Nearly four years in the making, the renovation of the Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals at the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University in North Grafton, Mass., is a wrap. The project’s fundraising campaign began in 2013 and raised $10 million for the improvements. In 2016, the hospital treated nearly 34,000 patients, which was an 8 percent increase over hospital traffic in 2015; the Foster Hospital improvements will help to meet this increased demand. The renovation included new exam rooms; larger treatment rooms; a new partitioned reception area to reduce stress by separating dogs, cats and other critters; new conference and meeting rooms; and a reflection room for pet owners to go to weight important life-and-death decisions involving their pets. “The overall space is more conducive to collaboration and communication, which can improve care on complex patient cases that involve multiple specialists, enable important clinical research and discussion and enhance hands-on student learning,” said Virginia Rentko, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, medical director, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine’s Foster Hospital and Hospital for Large Animals. The Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund gave $2.5 million; donors Anne and Travis Engen gave $2.5 million toward the project. “In addition to the impressive physical improvements, the benefits of this renovation go beyond what our patients and clients see when they walk in the door,” Dr. Rentko said. Originally published in the May 2017 issue of Veterinary Practice News. Did you enjoy this article? Then subscribe today!
