Emergency vet clinic in Scott City closes; lack of personnel cited

The only 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic in the Cape Girardeau area, the Animal Emergency Center in Scott City, has closed, but it wasn't for lack of anything other than veterinary help, said owner Steve Williams.

Williams, a veterinarian who owns four Animal Health Center veterinary-clinic facilities in addition to the emergency center, said the emergency center opened in 2009 with a vision of providing after-hours care and emergency services for pets.

For several years, the clinic was moving along well, but in the last two years, it was a struggle to staff shifts every weeknight and all weekend long, he said.

In November, the clinic discontinued weeknight operations, staying open only Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, plus holidays, Williams said.

Over Memorial Day weekend, the other veterinarian who worked at the clinic gave notice.

One concern is veterinary medicine does not have nurse practitioners, he said. A licensed veterinarian is required to diagnose issues, prescribe and administer treatments.

Recruitment of new veterinarians is tough in rural areas as well, Williams said, because salaries aren't as competitive in Cape Girardeau as they would be in Kansas City or St. Louis, and veterinary school is expensive.

Williams said he received no applicants on his last job posting, even offering a $10,000 signing bonus, which he said typically isn't done in veterinary medicine.

"I advertised locally, regionally, at schools that touch Missouri borders, looking for people wanting to come to Missouri," Williams said, but applicants typically would rather stay in a bigger market.

"For our patients, it's unfortunate," Williams said.

Scheduling was the main concern, however, Williams said.

"It's been a tough deal," he said. "I've subsidized this thing from the beginning; it never made money."

It's not about the money, Williams said, but there is a lack of veterinary support.

"I've got four other locations, six veterinarians running them. We're having to fill 24 shifts each month, and there have been 10 to 12 openings I haven't been able to fill," Williams said.

Two of those Animal Health Center locations are in Sikeston, Missouri, one is in Charleston, Missouri, and the other is in Dexter, Missouri, Williams said.

"Honestly, we've had really good support," Williams said. "We've been in business eight years; it's been a challenge in the past two to find full-time help. Maybe this is the writing on the wall."

Williams said he cannot fill all of the shifts by himself on top of his 60 to 70 hours a week at his practice in Sikeston. He's tried to sell, but he said corporations aren't interested unless the clinic is making at least $1 million and can supplement the income by referring their own clients.

"I'd be more than happy to rent the facility to someone else if they wanted to take up the baton, or sell," Williams said. "If it's an owner operator and their only job, not like me with a 70-hour week, it would be very successful and make a good career."

Williams said emergency medicine is emerging as a new specialty in the discipline, but recruitment to Southeast Missouri is difficult.

Moving forward, Williams said, it's important for pet owners to establish regular care with a veterinarian.

The nearest emergency center to Cape Girardeau is Lakeside Veterinary Hospital in Carbondale, Illinois, adding there are 24-hour care facilities in St. Louis and Memphis, Tennessee, as well, Williams said.

Williams said the upshot is "it wasn't for lack of funding or support from the community. There's a lack of veterinary help, and there is a shortage of veterinary medicine here, and I don't know what to do about it, is my problem. I would hire at least one or two veterinarians today if they were here."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

3257 E. Outer Rd., Scott City, Mo.

2001 Sweets Dr., Carbondale, Ill.

508 N. Main St., Sikeston, Mo.