Florida lawmakers in the 2024 Legislative Session have an opportunity to pass two bills that would increase access to veterinary care in the Sunshine state.
The Veterinary Workforce Innovation Act (SB 1038/HB 1245), which would create a veterinary professional associate position, and The Providing Equity in Telemedicine Services Act (HB 849/SB 1040) that would update Florida law so that veterinarians like me can use telehealth effectively to treat more animal patients.
I’m grateful to Polk County Rep. Sam Killebrew, R-Winter Haven, who is one of the bill sponsors, along with Sen. Jen Bradley, R-Fleming Island, for filing this important and timely legislation.
As a semi-retired veterinarian and part-time spay/neuter surgeon with the Humane Society of Polk County, I see firsthand how many pet owners struggle to access veterinary care, especially during the ongoing critical workforce shortage of veterinarians. Many of the pets that I spay or neuter have never seen a veterinarian, and because of the veterinarian shortage, there is a serious backlog of spay/neuter surgeries across Florida.