Pulse - September 2021 - 26

UC DAVIS UPDATE
State Funding to Increase Several
UC Davis Initiatives
Rob Warren, UC Davis VMTH Communications & Marketing Officer
T
he UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
has responded to several wildfires over the
past six years, helping thousands of animals in
the process. Now thanks to new state funding programs,
the school will administer a unified effort to
help animals during disasters throughout the state of
California. Additionally, other programs at the veterinary
school have received new funding to increase
the scope of their efforts as well.
Helping Animal in Disasters
Called the California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET)
and administered by the veterinary school, the new emergency
program to help rescue animals in disasters will support
and train a network of government agencies, individuals,
and organizations to aid domestic animals and livestock during
emergencies.
The state is providing $3 million a year for CVET, under
legislation authored by Sen. Steve Glazer and incorporated
into the state budget recently signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The program will be modeled after the UC Davis-led Oiled
Wildlife Care Network, created in 1994 to mobilize volunteers
and professionals to rescue and treat shorebirds and other
wildlife that are injured during oil spills. CVET will bring
together state and county agencies and organizations charged
with emergency response to help them organize, train, and
adopt best practices.
A primary goal of CVET is to increase response capacity
and help standardize disaster response across counties, bringing
together disparate and fragmented groups. Currently, the
California Animal Response Emergency System within the
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is
charged with managing evacuation and care of animals during
emergencies. They also work with community animal
response teams and nonprofit organizations.
CVET would be available to mobilize response to disasters
anywhere in California, operating under a memorandum
of understanding with the CDFA and the Office of
Emergency Services. Between disasters, the team would
recruit, train, and drill volunteers, conduct research, and
train veterinarians and veterinary students on best practices
in shelter and emergency medicine.
Additional Shelter Medicine Support
Meanwhile, another UC Davis veterinary program received
substantial funding to increase its footprint throughout California.
Gov. Newsom signed budget legislation that includes
$45 million in one-time support for a statewide Animal
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SEPTEMBER 2021
PULSE
UC Davis veterinarians care for a horse during LNU Lightning Complex Fire.
Shelter Assistance Program. The program will be administered
by the school's Koret Shelter Medicine Program. The increase
will be used to fund grants and outreach for the state's animal
shelters over a period of five years.
The funding increase reflects the governor's commitment
to providing resources that can help communities realize the
state's long-held policy that " no adoptable or treatable animal
should be euthanized. "
Newsom tapped the Koret Shelter Medicine Program to set
up a grant process, create and distribute educational materials,
and perform in-person consultations to help achieve the goals
of the policy. He cited the program's reputation for leadership
in the field of shelter medicine and long history of working
with California shelters.
Mosquito Control and Public Health
Finally, additional funding has been secured from the state
for the Vectorborne Disease Surveillance System. Known as
VectorSurv, the program was formed as a partnership of the
Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California, representing
more than 60 local mosquito and vector control
agencies in California; the California Department of Public
Health; and the Davis Arbovirus Research and Training Laboratory
at the veterinary school. Mosquito control and public
health agencies can utilize VectorSurv to manage and analyze
surveillance and control data related to invasive mosquitoes
and arboviruses, including West Nile virus and St. Louis
encephalitis virus. P
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