Category: From the President

Letter from the President – May 2023

Jenee Odani, DVM, DACVP
HVMA President

Happy Spring everyone!

We are thrilled to be able to bring the HVMA’s Hawaii Pet Expo back this year, May 6-7th at the Blaisdell Center. Thank you to everyone who showed up and volunteered your time.  This public event is a valuable opportunity for us (as Hawaii veterinarians) to provide quality animal care & health information and promote the good work that all of us do.

With the Covid-19 pandemic receding, and we adjust to the “new normal” we must remain vigilant as there are continual threats from other emerging diseases, such as African Swine Fever and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Hawaii remains free from the H5N1 avian influenza virus, but we must remain vigilant in reporting cases of unusual mortalities in wild or domestic birds. Spillover of the virus into mammalian species is concerning and something to continue to monitor.

As always, please reach out to contact@hawaiivetmed.org with any feedback, questions, or suggestions.

With much aloha,
Jenee Odani, DVM, DACVP
HVMA President

Letter from the President – January 2023

Jenee Odani, DVM, DACVP
HVMA President

Aloha Everyone! Hau‵oli Makahiki Hou!

Firstly, let me start by saying how excited and honored I am to be serving as your HVMA president. Together with the amazing individuals comprising our hard-working board, I hope to help guide our organization through the next two years as we adapt to the “new normal” after nearly three years.

Our 69th annual conference was held in-person this year, and it was a wonderful time for our veterinary community to come together in the spirit of learning and growing.

As a veterinary medical organization, HVMA strives to continue to grow and adapt to the needs of our members. Over the next few months, we will monitor the state legislative session, review applications for the HVMA scholarship, and grow our mentorship program for recent graduates. If you are interested in participating, please let us know! New volunteers are always welcomed!

Jenee Odani, DVM, DACVP
HVMA President

Letter from the President – October 2022

Alfred Mina, DVM
HVMA President

Aloha Everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well and ready for Fall and the Holiday Season because it’s coming up shortly. We are so excited to have the upcoming in-person HVMA Annual meeting scheduled for November 2022. We are planning on having great speakers from different disciplines to share their knowledge with us, and wet labs for our veterinarians and support staff. It seems like we’re still facing professional staffing shortages in the islands, causing limited services to the communities in certain areas. Hopefully the rest of 2022 gets better as we continue to stay healthy, vigilantly safe, and happy.

Thank you to those who continue to support HVMA. A lot of this is done through membership dues. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, please feel free to do so here.

Please don’t forget to check in on our online CE provided by HVMA. Let us know if there’s any specific topics that we can investigate for future presentations. Please continue to stay safe and hope to see you all soon!

Aloha from Big Island,
Alfred J. Mina, DVM
HVMA President

Letter from the President – April 2022

Alfred Mina, DVM
HVMA President

Happy Easter Everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well and adjusting to the new COVID-19 Pandemic lifting of the mask mandate. Do what is best for your situation to keep you and your staff safe.

The HVMA board is continually preparing for the upcoming in-person HVMA Annual meeting scheduled for November 2022. We are planning on having great speakers from different disciplines to share their knowledge with all of us.

It seems like we’re still facing professional staffing shortages in the islands. Many of us have been affected by the pandemic, causing staff shortage and supply chain issues. Hopefully, the rest of 2022 gets better as we continue to stay healthy, vigilantly safe, and happy.

Thank you to those who continue to support HVMA. A lot of this is done through membership dues. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, please feel free to renew here.

Please don’t forget to check in on our online CE provided by HVMA. Let us know if there’s any specific topics that we can investigate for future presentations. Please continue to stay safe and hope to see you all soon!

Aloha from Big Island,
Alfred J. Mina, DVM
HVMA President

Letter from the President – January 2022

Alfred Mina, DVM
HVMA President

Happy New Year Everyone!

As the COVID -19 Pandemic continues through 2022, we’ve learned how to adapt to providing veterinary care to the communities in Hawaii.  However, many of us have been affected by the omicron variant hitting close to home, causing staff shortage and supply chain issues.  Hopefully, 2022 gets better as we continue to stay vigilantly safe, healthy, and happy.  The HVMA board will continue to meet bi-monthly this year to discuss veterinary-related issues and prepare for HVMA Annual Meeting scheduled for November 2022.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Alfred J. Mina, DVM
HVMA President

Letter from the President – October 2021

Alfred Mina, DVM
HVMA President

Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic the HVMA Executive Board continues to work on improving veterinary services in the islands. Big mahalo to those who continue to support HVMA through these trying times. A lot of this is done through membership dues.

There’s still an increasing need for veterinarians and veterinary support staff here in Hawaii. One of the biggest issues we are currently facing is the shortage of veterinarians and veterinary support staff. Many veterinary services are overwhelmed by the high demand, putting major strain on veterinarians and support staff.

We are asking the community for compassion and patience as we are all doing our best through this difficult time. If you know of any veterinarians or veterinary support staff that are considering relocating to Hawaii feel free to contact the HVMA for support.

