SB 2798 will be heard on Monday February 7, 2022 at 1pm by the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment via videoconference. Please submit written testimony in support of this bill which will amend Chapter 471, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to better define the practice and parameters of veterinary medicine and veterinary telemedicine to protect Hawaii consumers and their pets from inadequate, improper, or unlicensed veterinary care. In addition, to address the current shortage of licensed veterinarians in Hawaii, this bill will also provide for the temporary permitting of out-of-state veterinarians and ensure international veterinary school graduates of both AVMA Council on Education and AAVSB approved programs are able to qualify for licensure examination in Hawaii. For more background on this bill, see this post.
Category: HVMA Updates
Meet a Board Member – Atiya Hakeem
Assistant to the Exec VP
Atiya Hakeem received her PhD from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Until 2015 she was a neuroscientist at Caltech studying primate vision and social cognition in humans, apes, elephants, and cetaceans. In 2016 she moved back to Honolulu and has worked in various capacities at the Honolulu Zoo as an animal keeper and veterinary assistant until joining the HVMA as Assistant to the Executive VP in 2021.
Legislative Update 2022
The Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association (HVMA) seeks to amend Chapter 471, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to better define the practice and parameters of veterinary medicine and veterinary telemedicine to protect consumers and their pets from inadequate, improper, or unlicensed veterinary care. Further, because there is a shortage of licensed veterinarians in Hawaii, HVMA is proposing to provide for the temporary permitting of out-of-state veterinarians and providing for international veterinary school graduates to qualify for licensure examination in Hawaii.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions brought about consumer demand for telehealth in the field of veterinary medicine. Telemedicine has allowed consumers more access to veterinary services for their pets, particularly in areas where access to veterinary care is limited. However, HVMA is aware that the use of telemedicine may also be abused without an established veterinary-client-patient relationship. Without actual physical examination of a pet, veterinary services rendered through telemedicine alone can be inadequate and below the standard of veterinary care. The addition of telehealth definitions and the telemedicine section will help to clarify the practice of veterinary telemedicine and assist the Hawaii Board of Veterinary Medicine in ensuring consumers in Hawaii receive proper and licensed veterinary telemedicine services.
Additionally, the pandemic highlighted the shortage of veterinarians available to provide specialty and routine veterinary care for Hawaii’s people and their pets. At times, veterinary emergency hospitals were unable to operate 24/7 and surgeon schedules were completely booked for months due to the inability to fill these staffing shortages by temporary permit. In one specific case, there was a veterinary surgeon within the state that could have assisted during this period, but due to her international veterinary school degree, was unable to sit for Hawaii’s state licensing exam due to a technicality in the administrative rules. These amendments are critically important to prevent such veterinary care shortages in the future, and ensure that all qualified veterinarians are allowed to sit for the Hawaii state licensing exam.
This bill has currently been introduced to the House (HB 1598) by Representatives Johanson, Hashem, and Nishimoto; and into the Senate (SB 2798) by Senators Lee, Gabbard, Keith-Agaran, Misalucha, Acasio, Ihara, and San Buenaventura . Please take the time to thank them for their support, and write your local representative to ask for theirs!
Letter from the President – January 2022
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
HVMA Scholarship Announcement
Applications for the HVMA scholarship for current veterinary students from Hawaii are being accepted. Students must be enrolled full-time in an AVMA-accredited doctoral program of veterinary medicine and have graduated from a high school in Hawaii. Please share with any students you are mentoring!
All submissions due by 3/31/2022.
Application details here.
Legislative Update
The HVMA Legislative Committee is working on a few proposals to update Hawaii’s Veterinary Practice Law (HRS 471). These proposals include definitions and guidelines surrounding telemedicine, visiting veterinarians, and informed consent. Have another proposal? Let us know.
Mahalo for the PPE
Mahalo to HI-EMA for their donation of PPE to veterinary clinics around the state. Oahu’s distribution was held August 28-29th and was a success due to the generosity and hard work of many HVMA members. Thank you to everyone who donated their time and energy, especially Jamie Furutani, Mililani Mauka Veterinary Clinic, and Waipio Pet Clinic. We could not have done it without you!
We are working to coordinate similar smaller distributions on the neighbor islands. Please contact us if you are on a neighbor island and want to help.
Member Engagement Survey
Thank you for your HVMA membership! Please take our membership engagement survey and let us know how you want to hear from us and how we can best serve you.
HVMA 2021 Scholarship Awards
Congratulations to our two HVMA scholarship recipients for 2021!
Threnody Brown Earley-Clark is a 4th year student at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK. She was a part of the pre-vet club at UH Manoa and volunteered at the Animal Clinic of Honolulu and the Honolulu Zoo.
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Tyler Primavera is a WICHE scholarship recipient and 4th year student at Oregon State University. While exploring the veterinary field in Hawaii, Tyler volunteered at the Hawaiian Humane Society and worked at Kailua Animal Clinic and as a livestock inspector with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.
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We look forward to welcoming them back to Hawaii and our local veterinary community.
In Remembrance – Eric Jayne
Eric Jayne, DVM, worked with Cat Friends, Molokai Humane Society, and the Hawaiian Humane Society, served as the Hawaii HSVMA representative, and was due back in the islands later this summer. He was with his partner Sally visiting their dear friend, Dr. Lori Gossard, in North Dakota when a semi truck hit their car from behind. Eric was killed instantly. He was a great man, an adoring husband, and doting father. He was tireless and committed to improving human and animal lives. His impact was felt by many, and will continue to be.
Sally plans to keep their non-profit, Sovereign Nations Veterinary, fully running and contributing back to the indigenous communities they serve. A celebration of life service for Eric was held in Des Moines, and a prayer vigil in his memory at the Rosebud Sioux Tribe reservation. His family started a go-fund-me page to help continue his work at https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-honor-of-dr-eric-jayne.
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