New Designs in Animal Hospitals

Modern veterinary hospitals are often equipped with every piece of state-of-the-art equipment that you might recognize in your own hospital. There are more multi-doctor veterinary hospitals than ever before as veterinarians group together in one facility. As a result, hospitals are bigger and better than ever.

Every year, there is a hospital design that receives attention and an award. This year, it is the VCA Arroyo Animal Hospital in Lake Forest that received the 2005 Hospital Design of the Year Award from Veterinary Economics magazine.

VCA Arroyo earned top honors in the magazine's national Hospital Design Competition for exemplifying the next generation of veterinary hospitals with its bold and innovative architectural statement. The 7,850 square-foot facility provides the finest in veterinary care, including an extensive range of health care services, state-of-the-art exam rooms, and boarding, grooming and retail services, all in an environment created to ensure pets and their owners have a pleasant and comfortable experience.

The hospital's reception area (pictured) offers clients a welcoming and professional environment that reflects VCA's reputation of providing exceptional veterinary care for companion animals. Recognizing excellence in veterinary hospital design, the national competition honored VCA Arroyo as the grand prize recipient for its innovative and outstanding architectural features. Designed by Richard Rauh of Rauhaus Architects, VCA Arroyo Animal Hospital exemplifies the next generation of veterinary hospitals.

"We are deeply honored that our facility has been recognized as one of the premier examples of excellence in hospital design," said David A. Gordon, medical director for VCA Arroyo Animal Hospital. "Our commitment to provide a comfortable, safe and pleasant professional environment for the care of our patients is a top priority and we are pleased to be acknowledged for our leadership," he added.

"The Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition recognizes exceptional veterinary facilities that improve pet owners' experiences at the hospital, support top quality pet care, maximize practice efficiency and emphasize comfortable working conditions for veterinarians and veterinary team members," said Marnette Denell Falley, editor for Veterinary Economics. "These award-winning facilities set the standard for cutting-edge hospital design," she added.

For the past 40 years, the annual competition has given veterinary hospitals the opportunity to showcase their success and inspire other veterinarians. A prestigious group of competition judges considered a number of features when rating the entries, especially those that attract clients and bolster client service efforts. Design elements considered included site plan, outpatient and inpatient arenas, the quality of finish materials, mechanical, plumbing and electrical features, as well as overall construction and design. Special attention was paid to curbside appeal and reception areas, as both help to welcome pets and their owners to a facility.

"At Rauhaus Architects, our goal is to be the leader in providing innovative design solutions for veterinary hospitals of the future, and we are proud to share in this honor with VCA Arroyo," said Architect Richard M. Rauh, AIA. "Having an in-depth understanding of the special needs of veterinarians allows us to design an animal hospital that thoughtfully reflects a user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing and forward thinking working environment," he added.

VCA Arroyo was recognized for its bold architectural statement. By combining unique design elements with state-of-the-art exam rooms, the hospital has continuously ensured pets and their owners a comfortable experience, whether visiting the hospital for surgery or for routine veterinary care. As the overall winner, VCA Arroyo is featured as the cover story in the March 2005 issue of the magazine, as well as highlighted in an online virtual tour at HospitalDesign.net.

VCA Arroyo Animal Hospital, a 7,850 square-foot facility located at 1 South Pointe Drive in Lake Forest, California, is a premier provider of veterinary care, offering an extensive range of health care services, as well as boarding, grooming and retail services.

Rauhaus Architects, a firm specializing in architecture, land planning and urban design is a leading provider of innovative, progressive design solutions for veterinary hospitals. Rauhaus Architects has been nationally recognized for the quality of its services. Over the last 16 years, Principal Architect Richard Rauh, AIA, has been the recipient of numerous awards, including two "Hospital of the Year" awards by Veterinary Economics magazine.

VCA Antech, Inc. (Nasdaq: WOOF), operates the largest network of freestanding, full-service animal hospitals across the country and employs more than 1,200 qualified veterinarians at 325 animal hospitals. Offering a full range of general medical and surgical services for companion animals, as well as specialized treatments including advanced diagnostic services, VCA Animal Hospitals is dedicated to the provision of compassionate and comprehensive veterinary care. VCA also operates the largest network of veterinary-exclusive clinical laboratories in the nation, performing more than 60,000 daily diagnostic tests. Antech Diagnostics is dedicated to providing clients with the finest in laboratory medicine, offering daily service to more than 14,000 animal hospitals, zoos, biotechnology firms, governmental agencies, and specialty practices throughout the United States.