Local Health Care Providers for People and Their Pets
We have many local health care providers in my community including Ellis Medicine, Albany Med EmUrgentCare, and several larger hospitals relatively close including St. Peter’s Hospital, Ellis Hospital, and Albany Medical Center. It is important to note that everyone has different circumstances, and if anyone is struggling to pay for health care we have local places that offer free or income-based medical help such as Capital City Rescue Mission Free Medical Clinic in Albany, the Schenectady Family Health Center, and the Troy Health Center but a bigger list can be found here. With an abundance of pet owners in my town, it is not surprising that we have numerous veterinary hospitals and clinics. Some options are Cornerstone Veterinary Hospital, Clifton Park Veterinary Clinic, Halfmoon Veterinary Hospital, and of course where I take my own dog, Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital.
What Does Veterinary Care Look Like During the Pandemic?
I have actually seen first hand how at least our vet has adjusted to the coronavirus via drive-thru appointments so I thought it would be good to share that here! We had to bring my dog to the vet the other day to get something looked at to make sure it wasn’t anything serious (I won’t keep you waiting, it was nothing bad, thank goodness). When my mom and I pulled in to the parking lot we were signaled to pull up outside of the main entrance; once there we were greeted by a receptionist who confirmed our appointment and told us to pull into parking space number 2. After we parked, we waited for a few minutes just as you normally would in a waiting room. After a few minutes, a veterinary technician came out to our car, outfitted with a mask, and took our dog with her into the building so that she could get the necessary care for the next 20 minutes or so. Once her appointment was over, the vet tech returned with my dog and we scooped her back into the car. We waited a few more minutes and then my mom got a call from the veterinarian explaining the diagnosis and recommended treatment. Finally, we received another call from a receptionist who gave the specifics of the medications that she needed and my mom was able to pay for them over the phone. The receptionist then brought out the medications and we were on our way! It was incredibly efficient and it was clear that every possible precaution was being taken. If your pet needs medical attention at any point during this pandemic, I hope that this information is comforting and will encourage you to get your pet the care that they need!
However, I also understand that some people might not have equal access to a car, and therefore getting their pet to the vet is hard enough on a good day. With that in mind, I have a suggestion that might be helpful under normal circumstances: Uber! According to Uber Help, you should just give a heads up to the driver that you are bringing a pet with you, and more information about this can be found here. However, since we are all trying to social distance, I don’t think that Ubering is a good idea right now; with that being said, I don’t have a real solution to offer for transportation during this pandemic. I am curious, can anyone else can think of a way our community could help owners to overcome this barrier while accounting for current health and safety regulations?
Photos:
http://www.ellismedicine.org/clifton-park/default.aspx
https://www.theitem.com/stories/my-visit-to-the-vet-in-sumter-a-covid-19-new-normal,343828
Looking at veterinary care is such an interesting perspective during the pandemic that we are currently living through. From the research that you’ve done, it seems as though veterinary services are actually much more safe and efficient that human healthcare during this time. As pets are also considered loved ones (and being a pet owner myself), it gives me peace of mind to know that my dog would still be receiving high quality healthcare without compromising her safety, our family’s safety, or the vet’s safety.
It’s great that you were able to get your dog to the vet during a pandemic! To answer your question about transportation though, would public transportation make exceptions to allow animals on buses to get to the vet?
I also had to bring my puppy to the bet during this pandemic and I was amazed! I was nervous at first that Ruger (my dog) wouldn’t get out of the car with another person, especially someone with a mask on but to make sure he did get out of the car and they were able to get him into the building they had me walk with them to the door and he was fine! I also thought how great it was when Ruger was done they brought him out and the vet called us to while we were in the parking lot to explain everything that was done during his visit.
I love seeing this different perspective on healthcare resources compared to what the rest of us are focusing on! I like that you mention the struggle that people may be enduring when it comes to transporting their pets to and from appointments because some people do not possess their own form of transportation, and I can only imagine how difficult it is to travel with a pet on public transportation (if that is even allowed in most situations?) Uber is definitely a great option and, you would hope that if someone made the decision to care for a pet that they would be in a financial situation that would allow them to access this resource. Although this is the likely situation for most, there are still definitely a number of people who are not able to do so, so I wonder if there are resources in place for pet medical transportation as I have found there to be for people who need transportation to and from medical appointments.
Being someone from this area too, I really like how you included areas such as Troy, Albany, and Schenectady in regards to the different hospitals and resources available. It shows how there are resources available in individual cities that can be used to help others in the overall county. In relation to the methods of transportation that people can use, I liked the initial idea of UberHelp. But of course, during this time it is very difficult to use Uber since it is not safe with the current pandemic. I wonder if although the veterinary care facility you go to doesn’t have a way to treat those without a car, if there are others who do have a way to do so.
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