High Desert Veterinary

Fond Farewell to Dr B:

It is with a profound sense of loss that I bid my friend and colleague, Jeannette Barkhurst a fond farewell from HDV. For the past 13 years she has dedicated her considerable skills and compassion to our patients, clients and practice. In so many ways, she has upheld the highest standards of the veterinary profession, and has greatly contributed to the success and good reputation HDV enjoys in the Central Oregon community. We are diminished by her loss.
It has been an agonizing decision to return HDV to a one-doctor practice, but given our acute shortage of support staff, an inescapable conclusion. We have been struggling the past year and a half to meet the increasing demands and caseload that COVID and the growing population of Central Oregon has imposed upon us. A change in our practice model needed to happen, and happen quickly, to prevent loss of support staff from stress and burn-out as a result of short staffing from the recent attrition, family leave and sick leave losses. We hope to rebuild our staff as soon as possible to accommodate expanded office hours, but this has proven very challenging over the past three years, rendering a predictable timeline impossible.
Dr B has, characteristically and with our blessing, extended the very generous offer of availability for those who wish to consult on cases she has managed. We thank her for this and will accommodate any support she requests of us.
Dr Bridie O’Connor, who has provided relief coverage for both HDV providers over the past three years, will continue to do so.
We greatly appreciate all that Dr B has done for the HDV team, clients and patients; she will be greatly missed. We wish her nothing but the best in all future endeavors, and know her success is inevitable.

Anthony Oddo DVM, MA