VCA Honored with Corporate Excellence Award by Western University of Health Sciences
Award presented to VCA at A Tribute to Caring gala fundraiser
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#specialtyhospital–VCA Inc., the largest family of animal care providers nationwide, was
presented with the Western University of Health Sciences Corporate
Excellence Award in Health Care at the school’s annual gala fundraiser,
“A Tribute to Caring.” Held earlier this month in Anaheim, California,
the event attracted nearly 700 guests and raised more than $400,000 to
benefit university scholarships.
WesternU honored longtime friend and partner, VCA, with the award, which
was accepted by VCA co-founders Robert Antin and his brother, Chief
Operating Officer, Arthur J. Antin.
The Antin brothers and Neil Tauber, who is now senior vice president,
started VCA around the time WesternU Founding President Philip
Pumerantz, PhD was exploring the possibility of opening of a veterinary
college.
VCA supported Dr. Pumerantz as he opened the College of Veterinary
Medicine, and contributed to the One Health concept, which is the
integrative effort of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally,
and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the
environment.
“The role of veterinarians in public health, as well as medicine, has
gained in significance, going beyond the diseases that affect both
animals and man,” said WesternU Senior Vice President Thomas G. Fox,
PhD. “The concept of One Health and its public health significance
contributes to and mandates a healthy environment, healthy animals and
healthy people. Robert has always had VCA in the forefront of efforts to
improve the understanding of the importance of One Health.”
“We are deeply honored to receive this award and have shared a lot of
memories and many experiences together – like how hard it is to start
something and build an incredible culture at the same time,” Robert
Antin said. “It’s not the buildings we remember. It’s the people. It’s
the careers. It’s the opportunity that people have, and even though it’s
tough to build something, we feel very proud of our accomplishments and
our lives will continue to be intertwined.”
WesternU College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) alumna Jaimie Siegel, DVM
’07, grew up with Antin as a neighbor. She babysat his children and,
when he found out she wanted to become a veterinarian, he helped her get
a job at age 16 as a kennel assistant at a VCA hospital. That early
experience helped her gain a realistic view of her future profession.
Siegel continued to work for VCA while attending WesternU and completed
an emergency critical care and surgery internship at VCA after earning
her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. She worked at VCA for nine
years before starting her own concierge practice in Hermosa Beach.
“VCA is very accepting of who you are as a person. They think about the
individual more than a lot of other companies,” Siegel said. “I’m a
supporter of the company – the work they do, their mission statement.
VCA is about individualism. It’s about the individual client and the
individual animal.”
Every CVM student takes the Diagnostic, Laboratory and Pathology course
at VCA’s Antech Diagnostics Laboratory in Orange County, and many VCA
practices provide training opportunities to CVM students.
VCA is one of the many clinical partners in the community that supports
WesternU by providing students the opportunity to work extensively with
animals alongside veterinarians in the local area. After completing the
four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, students are well
prepared to enter a rewarding career caring for animals as veterinarians.
About Western University of Health Sciences
Western University of Health Sciences (www.westernu.edu),
located in Pomona, Calif. and Lebanon, Ore., is an independent nonprofit
health professions university, conferring degrees in biomedical
sciences, dental medicine, health sciences, medical sciences, nursing,
optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician
assistant studies, podiatric medicine and veterinary medicine. WesternU
is home to the Patient
Care Center, where the best in collaborative health care services is
offered. The Chronicle of Higher Education named WesternU a Great
College to Work For in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
About VCA
VCA (WOOF on NASDAQ) is a leading provider of pet health care services
in the country delivered through over 650 small animal veterinary
hospitals in the US and Canada, a preeminent nationwide clinical
laboratory system that services all 50 states and Canada (Antech
Diagnostics), the leading animal diagnostic imaging company in the
market (Sound), and Camp Bow Wow (CBW), the nation’s Premier Doggy Day
and Overnight Camp® franchise, an Inc. 5000 company.
VCA Animal Hospitals operates more than 650 small animal veterinary
hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. The hospitals are staffed by more than
3,500 fully qualified, dedicated and compassionate veterinarians to give
pets the very best in medical care, of which over 400 are
board-certified specialists who are experts in areas such as Oncology,
Cardiology, Emergency & Critical Care, and Surgery for animals. VCA
Animal Hospitals provides a full range of general practice services to
keep pets well and specialized treatments when pets are ill. For more
information, please visit www.VCAhospitals.com
or follow on Twitter @vcapethealth.
Contacts
Agnes Huff Communications
Agnes Huff, PhD
(310) 641-2525
ahuff@ahuffgroup.com
