Neither blizzards nor campus closings stop the animal hospital

Feb.14 was an ordinary day at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA): Ten emergency visits, 62 patients, a thoroughbred horse giving birth. All this went on while a snowstorm closed the rest of the university at 12:30 p.m.

Cornell's small and large animal clinics operate 24-7, 365 days a year. There is no such thing as a snow emergency. While about half the hospital's staff were unable to get to work or had to take care of children at home, all students, interns and faculty were on hand to tend to their patients.

One man brought his dog from Binghamton for chemotherapy, said Bonnie Voiland, CUHA's assistant dean for hospital operations. Anticipating a day's wait, the man booked two nights at the Best Western, which allows animals and has a shuttle to the hospital.

A thoroughbred horse gave birth to a male foal the staff named Valentino in honor of the day, said Voiland. It's unclear if the owners will go with the moniker, but hospital staffers hope so.

On any given day over the course of three shifts, the hospital has a full complement of 135 staff, 80 students -- and 55 doctors, including interns, residents and faculty -- all year long.

"During a storm students, staff and faculty pull together, double up on shifts and sleep on couches if need be," Voiland said. "Surgeries go on, MRIs are conducted, and patient care remains priority number one. Every department at the hospital is cranking -- and the building and grounds crew also get into the picture, plowing out the admitting areas so horse trailers and client cars can get in and out."

Media Contact

Media Relations Office