Please join us for the HVMA Virtual Hui 2021 – Annual Business Meeting on Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 12:15PM (Hawaii). It will be open to all HVMA members and interested veterinarians.

If you haven’t renewed your membership or joined HVMA yet, please consider doing so here. Also, don’t forget to check in on our online CE provided by HVMA. Please let us know if there’s any specific topics that we can look into for future presentations.

It is still hurricane season, so be prepared and make sure you have a natural disaster kit, including food and medical supplies, for your pets. Please continue to stay safe through 2021 and hope to see you all soon!

Sincerely,
Alfred J. Mina, DVM

Letter from the President – July 2021

Alfred Mina, DVM
HVMA President

We are half way through 2021.  The HVMA Executive Board continues to work on improving veterinary services in the islands. There is still an increasing need for veterinary specialists as well as general practitioners, and we look forward to working with DVMs from the class of 2021 and others that want to relocate to Hawai’i . If you know of any new graduates from Hawai’i or those thinking of relocating here feel free to contact the HVMA for support.

Thank you to those who continue to support HVMA.  A lot of this is done through membership dues. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, please feel free to follow the link.

Please don’t forget to check in on our online CE provided by HVMA.  Let us know if there are any specific topics that we can look into for future presentations.

It is hurricane season, so be prepared and make sure you have a natural disaster kit, including food and medical supplies, for your pets.

Please continue to stay safe with the Covid Delta variant during this pandemic and hope to see you all soon!

Sincerely,
Alfred J. Mina, DVM

Letter from the President – April 2021

Alfred Mina, DVM
HVMA President

The HVMA Executive Board continues to work on improving veterinary services in the islands. There has been an increasing need for veterinary specialists as well as general practitioners, and we look forward to working with soon-to-be-DVMs from the class of 2021. If you know of any students from Hawai’i or those thinking of relocating here, feel free to contact the HVMA for support.

Thank you to those who continue to support HVMA. A lot of this is done through membership dues and volunteer effort. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, please feel free to do so here. Please continue to stay safe during this pandemic and hope to see you all soon!

Sincerely,
Alfred J. Mina, DVM

Letter from the President – January 2021

Alfred Mina, DVM
HVMA President

Happy New Year HVMA Members!

My name is Alfred J. Mina.  I was born on Kauai and raised on the Big Island.  I’m a graduate of Washington State University and have been practicing in Hilo, Hawaii since graduation for the past 20 years.  I’m the owner Maika’i Veterinary Clinic, LLC, in Hilo, Hawaii, providing small animal, avian/exotics medicine on the East side of Big Island.  I’ve been volunteering on the HVMA Executive Board since 2010, serving as a Hawaii Delegate and President-Elect.  I look forward to serving you as HVMA President for the next two years. 

2020 was a year of many challenges and changes, and Covid-19 really had an impact on how we provided veterinary care for our clients and patients, and how we interacted as a veterinary community.  Our Annual Conference in November 2020 was virtual, so we were not able to meet in person. 

The HVMA Executive Board will continue to work hard through this trying time to provide support for HVMA members and veterinary community, as well as the people and animals of Hawaii, keeping you informed on topics of importance to veterinary medicine and coming up with continuing education opportunities.

Please consider renewing your membership.  The HVMA Executive Board will still be working hard throughout the year on your behalf and your dues will help keep this organization going through these trying times.  Please stay safe.

Aloha from Big Island,

Alfred J. Mina, DVM
President, Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association

Letter from the President – Nov 2020

Aleisha Swartz, DVM
HVMA President

I write this with a bit of sadness knowing we are missing our usual opportunity  to see friends and colleagues at the annual meeting. This year has brought challenges like no other in our lifetimes and our connection to one another has helped us all adapt and find ways to continue our very important work. I hope you can all join us at our virtual meeting Saturday 11/14, and that we can resume in person gatherings in the not too distant future. 

The HVMA Executive Board continues to advocate for members and the animals and people of Hawaii. We have continued our meetings virtually and uninterrupted during this time. Your membership dues are essential in maintaining our ability to continue as an organization so please renew if you have not already done so. 

Our involvement as a supporting agency to the state and counties during emergencies has also continued. As flights outside the state were reduced in March the opportunities for adoption placement outside the state became extremely limited. Shelters across Hawaii have relied on out of state transport for adoption placement when local opportunities are exhausted. The lack of flights put our local shelters at risk of being beyond their capacity and reducing their ability to help other animals in need.  Greater Good Charities responded to a request for assistance to transport pets to the continental US. They have coordinated an unprecedented flight of dogs and cats to animal welfare organizations in the pacific northwest. Many of the pets have adoptive homes already before they even land! This is an effort we have supported closely working with HI-EMA, GGC, Wings of Rescue and shelters from Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii Island. This has also provided the opportunity for further disaster planning, collaboration and training for the state, our association and local animal welfare organizations.

It has been an honor to serve as the HVMA President the last two years and I will continue to support the association as I move on to the role of Past President. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything the HVMA can do to support your work as veterinarians in Hawaii.

Aloha,
Aleisha Swartz