providing services while the renovation and new construction takes place. The four phases envisioned are:
- Renovation and/or construction of the new sports medicine facilities, an arena, lobby and administrative offices, orthopedics and ophthalmology services, and construction of a ruminant health and field services addition.
- Construction of new animal holding stalls and co-location of nuclear medicine and other imaging services.
- Renovation and upgrade of equine intensive care and soft tissue treatment facilities.
- Renovation of emergency treatment and surgical care facilities, along with additional office and administrative spaces, and the construction of additional equine holding stalls.
NC State’s aggressive agenda aims high and represents a major commitment to providing state-of-the-art veterinary medical services and facilities to the equine community in the 21st century.
For more about the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine’s equine program visit https://cvm.ncsu.edu/efavc/.
This post was originally published in Giving News.
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