The WVMA board is currently advertising for a new Executive Director.  Please submit a cover letter and resume for providing these services to info@wyvma.org by October 18, 2024 for full consideration.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position: Executive Director

Employment Type: Contractor, 15-20 hours per week (varies based on events)

Location: Wyoming resident preferred (remote home office with infrequent state and national travel)

Compensation: Starting at $25,000 (salary negotiable)

Travel:

• WVMA Winter Meeting: 2.5 days always in Casper, WY in early December
• December 5 – 7, 2024 (Casper, WY)
  
  
• AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference: 3 - 4 days always in Chicago, IL in early January
• o    January 9 -12, 2025 (Chicago, IL)
  
  
• WVMA Summer Meeting:  3 - 4 days in various Wyoming cities across the state in late June
• o    June 22 – 24, 2025 (Dubois, WY)
  
  
• AVMA Conference: 3 – 4 days in various cities across the US
• o    July 17 - 19, 2025 (Washington, DC)
  
  

Transition timeline:

October/November through December – Work with current director to transition duties

ABOUT US:

The Wyoming Veterinary Medical Association is a 501(c)(6) organization whose mission is to promote the health and welfare of animals in Wyoming; to provide continuing education for Wyoming veterinarians and surrounding states and to serve as a voice for Wyoming veterinarians in matters of public issues.

The Wyoming Veterinary Medical Association is seeking a dedicated and experienced executive manager to oversee our organization’s management services. This position requires outstanding organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple deadlines.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

As an independent contractor, this is the sole staff member of the organization and will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the association, including daily operations, conference planning, website and social media content and updates, financial management, board management, government relations, and membership management. The ideal candidate will be a highly organized, self-motivated manager with a proven track record of large event facilitation.

This position averages 15-20 hours per week but varies throughout the year based on events.

RESPONSIBILITES:

Operations:

• Provide and maintain office including equipment and space.
• Respond to phone calls and emails.
• Establish mailing address and/or maintain PO Box.
• File annual report with the Wyoming Secretary of State.
• Maintain insurance policies.

Conference Planning:

• Full event management for annual WVMA Summer Meeting and WVMA Winter Meeting including venue/lodging identification and contracts, speaker management, creating all marketing and registration materials, webpage creation and online registration management, vendor/sponsor registration and exhibit hall management, onsite facilitation, special guest coordination, post-conference follow up, etc.
  
  
• Summer Meeting: Plan and facilitate (1) board meeting, (1) membership meeting, (1) reception, 2.5 day exhibit hall, regulatory education/certifications, and (1) live auction/fundraiser in addition to two full tracks of continuing education (total of 28 hrs. of CE).
  
  
• Winter Meeting: Plan and facilitate (1) board meeting, virtual conference option, regulatory education/certifications, and 12 hrs. of CE.

Technology:

·         Website updates and content creation
·         Online event registration creation and management
·         Online membership database
·         Social media management (Facebook and YouTube)
·         Newsletter creation and distribution
·         Online banking and bookkeeping
·         Zoom meeting facilitation

Membership Management:

·         Maintain membership database using Wild Apricot Association Management Software.
·         Create and process annual membership renewals with the assistance of a printing company.
·         Update online membership renewal options.
·         Create and distribute annual membership meeting agenda. Record and publish annual membership meeting minutes.

Finances:

·         Bookkeeping using QuickBooks (or similar software) including monthly reconciliation and bill payments.
·         Develop, track, and maintain annual board-approved budget.
·         Create and distribute financial reports for board meetings.
·         Create and distribute financial reports for the annual membership meeting.
·         Work with accountant to prepare tax return.

Board Management:

·         Create and distribute board meeting agendas and reports.
·         Record minutes of board meetings, both in-person (2x/year) and virtual (as needed).
·         Work closely with leadership to plan conferences

Government Relations:

·         Serve as liaison between WVMA lobbyist and WVMA Board of Directors
·         Understand legislative process
·         Manage PAC finances
·         Work with state and federal organizations
·         Work with AVMA advocacy team

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

·         Previous association management experience, familiarity with veterinary medicine a plus.
·         Proven track record of successful large event planning and execution (100 + people).
·         Highly proficient in Microsoft Office, including Publisher, Excel, and Word and familiarity with Adobe Acrobat.
·         Experience with website management and online event/membership management.
·         Financial management experience including budget development and bookkeeping.
·         Experience working with a Board of Directors.
·         Experience in government relations a bonus.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

·         Bachelor's degree or higher preferred.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

·         Highly responsive and communicative
·         Highly organized and attentive to details
·         Able to handle multiple tasks and prioritize deadlines efficiently
·         Ability to work individually on own initiative and as part of a team

WORKING CONDITIONS:

·         Ability to answer phone calls and respond to emails within standard business hours
·         Facilitate occasional virtual evening meetings
·         Ability to work on weekends and for long days onsite during events

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties, but it aims to highlight the typical main responsibilities of the post.

