The President's Letter:

Spring 2013

Kate-WilliamsColleagues:
It is an honor to serve as the 2013 President of the Arkansas Veterinary Medical Association. I graduated from TUSVM in 1999 and have practiced in Northwest AR since. I joined the ArVMA Board as a district trustee in 2006. I currently serve in the U. S. Army Reserves as a Veterinary Corps Officer and is the Executive Officer for the 195th Med Detachment, Veterinary Services in Baton Rouge, LA.
We have a great team within our state veterinary association that strives to ensure that our profession flourishes and remains as one of the best professions on Earth! I look forward to serving with this team. No team or organization succeeds without a strong support system and the ArVMA is fortunate to have Mag- gie Milligan as our Executive Direc- tor! Her years of experience and leadership are a key to our success. Thank you Maggie for your dedica- tion and hard work for the ArVMA! Our District Trustees are key posi- tions on the Board to bring issues and concerns to the board’s atten- tion from their respective districts. We welcome Dr Karen Sherman and Dr Cliff Peck to the board this year. Drs David Blount and Lyndon Tate are key leaders for the Legislative Ac- tion Team, and our lobbyists from the Phillips Management System, Bradley and Bill Phillips are key individuals that ensure state legisla- tive actions are for the promotion of our veterinary livelihoods. They are on the forefront at the capital and we greatly need and appreciate their diligence. Dr Weinstein, with the Dept of Health, is our key subject matter expert in the public health
area. We truly appreciate her pas- sion and expertise in Public Health! Drs Tim Woody and David Blount are our American Vet Med Associa- tion representatives. Their experi- ence and leadership within the AVMA is vital to our representation on the national level. We also have veterinarians like our Veterinarian of the Year, Dr Doug Leach of Fayette- ville, that promotes and exemplifies our profession. Congratulations and well deserved, Dr Leach! What a team! There are so many others within our association and Board that do so much for our association, we thank you!
We enjoyed a great Winter Meeting in Hot Springs in Febru- ary! We had a great turn out and fantastic support from our sponsors in the industry. This meeting was not possible without support from companies like Ceva for bringing in Dr Jim Humphries. The American Heartworm Society sponsored the Heartworm University cardiology lecture series and IDEXX brought us Dr Cohen. Thanks to ALL the spon- sors. We also conducted an Equine Dental Lab this year that was a success. Thanks to the equine DVMs that endured the rain and cold and to Drs Terry Swiderski and Charles McCauley for making the wet lab and lecture series a great success.
There are a few issues on the horizon that could affect our profes- sion. The Arkansas Dept of Health has sent a letter to all veterinarians in the state outlining potential new reporting requirements for con- trolled substances dispensed from our hospitals/clinics, no report- ing necessary yet, so stay posted. (Update…see attached letter on Page 5) There are several State Bills proposals that have recently been introduced into the state legislature docket. Please remember that our lobbyist monitor and track these bills daily and are proactive in all of the legislative activity. I look for- ward to serving you.
Kate  Williams,  DVM

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