Emergency Coverage Cooperative Announcement

B.W. Furlong & Associates and Mountain Pointe Equine Veterinary Services are pleased to share the development of a rotating Emergency Coverage Cooperative (Co-op) for our NJ practices. The purpose of this Co-op is to improve the mental health and well being of our equine veterinarians, as the frequency and demands of emergency services have contributed to a staffing crisis in the veterinary industry. Less than 1% of students graduating vet school are entering equine medicine, and after three years, half of that 1% have left equine private practice. By creating a professional and collaborative relationship between our practices, this Co-op will maintain the standard of care for our clients while creating a more sustainable lifestyle for our veterinarians.

Beginning January 3, 2022, evening and weekend on-call duties will rotate between veterinarians from each practice, who together average over 12 years of veterinary experience. Our team of veterinarians have a great level of trust in each other, and we are confident our clients will share that trust. This Co-op is not intended to replace your routine veterinarian and/or elective services for clients and patients. 

In the event of an emergency:

• Continue to call the emergency line for your routine veterinarian, at which point you will reach the veterinarian on call. 
• The veterinarian on call will diagnose, stabilize, treat, triage, consult, or refer horses requiring emergency attention in the same manner as the routine veterinarian.    
• Payment for emergency services will be required at the time of service directly to the veterinary practice who provided the services; clients can be provided a verbal estimate prior to the vet’s arrival to the farm if they prefer.

Upon completion of the veterinary services provided, on the following business day:

• The horse’s routine veterinarian will be informed of the situation and treatments provided.
• Medical records of the patient will be transferred to the practice that primarily provides veterinary services.
• Care of the horse will be transferred immediately back to the routine veterinarian.

Please view the Emergency Co-Op coverage radius by clicking here – Co-op Coverage Map 

We will host two Q&A Zoom meetings; Wednesday, December 8th, at 7pm, and Monday, December 13th, at 7pm. Please email events@bwfurlong.com with your name and email address to RSVP

We look forward to bringing you this service for many years to come, and to a future of happy and healthy horses and their veterinary practitioners! Thank you all for your support of our growing practices and wonderful veterinarians. 

 
Sincerely,

Brendan W. Furlong, President, B.W. Furlong & Associates
Michael N. Fugaro, Owner, Mountain Pointe Equine Veterinary Services