UF Small Animal Hospital plans grand opening, public sneak preview in October

Members of the public are invited to visit and tour the new University of Florida Small Animal Hospital at a sneak preview from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 24 as part of a weeklong grand opening celebration.

The public event will cap several days of gatherings and dedications oriented to various friends of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine and the UF Veterinary Hospitals. Tours and light refreshments will be provided. This event only showcase the new building and should not be confused with the college’s traditional annual open house, which will resume this spring.

The new $58 million hospital, which serves pet owners from throughout Florida and the Southeast, will officially open for business on Nov. 1, bringing to fruition a dream that has been nearly two decades in the making — and the better part of two years in construction.

“We are thrilled to see construction almost completed and everything falling into place after all the time, energy and passion that has gone into creating the new UF Small Animal Hospital,” said Glen Hoffsis, D.V.M., dean of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. “We want everyone to know their efforts are appreciated and hope everyone will take advantage of the opportunity to tour the new hospital and see for themselves what the excitement is all about.”

Longtime chairman of the college’s department of small animal clinical sciences and former chief of staff Colin Burrows, B.Vet.Med., Ph.D., said administrators realized by the late 1980s that they were fast outgrowing the original hospital, and began laying the groundwork for a new building with UF administration in 1992.

“We knew this would be a long struggle, but with the help of a vigorous and successful fundraising campaign and the support of several UF presidents and college deans, we were able to bring this effort to a successful conclusion,” Burrows said. “This new hospital will be one of the best in the world.”

An invitation-only building dedication ceremony, featuring key college and hospital administrators as well as UF President Bernie Machen, will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 22. That evening’s activities are oriented to donors of more than $25,000 to the college and/or the UF Veterinary Hospitals.

Earlier that week, the college will hold a teambuilding retreat for small animal faculty inside the new building, followed by additional tours and an internal dedication ceremony for faculty, staff and students. On Oct. 23, an annual continuing education event hosted by UF for veterinary receptionists and technicians will be held in the morning, followed by a special two-hour open house for referring veterinarians.

“The grand opening of this incredible new building gives us the opportunity to enhance public awareness and to remind the community that the UF Veterinary Hospitals offer a full range of veterinary services for both large and small animals,” Hoffsis said.

The UF small animal hospital has been in existence since 1978, two years after the college opened its doors to its first class of veterinary students. The new 100,000-square-foot hospital triples existing space and will afford a more comfortable environment for patient care and teaching, administrators said.

Among the new hospital’s most notable features are a linear accelerator used to deliver conventional fractionated radiation therapy to cancer patients. The technology makes use of cone-beam CT, or image guidance, unique to Florida and most of the country. Another key addition is a cardiac catheterization laboratory for sophisticated treatment of complex medical problems relating to the heart and blood vessels.

The new building provides more examination rooms, larger treatment areas, state-of-the-art progressive care and isolation wards, a hemodialysis facility and an intensive care unit. A small primary care veterinary practice, where pets can receive routine care such as wellness checkups, heartworm prevention and necessary vaccinations, shares a separate entrance area with the hospital’s 24-hour emergency service, allowing clients convenient drop-off access.

The hospital is located at 2015 SW 16th Ave. in Gainesville. For more information, visit www.vethospitals.ufl.edu.

Advisory:

The preview for the public is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 24. Media members are also welcome to cover the previews for faculty and staff and other internal events.

—Tuesday, Oct. 19: Sneak preview and building dedication for faculty, staff and students (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

—Wednesday, Oct. 20: More previews for faculty, staff and students (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

—Friday, Oct. 22: Donor recognition event and official grand opening dedication (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.)

—Sunday, Oct: 24: Public sneak preview of new building (2 p.m. to 4 p.m.)