Dr. Sheila Harrity, superintendent director with Trixie, students Matteo Larralde from Westminster and Jessica Higbee from Winchendon and Dr. Kayla Sample, the new veterinary medical director with Rocko.
Dr. Kayla Sample and Jessica Higbee give Rocko a bit of an exam in the new “digs.”
Monday sees opening of new veterinary clinic at Monty Tech
FITCHBURG — After more than six years of planning, two years of construction, and $2.5 million raised in donations, grants, and in-kind services, the Monty Tech Veterinary Clinic will open its doors Monday, Sept. 16.
"This project has been a very special one for the Monty Tech community,” said Sheila Harrity, Superintendent-Director of Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School. “The leadership team had a vision and the talented instructors and students across our trades turned that vision into a beautiful 7,500 sq. ft., state-of-the-art reality."
Monty Tech is home to 21 vocational technical programs, with the newest addition being veterinary science. Students trained in the new facility receive classroom and lab instruction in a variety of related topics, ranging from fundamentals of animal science to comparative animal anatomy and physiology. In the students’ Junior year, they transition from the classroom to the clinic floor, where they will work side-by-side with veterinarians and technicians to provide care to dogs and cats. To ensure students are trained in the latest industry standards, school officials have partnered with VCA, who provided the veterinary medical director, at no cost to the school. Dr. Kayla Sample, whose impressive resume includes a small animal community internship at the Tufts at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic in Worcester, understands the value of community medicine and has enjoyed working with the next generation of veterinary professionals.
"Working with high school and college students has been a pleasure. While exams and procedures may take longer to complete in a teaching clinic, having the time and resources to train the veterinary workforce will benefit the profession in the long run,” stated Dr. Sample. “VCA understands the need to have a well-trained workforce, and has invested in the Monty Tech Clinic, as a means to ensure their clinics and hospitals will have a skilled workforce in the coming years."
Monty Tech veterinary science students will be involved in all aspects of veterinary care provided at the clinic. Greeting customers, taking histories, and observing exams and procedures, the students will be provided with valuable hands-on learning opportunities that can only be achieved in a clinic or hospital setting. The Monty Tech Clinic, like similar teaching clinics across the state, was designed to serve a specific pet population. Small animals, specifically dogs and cats, from families with limited resources, living in the Monty Tech district will receive subsidized veterinary care.
"Providing families with accessible veterinary care options for preventative and primary care is imperative, and our clinic aims to reduce financialbarriers that may prevent animals from receiving the care they need," said Sample.
"We have developed this program in collaboration with a number of area veterinary professionals, and are excited to partner with them as a resource for qualifying clients who may benefit from services at our clinic," stated Harrity.
To be eligible for services at the Monty Tech Veterinary Clinic, the owner of the pet must present a valid EBT card and a matching ID, and live within one of the 18 cities and towns comprising the Monty Tech District.
The Monty Tech District includes the following cities and towns: Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Barre, Fitchburg, Gardner, Harvard, Holden, Hubbardston, Lunenburg, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Sterling, Templeton, Westminster, and Winchendon.
"While providing a valuable service to our community and educating the veterinary caregivers of tomorrow, is certainly our goal,” said Sample, “developing passionate advocates for veterinary care and community medicine, is the ultimate win for our profession, and an effort I am so incredibly proud and humbled to lead."
For questions regarding eligibility, or to schedule an appointment, please call (978) 516-0888.