Please submit a cover letter and resume for providing these services to info@wyvma.org by October 18, 2024 for full consideration.

From DEA - https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/docs/MATE_Training_Letter_Final.pdf

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/docs/MATE_training.html

From AVMA -Published on July 13, 2023

A new opioid-related training requirement for DEA-registered practitioners does not apply to veterinarians, despite appearing as a required checkbox on the DEA’s online registration application, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials. 

Veterinarians who are registering or renewing their DEA registration should simply check the box on the DEA application, in order to continue on in the registration process, the DEA has advised the AVMA.

The requirement—to complete a one-time, eight-hour training on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders—took effect June 27 and applies to all DEA-registered prescribers except veterinarians. Veterinarians were specifically exempted in the federal law that created the requirement, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.

However, because veterinarians and other medical professionals use the same DEA registration form, veterinarians registering or renewing their registration must check a box on the application that affirms they’ve “read and understood” the information about the training requirement, as shown here:

If you have questions, email the AVMA’s advocacy team.

WYOMING LIVESTOCK BOARD Animal Health

Emergency Movement Due to Wildfires in Wyoming and Montana

If you are making an emergency movement of animals into Wyoming as a result of wildfires in Montana or Wyoming, please complete the movement to ensure the safety of animals, note the circumstances and call back between the hours of 8-5 Monday through Friday. We will work with you to ensure you have everything you need for animal movement. Please call 307-777-7515. If you are a veterinarian and need an import permit, use your veterinary license number as the temporary import permit number. Then call back between the hours of 8-5 Monday through Friday and obtain the permanent import permit number. Wyoming Livestock Board 307-777-7515 For movements into Montana please call 406-444-2976.

Starting August 1, 2024, all dogs entering or re-entering the U.S. must meet new requirements to protect the country from reintroduction of dog-mediated rabies virus variant (DMRVV or canine rabies), regardless of the planned duration of stay or the country of origin. In adopting these regulations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aligned U.S. importation requirements for dogs with the importation requirements of other countries free of canine rabies by requiring proof of rabies vaccination and adequate serologic test results (titer) from a CDC-approved laboratory. 

View AVMA's FAQs for veterinarians: https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/mcm_cdc-faq-flyer-digital-2024.pdf

June 2024 Newsletter

Stay informed about quality, online trainings from CDC, other federal agencies, and federally funded partners. Share this email with your colleagues and encourage them to sign up for the newsletter!

Diagnose and Treat Lyme Disease

CDC estimates that about 500,000 people are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease in the United States each year. Learn how to recognize, diagnose, and treat Lyme disease. Earn free CE.

Take Lyme Disease Training

Emergency Preparedness for CHWs

Emergency preparedness saves lives. Discover how community health workers (CHWs) can prepare for emergencies by understanding the needs of people at higher risk during a disaster, collaborating with others, and creating a disaster communication plan.

Take Emergency Preparedness Training

Safety in Healthcare Settings

Healthcare workers are at an increased risk of workplace hazards. Learn how to identify workplace hazards, prevent workplace injury and illness, and describe an effective safety culture. Earn free CE.

Take Safety Culture Training

Additional Trainings & Resources

Applied Epidemiology Competencies (AECs) toolkit. The toolkit provides resources for health department supervisors and individuals to assess applied epidemiology knowledge, skills and abilities across the AEC domains or competency areas. It can also be used to identify areas of professional development; inform performance reviews and training plans; and ultimately aid in recruitment, retention, and career growth.  Bird Flu Materials. CDC’s avian influenza A(H5N1) (bird flu) materials are available to assist partners in communicating about the ongoing, multistate outbreak. This digital toolkit includes precautions for people with occupational or recreational exposure to infected or possibly infected animals (poultry, dairy cows, and other animals in the United States), and what to do if you develop symptoms. Use the toolkit for sample social media, print materials, and web assets. Healthcare Access for People with Disabilities. Learn about health and healthcare disparities associated with disabilities, the health needs of people with disabilities, and how to accommodate them with this training. Earn free CE.

