May 2020 Issue

Page 10 May 2020 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN In an effort to provide the highest level of veterinary care amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Penn Vet New Bolton Center has launched a new tele- health service for large animals. The service offers both teleconsultations, allowing on- site veterinarians in the field to collaborate with New Bolton Center specialists to address patient needs, as well as tele- medicine appointments, enabling New Bolton Center Field Service veterinarians to conduct ‘vir- tual visits’ with patients while following best practices of social distancing. “The COVID-19 envi- ronment has challenged us to rethink how we can continue to deliver an exceptional level of care to our clients and our com- munity,” said Dr. Barbara Dallap Schaer, Hospital Director for Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center. “While we continue to provide in-person care for emergency and urgent cases at New Bolton Center’s hospital, our telehealth capabilities will bridge any physical disconnect felt during this time to offer care to those who need it most. We want to be there for people.” By relying on a suite of teleconferencing software, mo- bile cameras, and rapid file-ex- change systems, New Bolton Center’s veterinary specialists can provide real-time support, evaluation, and guidance to on- site veterinarians. The on-site veterinarians can then use the information to diagnose and treat their patient in-person. New Bolton Center’s tele- health experts are also available to help on-site veterinarians inte- grate telemedicine tools into their own practices, enabling them to provide care to their own patients without the need for physical, in-person contact. For large animal owners, New Bolton Center’s Field Ser- vice veterinarians will implement the same clinical skills utilized in person to conduct an examina- tion through the teleconferencing platform. “Our new telehealth service not only has risen to meet the challenge of providing life-saving veterinary care safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has opened up endless opportunities for the future,” added Dr. Cristob- al Navas de Solis, assistant pro- fessor of cardiology/ultrasound and internal medicine at New Bolton Center. “These tools offer tremen- dous implications for collabo- rating with other veterinarians, and even delivering care to re- mote or underserved locations, in ways that we have never been able to before,” added Navas de Solis. New Bolton Center is current- ly offering teleconsultations with on-site, referring veterinarians at no cost. For more information about New Bolton Center’s tele- health services or to make an ap- pointment, visit www.vet.upenn . edu/newbolton-telehealth. New Bolton Center Launches Telehealth Service