Photo: Ford, Brad
DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital is open overnight for emergency walk-ins, restoring its decades-long, 24/7 schedule after a short hiatus.
In October, the hospital temporarily adjusted its overnight walk-in ER hours in response to a national shortage of veterinarians and technicians (nurses). Though the hospital’s other services remained fully operational, including specialty departments and a 24/7 ICU, the team was eager to return to a full emergency schedule to help more ill and injured animals.
“We’re built to be open 24/7, so being closed for ER receiving even just a few hours overnight was difficult. It feels great to get back to our core community services,” said Ron Morgan, DoveLewis President & CEO.
While the hiring challenges are still acute nationwide, DoveLewis is finding success thanks to its renowned medical reputation and nonprofit status, a unique combination in an industry saturated with national chains and private investors.
“We’re different than the corporate chains you see coming into the area,” said Morgan. “We’re local, nonprofit, and we’ve been in Portland for 50 years. That’s appealing for team members and for customers.”
In addition to restoring the 24/7 emergency walk-in schedule, Morgan noted that the team has refined several services that will benefit local families and their animals. Most notably, DoveLewis Urgent Care, an option separate from the 24/7 emergency room, was reconfigured into a “minute clinic” model with appointments available as soon as 30-minutes from booking. “We’re nimbler than we were before, but we’re still treating patients with the level of care that the community expects of us.”
DoveLewis is the only referral center in the Portland area accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association and the only VECCS Level 1 facility in Oregon. It has eleven advanced care departments in addition to its 24/7 emergency room. The team expects to treat more than 26,000 animals next year alone, making it one of the highest volume veterinary hospitals in the country.
Source: DoveLewis