Notes: Activities that offer continuing education (CE) from CDC are moving from TCEO to CDC TRAIN throughout 2024. If you do not already have a CDC TRAIN account, please create one. You will be able to access your previous CE records in TCEO through the end of 2025.

WVMA Summer Meeting

June 9 - 11, 2024

Holiday Inn 

1701 Sheridan Ave

Cody, WY 82414

• Meeting includes 3 hrs. of controlled substance CE.
• Veterinarians, both members and non-members, and veterinary technicians are welcome to attend!

View the full program HERE.
Register HERE.

Situation Update: 

• HPAI is an emerging disease in dairy cattle.
• USDA has confirmed the detection of HPAI in dairy herds in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, and New Mexico. A presumptive positive test from an Idaho herd is pending confirmatory results. 
• CDC has reported that one person in Texas who had exposure to dairy cattle has tested positive for HPAI.

Guidance Document:

The USDA, CDC, and FDA have compiled recommendations for HPAI in livestock for state animal health officials, veterinarians, and producers. 

The document covers the following topics:

• Biosecurity
• Monitoring for sick animals
• Movement of cattle 
• Worker safety
• Safety of raw milk and raw products for human consumption from exposed cows 
• Safety of feeding waste milk to animals 
• Disposal of waste milk

The guidance document, a frequently-asked-questions infosheet, testing recommendations, and the latest press release have been added to the USDA website at the link below. 

USDA Webpage: HPAI Detections in Livestock

OFFICE CONTACT:
Wyoming Livestock Board
1934 Wyott Drive
Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-7515

WASHINGTON, March 29, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state veterinary and public health officials, are continuing to investigate an illness among dairy cows that is causing decreased lactation, low appetite, and other symptoms.

On Monday, March 25, the agencies confirmed the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in two dairy herds in Texas and two dairy herds in Kansas that had cattle exhibiting these symptoms.   

USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) has now also confirmed the presence of HPAI in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cows from Texas. Presumptive positive test results have also been received for additional herds in New Mexico, Idaho, Ohio and Texas; USDA will share updates if those tests are confirmed positive by NVSL. Federal and state agencies continue to conduct additional testing in swabs from sick animals and in unpasteurized clinical milk samples from sick animals, as well as viral genome sequencing, to assess whether HPAI or another unrelated illness may be underlying any symptoms

The NVSL has also confirmed that the strain of the virus found in Michigan is very similar to the strain confirmed in Texas and Kansas that appears to have been introduced by wild birds (H5N1, Eurasian lineage goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b).  Initial testing has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans. While cases among humans in direct contact with infected animals are possible, this indicates that the current risk to the public remains low.

Spread of symptoms among the Michigan herd also indicates that HPAI transmission between cattle cannot be ruled out; USDA and partners continue to monitor this closely and have advised veterinarians and producers to practice good biosecurity, test animals before necessary movements, minimize animal movements, and isolate sick cattle from the herd. Among the dairies whose herds are exhibiting symptoms, the affected animals have recovered after isolation with little to no associated mortality reported. 

There continues to be no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply because products are pasteurized before entering the market, or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health. Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human consumption; milk from impacted animals is being diverted or destroyed so that it does not enter the human food supply. In addition, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. Pasteurization is required for any milk entering interstate commerce for human consumption. FDA’s longstanding position is that unpasteurized, raw milk can harbor dangerous microorganisms that can pose serious health risks to consumers, and FDA is reminding consumers of the risks associated with raw milk consumption in light of the HPAI detections.

Because of the limited information available about the transmission of HPAI in raw milk, the FDA recommends that industry does not manufacture or sell raw milk or raw/unpasteurized milk cheese products made with milk from cows showing symptoms of illness, including those infected with avian influenza or exposed to those infected with avian influenza.  At this time, the FDA is not aware that any milk or food product from symptomatic cows is entering interstate commerce.  Furthermore, if milk from cows showing symptoms of illness, including those infected with avian influenza or exposed to those infected with avian influenza is intended to be used to feed calves, FDA strongly encourages that it be heat treated to kill harmful bacteria or viruses, such as influenza, before calf feeding. Food safety information from FDA, including information about the sale and consumption of raw milk, can be found here. 

Milk loss resulting from symptomatic cattle to date is too limited to have a major impact on supply and there should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products. Further, the U.S. typically has a more than sufficient milk supply in the spring months due to seasonally higher production.

