How Wilmington's only 24/7 emergency vet hospital plans to handle overwhelming demand
The former N2 Publishing building, located at 5051 New Centre Drive, has new owners.
According to Gary Walker, director of Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral, the building was purchased by Clarity Ventures Group, a sister company of Montecito Medical. Once the interior renovations are complete, the building will house Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral, which is currently located at 50 Greenville Ave.
Here are four things to know.
When will the new facility open?
No date was provided, but renovations have started.
Why is the new facility needed?
In an email, Walker explained that Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral is Wilmington’s only 24/7 Emergency and Specialty Hospital with 100 front line staff and 17 doctors.
“Wilmington is a booming community, and as more pet owners are moving into town, the demand has outgrown our current space,” he said.
Last year, the hospital saw more than 20,000 patients, and so far, it’s trending to see more than 23,000 in 2023.
“By doubling our space to 32,000 square feet, we believe we will be better suited to manage the flow of emergency cases and improve the ICU patient experience by having separate Canine and Feline ICU spaces,” Walker said.
He noted the New Centre Drive facility will be centrally located to better serve patients across the Wilmington area.
More on empty buildings: Empty no more? Here's what could be in store for 7 vacant downtown Wilmington spaces
What services will be offered at the new facility?
The new office will continue to offer 24/7 emergency services and specialty surgical services for the management of complicated soft tissue, orthopedic and neurological disorders.
“We just announced the arrival of two new doctors, specializing in Internal Medicine and the other Critical Care,” he said.
The veterinarian specializing in internal medicine will focus on diagnostics related to infectious diseases, immune system disorders, and complicated diseases. The critical care specialist will manage cases in the facility’s intensive care unit and serve as a resource for doctors as they set treatment plans for patients.
The practice’s rehabilitation program, Carolina Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Group and the facility’s veterinary social worker, who provides bereavement services to those who have suffered the loss of a pet, will both move to the new location.
Walker said the practice plans to continue its partnership with Carolina Veterinary Mobile Radiology, which will have space at the new location, and it is still in conversation with Animal Eye Care Associates, which operates at the current location, to determine the best strategy to provide ophthalmology services to patients.
They are recruiting for additional specialists in the areas of neurology, oncology and cardiology, and the new clinic will have an MRI on location as part of its neurology service, which is currently not available in Wilmington and will “fill a significant void in our service territory.”
Walker said the vision for the practice includes having the full complement of specialty services, including surgery, orthopedics, internal medicine, critical care, cardiology, neurology and oncology.
“Our goal is for any pet owner experiencing traumatic injury, life limiting illnesses, or who have a pet with diminished quality of life due to illness, to be able to access world class comprehensive emergency and specialty veterinary care right here in Wilmington,” he added.
What will happen to the existing clinic?
The current hospital will transition to an urgent care center. Walker explained many of the cases that come into the clinic are for non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses.
“The presence of an urgent care center should allow for these less critical cases to be seen more quickly while expanding the capacity of our Emergency Department to fully focus on the most critical patients that have experienced significant trauma or who have life threatening illnesses,” he explained.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral in Wilmington to expand
