Fort Myers, Florida, 2/10/2009 — Lee County Animal Services has been selected to receive a three-day Shelter Health Assessment from February 24 through February 26, 2009 as part of the University of Florida’s new Shelter Medicine Program.
“The objective of the comprehensive shelter health assessment is to enhance the shelter’s ability to achieve their overall mission and goals while optimizing animal health and welfare,” explained Dr. Julie Levy, director of Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida. “The assessment is designed to identify strengths and weaknesses, and provide remedies and supportive resources to ensure the safe, humane, and effective care of shelter animals.”
The assessment is a multi-step process requiring substantial investment by both the shelter management team and the shelter consultant team. The cementing of a long-term partnership between the two teams is paramount to the best possible outcomes for the shelter animals.
“Developing a strong infection control program is high on the list of priorities during this assessment,” explained the team’s infectious disease expert, Dr. Cynda Crawford. “A healthy animal is an adoptable animal, and we aim to do everything we can to help the shelter meet its goals to increase adoptions and live release rates.”
The assessment process is initiated by completion of a pre-assessment questionnaire by the shelter management team and provision of shelter operation protocols and population statistics for review by the consultants. Prior to the visit, area stakeholders are invited to provide public comment about the shelter by completing a brief online survey.
This is followed by a site visit by the consultant team for observation of shelter operations and interviews with staff, adoption partner groups, and other identified stakeholders in the community. The observations and recommended actions with supportive resources are provided to the shelter management team in a preliminary report that addresses the most urgent issues, and in a final comprehensive report that addresses all issues. Regular communications with shelter management are continued for at least seven months to assist with implementation of recommendations, to monitor and measure the outcomes, and to provide troubleshooting for problems.
“No shelter can be fully successful without a strong community commitment to improving animal welfare,” noted Dr. Levy. “Saving lives requires a climate of mutual respect and a culture of collaboration between the shelter, nonprofit organizations, and the public.” There will be an opportunity for the public to meet with the consultants during the site visit on Tuesday evening, February 24. Registration for the public comment session is required.
A presentation on Trap-Neuter- Return (TNR) programs for control of feral cat populations will be held on Wednesday, February 25, from 7 to 9 PM, at the Lee County Public Works Building, 1500 Monroe St., Ft. Myers. Veterinarians, animal welfare groups, animal shelter directors and policy makers are encouraged to attend this informative presentation. Discussion will include the veterinarian’s role in the veterinary care of feral cats (humane capture, anesthesia, surgery, vaccination, etc.), the pros and cons about TNR, and policy issues in Florida. Since seating is limited for this presentation, please email Lee County Animal Services at brownra@leegov.com by February 20, 2009.
The $9,000.00 fee associated with this assessment, performed by shelter health specialists from the University of Florida and the University of Pennsylvania, is sponsored in its entirety by Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida.
About Maddie’s Fund
Maddie’s Fund®, The Pet Rescue Foundation, (www.maddiesfund.org) is a family foundation funded by Workday and PeopleSoft Founder Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. Maddie’s Fund is helping to create a no-kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home.
To achieve this goal, Maddie’s Fund is investing its resources in building community collaborations where animal welfare organizations come together to develop successful models of lifesaving; in veterinary colleges to help shelter medicine become part of the veterinary curriculum; in private practice veterinarians to encourage greater participation in the animal welfare cause; and in the implementation of national strategies to collect and report shelter statistics. Maddie’s Fund is named after the family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997.
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