American Veterinary Medical Association Donates to Help Florida Veterinarians Recover From Hurricane Michael

SCHAUMBURG, Illinois, Oct. 31 -- The American Veterinary Medical Association issued the following news release:

As the extent of devastation from Hurricane Michael becomes clearer, and the long road to recovery becomes more evident, the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) has donated $20,000 to help veterinarians and animals recover from the storm's impact.

The $20,000 AVMF donation was presented to the Florida Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA) Foundation, with $10,000 being used for small animal care and $10,000 to provide care for horses and large animals.

"Hurricane Michael's impact on multiple counties in the Florida Panhandle can only be described as devastating," said Phil Hinkle, executive director of the FVMA. "We are grateful for the AVMF's assistance. Lending full support to the victims of Hurricane Michael is now a priority for the FVMA."

Toward that end, the FVMA Foundation has launched the Hurricane Michael Relief & Recovery Fund to accept donations to be used for relief and recovery efforts throughout Northwest Florida.

The AVMF, which serves as the charitable arm of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), has been actively involved in hurricane recovery efforts this year. The foundation recently donated $10,000 to the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation and another $10,000 to Friends of the NCVMA Foundation to provide immediate assistance to veterinarians and shelters recovering from the effects of Hurricane Florence.

The AVMF also has an ongoing disaster relief program offering grants up to $5,000 to help veterinarians and their patients recover from disasters such as Hurricanes Florence and Michael.

Veterinarian Steven Stelma of New Bern, N.C., found that Hurricane Florence was emotionally and physically devastating.

"After the storm we were the only veterinary practice within probably 50 miles that had electricity," Dr. Stelma said. "We had a flood of emergency patients, we had a flood of emergency boarding requests, and we tried to do as best we could help out as many as we could."

While Dr. Stelma's practice is back up and running, his home, which was under 8-1/2 feet of water, is uninhabitable for 4 to 6 months.

"I was not aware that the AVMF offers grants to veterinarians who have been personally affected by disasters. Even though I had flood insurance, flood insurance covers only certain number of things. My homeowners' insurance, because it was a flood, didn't help. It can be very devastating, so every little bit helps as I have several thousands of dollars in losses due to the storm," Dr. Stelma said.

The AVMF relies on the generosity of its donors to provide funds such as those recently given to veterinarians and shelters in Florida and North Carolina. To learn more about how you can donate to help veterinarians help animals, visit the AVMF website(https://www.avmf.org/forms/donate-to-avmf/).

"The AVMA and AVMF are committed to working together with state and local relief agencies to provide our colleagues and the people and animals they serve with the assistance they need," said Dr. John de Jong, AVMA president.

For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, AVMA senior media relations specialist, at 847-732-6194 (cell) or [email protected].