Federal agencies are also working with state and industry partners to encourage farmers and veterinarians to report cattle illnesses quickly so that we can monitor potential additional cases and minimize the impact and risk to farmers, farmworkers, consumers and other animals. Producers are urged to work with their veterinarian to report cattle illnesses quickly and practice enhanced biosecurity measures. More information on biosecurity measures can be found here. 

Further information on milk safety:

FDA - Questions and Answers Regarding Milk Safety During HPAI Outbreaks

Wyoming Producers:

• If any cattle on your operation are showing clinical signs (decreased milk production, loss of appetite, thickened/colostrum-like milk, change in manure consistency, low-grade fever) contact your veterinarian.
• Practice enhanced biosecurity when coming and going from your farm and when traveling between farms. 
• Limit movements of cattle on and off farm, especially lactating cows, and isolate any introduced cattle. 
• Pasteurize milk products being fed to calves if possible.
• Limit cattle exposure to wild birds and wild bird feces.
• Biosecurity is key! Please see links to muliple resources for enhanced biosecurity below. 

*Beef producers - WLSB has not been notified of any clinical signs in beef cattle in the US; please monitor cows and calves for clinical signs and limit exposure to wild waterfowl.*

Wyoming Veterinarians:

• Report cattle with clinical signs to WLSB at (307) 840-1389. 
• Please contact WLSB for guidance on sample collection and submission if warranted. Samples will not be processed without contacting us first. 

Biosecurity Resources:

CFSPH - Isolation, Cleaning, and Equipment Biosecurity Tips

Enhanced Biosecurity Guide

USDA - Prevent Avian Influenza on Your Farm

         *Wild migratory birds believed to be source of infection; viral testing and epidemiologic efforts continue

               *Commercial milk supply remains safe due to both federal animal health            requirements and pasteurization

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state veterinary and public health officials, are investigating an illness among primarily older dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico that is causing decreased lactation, low appetite, and other symptoms.

As of Monday, March 25, unpasteurized, clinical samples of milk from sick cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas, as well as an oropharyngeal swab from another dairy in Texas, have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Additional testing was initiated on Friday, March 22, and over the weekend because farms have also reported finding deceased wild birds on their properties. Based on findings from Texas, the detections appear to have been introduced by wild birds. Initial testing by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans, which would indicate that the current risk to the public remains low.

Federal and state agencies are moving quickly to conduct additional testing for HPAI, as well as viral genome sequencing, so that we can better understand the situation, including characterization of the HPAI strain or strains associated with these detections.

At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health. Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human consumption; milk from impacted animals is being diverted or destroyed so that it does not enter the food supply. In addition, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. Pasteurization is required for any milk entering interstate commerce.

Federal agencies are also working with state and industry partners to encourage farmers and veterinarians to report cattle illnesses quickly so that we can monitor potential additional cases and minimize the impact to farmers, consumers and other animals. For the dairies whose herds are exhibiting symptoms, on average about ten percent of each affected herd appears to be impacted, with little to no associated mortality reported among the animals. Milk loss resulting from symptomatic cattle to date is too limited to have a major impact on supply and there should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products.

This is a rapidly evolving situation, and USDA and federal and state partners will continue to share additional updates as soon as information becomes available. More information on biosecurity measures can be found here.

The Wyoming Livestock Board asks that veterinarians and producers notify our office if they are concerned about these signs in dairy or beef cattle. Please contact our office at 307-840-1389 or lsbforms-applications@wyo.gov with any questions or concerns. 

VMLRP Opportunities in Wyoming Applications Open Now! WLSB has nominated 8 shortage areas for 2024. Veterinarians servicing these areas can apply for Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) grants. To be eligible, the applicant must serve all counties in the shortage area AND meet shortage type requirements. See the map AND shortage area IDs here: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/vmlrp-map?state=129. VMLRP Application Technical Assistance USDA-NIFA staff held a VMLRP technical assistance webinar which reviewed details about the VMLRP application components and application submission. The recording and slides can be accessed via the link below. VMLRP Webinar Recording and Slides Reminder! Letter of Intent (LOI) deadline is April 1, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET Application deadline is April 12, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET Please refer to the 2024 VMLRP Request for Applications (RFA) for specific application instructions. Email application questions to VMLRP.applications@usda.gov    Free Application Assistance is Available USDA-NIFA has a cooperative agreement with LifeSock Inc. who are available to provide up to two hours of 1:1 application support for VMLRP applicants. This service is free. To request this service please email nifaprogramshelp@lifestock.org. Please contact WLSB-Animal Health with any questions at 307.777.7515.