UF receives approval for small animal hospital expansion

July 31, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine officials are moving forward with plans to build a new Veterinary Education and Clinical Research Center, a $58 million facility that will include a major expansion of UF’s small animal hospital.

Officials anticipate hiring an architect for the 90,000-square-foot facility by fall, with groundbreaking likely to occur in September 2008.

At the end of their regular session in May, state legislators approved capital outlay dollars and state matching funds to supplement what the college raised in private donations, giving the project the green light.

“A new small animal hospital has been a dream of the college for many years, and much work went into the campaign to obtain private support, as well as to gain high priority for this project within the university,” said Glen Hoffsis, D.V.M., the college’s dean.

The original hospital opened in 1978 and has not undergone major renovation in 25 years.

The new hospital will likely be a three-story building located immediately north of the existing small animal hospital, located at 2015 S.W. 16th Ave. The building will triple the existing hospital square footage and will occupy nearly all of the present small animal patient parking area, officials said. The new facility’s location adjacent to the existing hospital will ensure seamless operations in all hospital functions.

Hospital client access and patient examination rooms all will be housed on the first floor. Separate waiting areas will be designed for dogs and cats. Nearby will be an intensive care unit and separate spaces for satellite digital radiography and ultrasonography, and for the hospital pharmacy.

The second floor will house a surgical operating suite, anesthesia preparation, monitoring and recovery areas, a rehabilitation/physical therapy suite, an endoscopy suite and a laundry area, as well as showers and lockers for veterinary staff. The third floor will mostly consist of faculty offices and meeting rooms.

Hoffsis credited his predecessor, former college Dean Joseph A. DiPietro, D.V.M., for his “relentless work culminating in the success I am announcing today.”

“The case for the need for the hospital was compelling, and this resulted in more than $4 million in private gifts,” Hoffsis said.

In addition, the college was able to obtain a 100 percent state match for the private gifts raised through a program known as the Alec P. Courtelis Capital Facilities Matching Trust Fund. This means that in addition to the appropriated $49 million, more than $8 million was added to the project, for a total of $58 million.

Hoffis said the cost of construction is “astronomical,” and while initial funding hurdles have been cleared with recent legislative approvals, needs for equipment and programmatic expansion continue.

“We are offering naming opportunities and gifts will continue to be matched, so that contributions will be leveraged significantly,” he said.

UF’s College of Veterinary Medicine graduated its first class in 1980 and now boasts 2,080 alumni and 209 recipients of master of science or Ph.D. degrees.