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Issue: Winter 2024
This newsletter is published quarterly. Please direct any questions or comments to Becky Link, Director of Community Relations, at blink@pinecreekah.com. For more information, visit our website or follow our locations on social media.
Dear Valued Clients and Friends of Pine Creek,
Welcome to the first edition of our quarterly newsletter! As the name implies, we hope to provide some interesting information, helpful advice, and a patient story or two, as part of on-going initiatives to uphold our commitments to our clients, our patients, and our community.
This past year has been one of tremendous growth and exciting “firsts.” In April, we celebrated the grand opening of our new state-of-the-art Lancaster practice, a milestone that has allowed us to better serve the growing needs of our expanding community. And we’re not stopping there! We’re thrilled to announce plans for upcoming renovations to our Gap practice, which will include increasing the number of exam rooms from five to seven and optimizing our surgical and dental suites for increased efficiency and comfort.
But our dedication to excellence goes beyond bricks and mortar. As you may have noticed, we’ve also welcomed a number of highly skilled professionals to our already amazing team. Their expertise and dedication further strengthen our ability to deliver the top-notch veterinary care you’ve come to expect from Pine Creek Animal Hospital.
Regardless of species and size, we’re here to provide your furry, scaly, and feathered friends with the same compassion and attention we’d give our own pets. Your trust in us means the world, and we’re ready to exceed your expectations at every visit.
Warmly,
Ashley Tuma, DVM
Owner, Pine Creek Animal Hospital
We’ve got exciting updates for you, our beloved clients!
Staying true to our mission statement of “…offering contemporary technology for the ease of our workflow, communication, and record keeping”, we’ve implemented a number of systems and processes over the last couple of months.
Have you gotten a text from us with an odd url to watch a video? It’s not spam, we promise! It’s an integrated system that sends clients short videos based on key words or phrases from your recent appointment. For example, if Fluffy received vaccines at their appointment today, you may get a text message for a video about vaccine reactions. If you scheduled Fido for a surgery or dental procedure, you may get a video about what happens during that procedure.
Have you tried to schedule an appointment on our website? We’re using a form of artificial intelligence (AI) which offers you appointment types based on your pet’s needs while keeping your doctor preference in mind.
Have you been asked if it’s ok to record you during the appointment? Our vets and techs are now able to easily transfer large amounts of information into the various parts of the appointment notes, thereby saving valuable vet/tech time and ensuring accuracy.
Have you wondered when your furry, scaly, or feathered friend is due for their next vaccine? We’ve got an app for that! You can download the app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play, but pay attention to the name as the app is location-specific. The app is designed to help you effortlessly schedule appointments, send us instant messages, easily order food and prescription refills, and keep track of your loyalty paw print points. (*Speaking of which, new Pine Creek swag is coming soon! Don’t know about the paw prints? Ask the CSR’s the next time you’re in the office!) You can even upload your pet selfies and enter them into the monthly “Favorite Pet” contest! Congrats to the November Selfie Winners – Lemmy (Lancaster) and Angel (Gap)! Vote for your favorites by simply tapping on the heart.
We have also created a Collective Code of Conduct, effective immediately, to help establish what you can expect from us and what we can expect from you. If you have any questions about it, please reach out to your primary location’s Practice Manager. You can find the document on our newly updated website.
Gap Team Members:
Lancaster Team Members:
Directors:
While much of the weather has stayed fair this Fall, Jack Frost is bound to come sooner or later. Be prepared for the cold temperatures with some helpful tips from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
One of the goals of this newsletter is to offer more information about “Brandie’s Hope”. For those of you who don’t know, Brandie Kasper was a beloved Pine Creek technician (Gap) who, along with her brother Lenny, passed away suddenly in 2021 from a motor vehicle accident. Brandie loved helping animals and was passionate about both client and team member education. A foundation was created in her memory to set aside monies for pet owners in need. These funds help offset some of the costs associated with emergency/life-saving procedures, treatments, and medications Pine Creek clients incur on behalf of their pets.
We fundraise throughout the year with various special events, online auctions, and month-long promotions. So far this year, we have supported 19 clients facing financial hardships as a result of their pet’s emergency situation. And the year isn’t over just yet, as we’re participating in Christmas Tree Lane at Clipper Magazine Stadium. You get to vote online for our decorated tree; each vote costs $2 and 100% goes directly to Brandie’s Hope! See below for link.
Donations can also be made online. Simply visit https://veterinarycarefoundation.org/veterinary-practice-donation/ then Select ‘Pennsylvania’, then ‘Pine Creek Animal Hospital-Brandie’s Hope (Gap)’. You can also make your donation to honor or memorialize a loved one – human or animal. This makes a great holiday gift, especially for people who may be hard to shop for or tell you they don’t want anything. Your gift today helps pet owners tomorrow.
We will be asking our team random seasonal questions for each newsletter. Some questions will require more descriptive answers, while others will be responses to a simple poll. Either way, enjoy getting to know our fun team!
What is your #1 favorite Christmas/holiday cookie?
What’s your favorite #1 Christmas/holiday movie?
We decorated a tree again this year to raise money for Brandie’s Hope. How can you help?
Join us for photos with Santa; vaccinated and well-mannered critters of all species, shapes, and sizes are welcome to attend.
Abby, one of our assistants at Lancaster, is spunky and always laughing (while making others laugh, too). She keeps the mood of the treatment area light-hearted for her team members. Audrey, another assistant at Lancaster, is a walking library of information as she is like a sponge and will absorb any and all knowledge. Together, they make “The Random Knowledge Duo” (their title), and the authors of your quarterly fun facts!
Believe it or not, the Macy’s Parade is the second largest consumer of helium, trailing only the U.S. government! What started as the “Macy’s Christmas Parade” in 1924 was renamed the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade just a few years later. Early parades even featured “Balloon Races” where released balloons could be returned for a cash prize! These races ended in 1932 after a near-disaster involving an airplane and a runaway balloon. Today’s giant balloons require a team of over 90 strong handlers (each weighing at least 120 lbs!) and the ropes used to control them are called “bones”.
You might be surprised to learn that bears don’t truly hibernate! Instead, they enter a state called “torpor,” a lighter form of deep sleep lasting 2-7 months. While hibernation in smaller animals (like chipmunks) involves drastically reduced heart rate and body temperature, torpor allows bears to conserve energy without such extreme changes. They may stir occasionally, but don’t need to eat, drink, or even go to the bathroom for months! It’s just another amazing way animals adapt to survive harsh winters. (And speaking of hibernating chipmunks, would you believe that their heart rate drops from 250 bpm to 4 bpm???!)
Our family-friendly animal hospital serves dogs and cats, and helps educate their owners on how to help your “best furry friends” have a wonderful life with you!
