State/Territory
North Carolina
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Chatham (709 sq mi), Moore (706 sq mi), Montgomery (502 sq mi), and Randolph (790 sq mi) in North Carolina
Shortage Location - May Serve
Hoke (392 sq mi) and Robeson Counties (949 sq mi) in North Carolina
Location Center
Siler City, NC 27344
VSGP Status
Open
VMLRP Status
(Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program)
Open
Priority of shortage
Moderate
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
Poultry
Other Must Serve
May serve
Swine
Other May Serve
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Michael P. Martin
Nominator Title
State Veterinarian
Nominator Org
NCDA&CS
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
(919)-218-5143
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
This six county area (total of 4,048 sq miles) is the one of the most poultry dense areas in North Carolina and contain corporate poultry operations which are served by company and allied industry veterinarians. This region contains approximately 255.6 million broilers, 1.1 million layers, and 68 thousand turkeys. North Carolina is currently the #1 state in the nation for Poultry Cash Receipts, generating approximately $5.76 billion/year . Poultry production in North Carolina provide a unique opportunity for utilization of the Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP). Disease mitigation strategies, diagnostic testing, and interpretation of various diagnostics in the field of poultry medicine are critical to maintaining healthy flocks and early detection of various avian diseases. Given the number of poultry in the area, there is a legitimate need for veterinary care filling positions within or supporting poultry companies that provide veterinary services to industry. Given the amount of swine in this region (~423,000 head), veterinarians providing veterinary/diagnostic services to these populations could be beneficial as well. The incentives provided by the VMLRP certainly could be sufficient to encourage this career path for veterinarians.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
This nomination could support an individual willing to provide poultry veterinary services within this rural area. A veterinarian dedicated to serving poultry in this area would support a vibrant food animal industry in this region of North Carolina. New or recent graduate veterinarians may take positions within or supporting poultry companies by providing veterinary services which incorporate multiple regions throughout the state of North Carolina. Expectations are that the recipient could service the majority of the region by providing routine health care, diagnostics, diagnostic evaluations, and disease surveillance, and be the front line for determining the risk of foreign animal diseases. Interactions and engagement with our NCDA&CS field staff/VMO's for determination of foreign animal diseases, sampling, and state communications would be essential. The activities could include public service including educational opportunities regarding food animal veterinary medicine.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
Historical information of specific efforts to recruit for this area is not available. The intent of this nomination is to provide an opportunity (and obvious financial incentives through loan repayment) to attract a new veterinarian to establish a practice, join an existing practice, or begin a career in poultry medicine, to bring competent veterinary services to this area -- additionally, the value of commitment of a young professional to this area serves the community far beyond the provision of veterinary services.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
As with many of these under-served areas, the lack of food animal veterinarians could have a negative impact on the state's and the nation's animal disease surveillance (hampering appropriate/timely disease response), on the food supply, and/or on public health preparedness. This area is no different than hundreds of similar areas throughout the country. The provision of food animal veterinary services is critical to foreign and endemic animal disease surveillance. It is also well documented that food supply veterinarians serve a key role in public health preparedness/response, as 75% of emerging human diseases are of animal origin and, in these small communities, veterinarians often serve on local public health boards and commissions. Should this nomination not be accepted, the area will continue to be under-served, allowing for the continued erosion of critical food supply veterinary infrastructure in one of the largest food animal producing states in the country.
Community Aspects
The region is known at the "The Heart of North Carolina", located between two of the state's three largest centers of population and commerce. The region has easy access to Raleigh-Durham Airport and major universities, such as University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, North Carolina A & T University and Elon University. Small specialized farms, including organic vegetables and unique nurseries, are important to the region along with tourism, real estate and the arts. There are many artists throughout the region that produce high-quality pottery, paintings, sculpture, metalwork, fiber arts, jewelry, yard art and mixed media. Jordan Lake, a major recreational lake and water reservoir, but it also has several important rivers, including the Rocky River, the Haw River and the Deep River. The latter two converge to form the Cape Fear River. The region has one of the more highly educated working-age populations in the state and the public schools are highly rated.