It’s official! We own the property at 1601 North Belt West in Belleville. The location is somewhat central, at the Belleville/Swansea border. We’re right off of 17th St/ Sullivan Dr. as well as Route 161. We passed all of our inspections, and are waiting on the flooring installation. Kinda stinks because we can’t do anything else until we have a floor to put it on!
There is a side room we can work out of until the rest of the building is ready. Hope to have that up and ready first week of January.
So what’s the story with having a building? What will change, what will stay the same?
House calls will stay the same. I love doing house calls, and I will keep that as my primary offering. Yet, when an animal needs x-rays, or an ultrasound performed by a specialist, we have in the past been sending those pets to clinics we have a relationship with. Having the building means we can do those things ourselves, offering greater continuity of care. Our new x-ray machine is computerized, not old-fashioned films, so we can easily email the images to specialists for their interpretation, if desired. We just can’t have it delivered until we have flooring to put it on…
Another need for the building – the demand for acupuncture and laser is high. Many of these clients have other vets they typically see, and are used to traveling to a vet clinic. By offering acupuncture appointments in the clinic, I can treat more patients, meet that need, and leave more time for house calls. Additionally, patients for acupuncture come from all over, and the sheer distance makes house calls for them not feasible.
Because I love house calls, I am creating a clinic that re-creates the house call feel, but in a vet clinic. For people who live far away, and we have to charge a bit more for travel, or for people whose pets LOVE the car, whatever the reason…there is a demand for a peaceful, non-stressful veterinary clinic. Our building will have couches, chairs, and NO exam tables. We’ve even researched the most calming color for the walls, the type of lighting, and the correct texture of floor. Every detail to make the place calming, inviting, and comfortable, we are trying to address. Ours will be the first and only clinic of its kind in the St. Louis area.
Finally, it’s nice to have a place you can pick up medications, drop off fecal samples, whatever. Starting out, we’ll only be there a couple half-days a week, so dropping by unannounced will likely be disappointing.
