PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Winter 2021 - 4

A Message from the President

Delinda Zehner, DVM
President,
Pennsylvania Veterinary
Medical Association

As 2020 comes to a close, we find ourselves
looking back on the past year that has changed
so much of what was our normal lives only a
year ago. Between masks, hand sanitizer, social
distancing, and panic buying, there has been
so much tragedy, disruption, and unrest in this
country. But what this has done for many is
change our perspective on what is important.
The changes we have had to make help us
appreciate what we had and look forward to
the future. We all miss the personal interaction
that in-person gatherings provide, whether
through family gatherings or conferences and
meetings with our colleagues.

DEI Initiatives
During the Virtual Keystone Veterinary
Conference, it became apparent the
importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
(DEI) in veterinary medicine. A PVMA DEI
committee has formed with tremendous
interest, which is awesome to see from our
PVMA Members. Resulting from the first
committee meeting last month, there are
plans in the works for a member survey,
and quarterly interview-based articles in
Keystone Veterinarian. If you would like to
help us discover new avenues and ideas,
please contact Dr. Erica Wolbramsky at
dr.wolbramsky@ccvh.com. Ideas may be
shared by joining the committee, or Dr.
Wolbramsky can present your ideas to the
current committee. To join the committee, visit
bit.ly/JoinPVMA_DEI and complete
the form. Members must be logged in to
view form.
Kathy Koar, M.Ed., CVT, is the Director of
Veterinary Nursing at Harcum College, which
has promoted these concepts as part of their
core mission. There are currently five members
of the PVMA DEI committee that have a
relationship with Harcum College. There is an
interesting page located at Harcum.edu under
the title of diversity, equity and inclusion that

4 | Keystone Veterinarian

summarizes the initiatives of Harcum over the
last 50 years (bit.ly/HarcumDEI).

Season of Giving
No animal should go without food or care
during the Season of Giving! When my journey
with PVMA began, I quickly learned how little
I knew about Animal Care PA, our charitable
arm. It is important to me that our Members
know more about this important charity.
The mission of Animal Care PA, founded as the
Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation in 1983, is
to help caring people help animals by bridging
the gap through three aspects; FEED, CARE,
and EDUCATE.
*	

FEED through the Henry's Helping Paws
Program, which provides food to the pets
of senior citizens so the pets and owners
can stay together.

*	

CARE through The Last Chance (TLC)
Program, which provides veterinary care
grants to animals in need when limited or
no financial means exist to pay for care
and veterinary procedures. The grants
are given directly to the veterinary clinic
providing the services upon approval.

*	

EDUCATE by providing scholarships
to students to help decrease the
financial burden that plagues
veterinary and technician students.

Please consider donating through the
AnimalCarePA.org website or by creating a
Facebook fundraiser. During these uncertain
times, it's important to remember that we have
so much to be thankful for and that positivity is
contagious. As we continue to navigate through
this pandemic - and all the associated personal
and economic difficulties - remember that we
have pulled ourselves out of numerous CRISES
before. There are greater days and times
ahead.
http://www.bit.ly/HarcumDEI http://www.bit.ly/JoinPVMA_DEI http://www.AnimalCarePA.org http://www.Harcum.edu
PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Winter 2021

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