AVMA Applauds U.S. House of Representatives for Introducing Veterinary Public Health Legislation

WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest veterinary association today applauded four members of the U.S. House of Representatives for introducing legislation that confronts public health threats by investing in the public health veterinary workforce

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) commended Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tim Murphy (R-PA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) for acting as introductory sponsors of the Veterinary Public Health Education and Workforce Act (H.R. 2999), a bill that creates new programs for training veterinarians and offers additional federal support to protect public health.

“This legislation highlights the critical role veterinarians in public and private practice have in public health and it recognizes the need for federal investment in bolstering the veterinary workforce, which is on the front lines of public health, food safety and animal health,” said Dr. Ron DeHaven, AVMA Chief Executive Officer. “Representatives Baldwin, Murphy, Pallone and Schrader fully understand that the country needs to move quickly if we are going to be able to provide Americans a safe, healthy and secure food supply, and protect them from disease outbreaks and pandemics.”

A February 2009 report to Congress by the Government Accounting Office (GAO), “Veterinarian Workforce Actions Are Needed to Ensure Sufficient Capacity for Protecting Public Health,” depicts a grave public health scenario caused by a shortage of veterinarians.

“Veterinarians are our frontline of defense against potentially deadly disease outbreaks,” said Baldwin. “Diseases spread from animals to humans in several ways. As the H1N1 pandemic is proving now, disease outbreaks can grow rapidly and unpredictably. We need enough public health veterinarians to help keep our food supply and our families safe,” Baldwin said.

“Veterinarians play a critical role in preserving our country’s public health by protecting humans from diseases spread by animals and assuring the safety of our food supply. As the number of veterinarians available to serve in these key roles does not meet current and growing demands, this bill is essential to reversing this shortage and providing the support veterinary programs around the nation need,” Murphy said.

The Veterinary Public Health Education and Workforce Act offers a competitive grant program to schools of veterinary medicine, allowing them to use the funds for faculty recruitment, physical expansion or curriculum development. It also creates a new fellowship program within the Department of Health and Human Services, and allows fellows to be placed throughout the network of federal agencies that employ veterinarians. Finally, the legislation creates a new Division of Veterinary Medicine and Public Health at the Health Resources and Services Administration, ensuring that this workforce receives the federal attention it deserves.

“Veterinarians are a critical component to the health of our country,” said Dr. Schrader, who is also a veterinarian. “They not only provide care to our pets but are also crucial to the protection of our food supply and overall public health. This measure will help encourage more students to enter the veterinary profession and provide more professional veterinarians for local communities.”

“This legislation expands our pool of public health veterinarians, increasing our ability to fight animal-born diseases and keep our food supply safe,” Pallone said. “With the recent outbreak of the H1N1 flu and other pandemic illnesses, it is imperative that we take all necessary steps to protect the public health.”

The AVMA has been working closely with the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) to get the legislation introduced. The bill has now been referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee, where Pallone, Baldwin and Murphy are members.

###

The AVMA and its more than 78,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of activities dedicated to advancing the science and art of animal, human and public health. Visit the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org for more information.