State/Territory
Colorado
Shortage Location - Must Serve
San Juan county NM, Montezuma and La Plata counties Colorado
Shortage Location - May Serve
Location Center
Durango, CO
VSGP Status
Open
VMLRP Status
(Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program)
Open
Priority of shortage
Critical
Fiscal year
Percent FTE
(Full Time Equivalent, based on a 40hr work week.)
30
Type of Shortage
(Veterinary Practice Area / Discipline / Specialty)
Type II Shortage: Private Practice – Rural Area Food Animal Medicine
Must serve
Beef Cattle
Small Ruminant
Other Must Serve
Other May Serve
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Samantha R. Uhrig
Nominator Title
State Veterinarian
Nominator Org
New Mexico Livestock Board
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
505-841-6161
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
The New Mexico and Colorado State Animal Health Officials have collaborated and received approval to nominate this region as a Critical Priority. This 3-county area covers approximately 9278 square miles with a rapidly growing population of over 60,000 food animals. Additionally, this region includes the Navajo, Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian Reservations. A veterinarian serving this area would ideally be involved in mentorship and community programs such as 4-H and FFA. A new sale barn also opened in southern Colorado in October 2023. The terrain is mountainous and rugged and often makes traveling between the east and west side of the Continental Divide impassable during the winter months. This does not permit veterinarians in neighboring counties to be able to safely or efficiently travel into this region. Our objective is to find veterinarians who will provide access to animal health services for livestock to help in the early detection of foreign animal and zoonotic diseases affecting livestock and small animals; the seamless integration of animal and human health awareness and response throughout the community; and effective local and regional disease surveillance and reporting to support state and national disease monitoring efforts. The yearly revenue generated by livestock in these three counties is greater than $38,000,000 (USDA NASS Census 2017).
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
The veterinary activities needed by the livestock producers in this three-county area include: • Provision of emergency veterinary services; for example livestock health care needs resulting from acute illness, trauma, dystocia or obstetrical difficulties • Provision of routine veterinary services; for example vaccination, castration or dehorning • Consultation in health care programs and nutrition • Provision of reproduction management consultation and services • Disease diagnostics for routine illness • Disease surveillance and diagnostics for state and federal program diseases and for foreign animal diseases; private practitioners covering this area will be expected to be federally accredited and TB and Trichomoniasis certified by each state because livestock in the shortage area will require testing and documentation for movement, exhibition purposes, and change of ownership including completion of certificates of veterinary inspection.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
This area hasn't had a lot of success in attracting new veterinarians interested in practicing livestock medicine. This is a very rural area and mountainous area of Colorado that is far from major metropolitan centers. Recruitment efforts in the last several years have only resulted in one new veterinarian staying in the area. This area has been nominated in various county combinations since the program inception with only 1 successful applicant. We have used the VMLRP as a an enticement to bring interested parties back to the area to practice food animal medicine.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
The risks associated with a lack of available veterinary services within a reasonable proximity of a producer's location in this area could include: • A greater prevalence of disease, which increases the morbidity and mortality of food animals • Reproductive losses, which would result in a monetary loss for the producer and the community • The potential for the establishment and spread of a foreign animal disease due to the lack of timely surveillance and participation in Colorado emergency management activities • The potential for the establishment and spread of a program or zoonotic disease due to the lack of timely surveillance and diagnostics • A lack of the facilitation of interstate movement of animals through the issuance of a certificate of veterinary inspection or commuter agreements • Adulteration of food products due to the producer's lack of knowledge on the proper use of pharmaceuticals and veterinary biologic products • Increased production costs resulting from a lack of consultation on nutrition, proper herd management • The inability to fulfill the requirements of the FDA Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) would likely result in the lack of administration of medically important antibiotics to the livestock in the area and routine disease control
Community Aspects
This rural area of New Mexico and Colorado has a lot to offer for outdoor enthusiasts. Farmington offers off-roading, fly fishing, mountain biking, scenic landscapes for hiking and multiple lakes and rivers for kayaking and paddle boarding. The entire Four Corners area is rich in cultural and historical treasures that bring visitors from across the globe to the region. Unique areas such as the Bisti Badlands, Glade Run Recreation Area, Mesa Verde National Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Four Corners Monument and Salmon Ruins offer a variety of activities for veterinarians and their families. Southwest Colorado offers some of the most beautiful and challenging skiing in the country as well as the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. World-class fishing and three full-service marinas are available not far away at Navajo Dam. One veterinary-specific attraction that New Mexico has to offer is our Ag/Livestock Incident Response Team (ALIRT). Livestock veterinarians in key locations throughout the state, such as this shortage area, are invited to participate in ALIRT to receive annual, specialized training in recognition of foreign animal diseases and agricultural emergencies. This training is allowed to count toward continuing education requirements for veterinary licensure and is provided at little to no cost to the participant.