With more Ohioans requesting help from the Wildlife Hospital as pandemic restrictions continue into 2021, the hospital is streamlining the outdoor patient intake process it implemented last year.
With the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns and safety precautions in early 2020, the Wildlife Hospital pivoted to accepting all patients outside the hospital building at 2661 Billingsley Road. Interactions with animal presenters were limited to exchanges in the parking lot through car windows with staff ferrying the animals into the hospital. On-site volunteers at the hospital were furloughed last spring to comply with social distancing needs and safety requirements.
According to Ohio Wildlife Center Executive Director Dusty Lombardi, the system protected staff and ensured timely care of the wildlife patients. “We anticipate another year of high numbers, having assessed 8,105 wildlife patients in 2020,” she said. “It is likely to be another record-setting year in a span of four consecutive record setting years.”
One metric remains consistent for the hospital – upwards of 90 percent of the animals are brought to the hospital by private citizens. “It makes interactions with presenters an important priority so that it is efficient and safe within the outdoor space limitations we have,” Lombardi noted.
When the hospital was relocated in 1991 to the basement of the Animal Care Unlimited building owned by the late Dr. Burton, the intake procedures set-up at that time were designed for fewer animals and visitors. Data was manually collected, assembled and transcribed by staff and volunteers. A comprehensive patient documentation and care database was acquired in 2013 which is being used today.
Fast forward to 2021, where the challenge of accepting animals from the public had to be moved into a pandemic, low contact process in the parking lot of the Wildlife Hospital. The public could not be permitted inside the building and no volunteers could assist. During the 2020 busy season from April to August, a typical day could see hundreds of cars and people bringing animals to the hospital for care.
Through grant funding from the Montei Foundation, improvements are being deployed this spring to the Wildlife Hospital intake system that include an outdoor admissions station within a tented area, more seasonal staff to assist with intake, and improved technology and WiFi connections to help with automating documentation.
“These measures are key steps in managing patient intakes, ensuring the safety of staff and presenters, and decreasing stress for the animals,“ Lombardi said. “Our goal is to improve the experience and make it more streamlined and efficient for everyone.” Lombardi expects the outdoor protocols will continue through 2021. “We are grateful to the foundation for assisting in much needed improvements during these challenging times,” she added.