Veterinary Teaching Hospital Expansion and Renovation

The expansion will increase the facility's capacity for internal medicine, cardiology, theriogenology, community practice, and emergency services, while modernizing clinical, instructional, and support spaces throughout the building. That includes updated space for student learning rounds, faculty and staff work areas, and the flow of cases through the hospital's busiest departments. 

The development of specialists has become a greater emphasis in veterinary education, and the new facility will allow more space for specialties and the students pursuing those studies.

“This project will have a great impact on, first of all, student learning in the teaching hospital,” Givens said. “This project will improve the education of students because it will provide specifically designed space for students to interact with the cases, creating a learning environment for them to not only to interact with the animals that they're seeing, but also to interact with the faculty member or specialist so that they can learn all that they should be learning.”

The teaching hospital will gain a new more readily visible entrance area for clients and pets, improved natural lighting inside, and wellness and walking spaces for staff, clients, and pets.

While all that is being built, the hospital’s daily work of treating animal patients and educating veterinary students will continue unabated.

“At no time, will we be closing the hospital down,” Givens said. “Just like a human hospital that has ongoing construction, it's critical for the needs that are out there that we keep this hospital operating.”

There is still much planning work left on logistics between now and when the first dirt is turned in the spring.

“The planning stage we’re in now is how to keep the hospital open and running at full capacity, while still recognizing that there are going to be a lot of disruptions, especially in traffic flow,” LeRoith said. “The biggest question is how are we going to get people into the hospital in an efficient manner. We have a lot of patients that come through. Right now we have a relatively big waiting room that does get full. We're going to have a smaller one in the next part of the process.”

Roanoke-based construction manager Branch Builds and national architecture firm Stantec are planning the project and have committed to limiting noise and dust during construction. The project will be built in phases that allow the hospital to remain fully functional throughout construction. 

Early plans include a temporary new entrance into what is now the commons area, with part of the commons area space becoming a waiting room for clients while the remainder continues to serve as a gathering space for veterinary students and college faculty and staff. 

But don’t expect to see any major changes until after the winter holiday break. 

Fundraising is ongoing to fully support the project's $13 million philanthropic component. Opportunities still exist for contributors to sponsor spaces within the hospital. 

“This is a huge project,” Givens said. “We want to thank all of those that are helping this project become a reality, and we want to thank those who are currently considering helping with this project to improve the lives of dogs and cats and people here in Southwest Virginia and the entire region.”