After many weeks of planning, design and construction, the Wildlife Hospital at Billingsley Road completed comprehensive renovations this spring in every treatment and storage space within the lower level complex.
It has been the first extensive renovation of the space in at least 20 years of use, according to Dusty Lombardi, executive director of Ohio Wildlife Center.
“The Wildlife Hospital serves the community with free patient care for injured, ill, orphaned and displaced wildlife with a 7-day on-duty schedule,” Lombardi said. “We were fortunate that the project was able to be completed before the COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions were put into place,” she said.
“With human and animal safety and improved efficiency as a priority, the hospital was in urgent need of improvements and renovation of its exam room and isolation ward,” she noted. “After more than 20 years and 111,336 patients, the floors, walls and wooden cabinets needed upgrades to meet current veterinary hygiene, safety, and treatment standards,” she added.
Renovation Meets New Energy Efficiency, Health and Safety Standards For Patients and Staff
The two priority areas for renovation were the exam room and the isolation ward, but the final project included new flooring throughout the entire hospital, new energy efficient LED lighting systems, repainted rooms and hallways and revised storage areas. The exam room is the hub of the hospital where all incoming patients are triaged and critical patients and those requiring incubators are kept in view of the veterinary technicians on duty.
The isolation/flight ward houses large patients still receiving medical treatment, or patients with infectious diseases. Examples of species using this room include Bald Eagles, owls, herons, fox, swans and bats. This ward is essential to provide space for the patients to move freely within the room outside of a cage, as they recover their flight, movement, and muscle function.
This ward is used for animals that are not ready to leave the hospital for the Pre-Release Facility because medication and feeding protocols still require continual management by veterinary staff, Lombardi said. They do require access to a larger space to recover natural behaviors. The variety of species that the ward accommodates, from raptors to mammals, also required newer materials that are protective, but can sustain rigorous use by both footed and flighted wildlife.
Final phase utility improvements to the spaces included the installation of stainless steel countertops in the exam room, installation of FRP fiberglass reinforced panels to walls and backsplash areas, impermeable flooring, and professional veterinary grade exam tables. The old drywall in the walls and tile floors of the exam room and isolation ward were damaged by 20 years of constant exposure to medical procedures, wildlife occupants and care and feeding protocols for sick and injured animals.
The entire renovation project was made possible through grant funding from the All Life Foundation and the Barbara and Bill Bonner Family Foundation.
According to Lombardi, one additional improvement planned is a small on-site lab at the hospital and adding in-house laboratory and testing equipment.
“With the addition of a lab workstation, veterinary staff can conduct on-site testing so that we can obtain a faster diagnosis and develop more rapid treatment plans for the animals,” Lombardi explained. “This will ultimately achieve a cost savings for the hospital to reduce off-site testing for the thousands of animals now assessed every year,” she added. In 2019, more than 6,400 patients were brought to the Wildlife Hospital for treatment, the highest patient count in its 35-year history.
“We are grateful for the foundation funds to complete this project, as well as the special assistance provided by Midmark Corporation to design and quickly install the specialized exam room materials we needed for this space,” Lombardi said.