Initiative 144 and 145 'will reduce pet care in Colorado', veterinarian claims
Writing for the Denver Post, Karen McCormick, a veterinarian and state representative for House District 11, warns Coloradans about two ballot initiatives that are being circulated collecting signatures for the fall ballot. She says Initiative 144 and 145 are being driven by big corporate interests from outside of Colorado, and are being misleadingly sold to voters as a way to “increase access to veterinary care.” Initiative 144, McCormick explains, has to do with Veterinary Telehealth, “but is a danger to pets . . . 144 would dismantle that well-structured law the governor just signed and eliminate the need for a doctor to ever see your animal in person.” Meanwhile, Initiative 145, which is “also funded by outside corporate interests,” will facilitate the creation of a new animal health position called a veterinary professional associate or VPA. A VPA is “not licensed to practice medicine, has not gone through an accredited veterinary education program, has not passed a national exam, will not have sufficient liability protections, would not be able to prescribe medicines due to federal law, and will be under-trained through primarily an online master’s program,” McCormick warns.
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