President’s Message Dear KVMA Members,
It is a true honor to be selected by the KVMA membership to represent our profession in Ken- tucky. Te KVMA and I are passionate about our profession and look forward to continuing our efforts to promote, protect and improve the veterinary profession.
We have much to be thankful for over the past year:
• Te Mid-America conference in Lexington was a success with 600 attendees- making it our most attended conference yet. We christened a new venue with a comprehensive list of speakers pro- viding quality education and wonderful fellowship for colleagues. We look forward to using your feedback to make next year even better as it will again be in Lexington at the Central Bank Center.
• Legislatively, our support helped the passing of “Ethan’s Law,” making torture of a dog or cat in Kentucky a felony. We also look forward to the positive impact the Kentucky Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Program will have on supporting Kentucky’s rural veterinarians and communities.
Kentucky veterinarians are a compassionate group in a profession known for resilience and resourcefulness. We are blessed to have a career that allows us to care for animals and improve the lives of many throughout the state. Tis blessing cannot be taken for granted. We must remain vigilant to protect our profession and the welfare of Kentucky’s animals.
Te stability of our profession relies on a foundation built with a quality education. Veterinary education is at the center of many conversations with a proposed new veterinary school in our state. While it is never wrong to step back and look at the big picture of education, all of the unintended consequences of any change should be considered before making a decision. KVMA appreciates the feedback of 476 of our members in the recent survey on this topic.
• 85.7% of surveyed membership was against ending current contract seats with Auburn University and Tuskegee University for the development of an in-state distributive model veterinary school.
• 81.6% of surveyed membership is supportive of adding additional contract seats at established out-of-state veter- inary schools in place of developing an in-state school.
• Only 6.9% of surveyed membership felt a distributive model veterinary school provided an education equivalent to our current traditional model schools.
In an era of texting, your voice still matters. Your legislators should know who you are. It is paramount you meet with or call your legislators and share what you shared in our survey- concerns for proposed changes to Kentucky’s veter- inary education. Your collective voice can achieve much more than mine. In an age of knowledge and ignorance we must remain resilient and resourceful.
Your voice is valued and appreciated within the KVMA. I hope to see our committees become more active during my term. I want them to be conduits for membership from across the state to have input on such topics as government relations, public relation initiatives, and conference programming. Please keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to join one of these committees. It is a great way to get involved and bolster our ability to promote, protect and improve Kentucky’s veterinary profession.
Best regards,
Wade King, DVM KVMA President
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