The Northern Producer Animal Health Network (NPAHN) is researching information about the Veterinary Assistance Program (VAP). This program was established in 1945 to support the livestock industry in northern and remote areas of Ontario, by encouraging veterinarians to establish their business to provide veterinary services to those livestock owners.
The program is administrated by three stakeholders – the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines representing government(MENDM); the designated area contract veterinarian(DAVA) who deliver the health care program and Northern Producer Animal Health Network(NPAHN) who represent the large animal owners, the program users.
As a stakeholder in this program, NPAHN has selected stakeholder representatives to seek their opinions on how the program is meeting their large animal health care needs currently.
We have engaged the Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) of Guelph to conduct a 30 to 40-minute telephone interview with these selected program users.
We believe that we have to plan for the future, therefore during the interviews, we hope that there may be suggestions on how to adjust the Veterinary Assistance Program to keep it current ten years into the future.
We are looking forward to the report from ROI that will help the three stakeholders improve the program currently and make plans for the future needs of large animal health care in the northern and remote area of Ontario.
Gord Mitchell
NPAHN Executive Secretary