As our PPAH family welcomes 2012, it is with a meaningful reflection on the year past, and with a renewed and energetic approach towards our mission and duties. Just recently most of us put 2011 in personal perspective: for some it was great and prosperous, for some it brought hardships. Thank you our dear clients for bringing your pets and sharing your life stories with us. This is what makes it so rewarding to work at a "vet's office", as many of you call us. Our never ceasing effort, our experience, our work and life at the hospital can be summed up quite the same way from the collective perspective. How was 2011 for PPAH? Well, let’s take a look, and bring you up on any significant changes that have occurred.
What was truly significant within our family is the addition of three new babies. Dr.Tremlova’s and mine were born midsummer. The third? Yes, here is the breaking news: Dr. Morrison did welcome a baby girl! Sooo anticipated by her mom in 2011, Eilidh Olivia decided she was going to be a 2012 baby after all. The multitude of new babies born year after year to PPAH parents points to a "fertile", pleasant and secure work environment. Or so we would like to believe. Secondly, it reminds us that our knowledgeable doctors, knowledge-thirsty assistants, our multi-tasking, stand-on-their-feet-all-day receptionists and our busy, fast paced support staff are, at the end of the day, regular and caring people. They also have families and life outside of the hospital. Each one of us is also a client: we choose to bring our pets here because we know how well medicine is practiced at PPAH.
Last spring we started offering pet acupuncture to complement the chiropractic services provided by Dr. Cindy Olsen. You may be interested to find out that that the two pet insurance companies that we promote, VPI and Trupanion, will cover chiropractic and acupuncture services for pets of all ages (though not for pre-existing conditions).
In March, we added a new associate veterinarian to our ranks, Dr. Norah Morrison. She is a first generation Irish American, who received her degree in veterinary medicine at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. She had practiced veterinary medicine in UK, and also in Chicago area. Dr. Morrison is a very likeable doctor who quickly gained a loyal clientele. Some of you were trying to book appointments at the eleventh hour of her pregnancy lest she should go on maternity leave without checking out your companionJ. She is expected to return to work in April. You will find her full bio here: http://www.portagepark.com/doctors.html.
In October we said good bye to our sweet but no-nonsense hospital manager, Jill Toms, who relocated to Phoenix, AZ. Ambitious as always, she made not one life changing move in a matter of weeks. She also managed to tie a knot, land a brand new job as a veterinary hospital manager and resume her graduate degree studies. People like Jill take responsibility for their own success in life. We miss her already but will continue to consult with her on management related issues. We welcomed Ashley Kandaras to be our new manager, whom we wooed over from Blue Pearl, a vet emergency and specialty practice in Northbrook. A veteran in the vet industry (no pun intended) she appears to be confident and experienced, especially in client related issues and matters. Please do not hesitate to call her if you've had a great or not so great experience, and she will make things right.
In late December, we lost our dear colleague of many years, our proud Canadian, Dr. Joel Bornstein. He was truly beloved among our staff as a mentor and a friend. He connected, and was able to find common language equally well with his peers, associate doctors and our youngest aspiring "mouseketeers", a bunch of whom he inspired to become veterinarians... He was adored by our clients and patients. We received so many kind and touching words from you after the announcement of his passing. "I am sure he was greeted by all the animal souls who he helped and loved, including my Elvis", writes a bereaved client.
Pets - our special family members. We celebrated all new puppies and kittens that have come in through our doors last year! They don't know this yet but without them we would be nothing. To the clients who lost their precious pets, we say that we took time to mourn and say goodbye to our dear patients. It is by far the hardest aspect of our jobs.
Our dedicated staff tries to make lives happier and easier for the pets in need. Our annual Christmas fundraiser is going to benefit dogs transported here from Iraq, through the program called Operation Bagdad Pup. However, it is not only during Christmastime that our staff engages in charitable activities. Julita and Marilyn regularly volunteer at Animal Care and Control where they try to improve the dire (horrible, is what they say) conditions of the unlucky residents. They pass on a word too: volunteers are desperately needed at ACC. Please talk to them if you have time and would like to help; these girls will be happy to guide you through the process. If you are thinking of getting a companion, please consider adopting from Animal Care and Control. Sadly, most people don’t realize how pets are suffering there, and that they are available for adoption.
What is new in 2012? We will continue to grow and add services in order to serve you better. Our annual Dental program offers great deals and kicks in full swing in February (wink wink). We offer free dental evaluations and consultations for your pets year round. Also in February our hospital will participate in the annual Cook County Spay/Neuter program where we offer these surgeries at a discount.
We are also trying to stay current, modern and connected through social media. Look us up on Facebook, Google + and Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/chicago_vet. We update our hospital blog twice a month at http://portageparkanimalhospital.blogspot.com/. You can also access it through our website: WHAT’S NEW/BLOG.
As far as the latest news on veterinary products, treatments and developments, please speak to our veterinarians. They are very open to communication, and are by far the best resources, better than any Dr. Google. Feel free to visit any time, schedule a tour of our facility, bring in your pet just for the treats while on your daily walk or get yourself a fresh-brewed coffee from our new Keurig coffee maker.
We wish an exciting and healthful year to you and your beloved pets.
Lina MeyerHospital Administrator
