NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — Lafayette Veterinary Care Center in Lafayette, Louisiana has been named the 2022 AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).

The prestigious award was presented at Connexity, the association’s annual conference, which was held in Nashville, Tennessee September 15-17.

“This award is about an overall level of excellence that not only reflects the highest level of patient care, but also reflects the importance of the practice culture, community service, and team development,” said Mark Thompson DVM, CCRP, and vice president of the AAHA Board of Directors. “This practice exemplifies that high level extremely well.”

Lafayette Veterinary Care Center offers emergency services 24 hours a day, as well as wellness appointments and a resort with boarding, grooming, and daycare. LVCC has upheld its AAHA accreditation for 50 years, passing its first evaluation in 1972. Now it’s the largest veterinary practice in six parishes, with 13 doctors and 140 team members overall.

“They were the most AAHA-forward practice demonstrating their commitment to AAHA standards. What I mean by AAHA-forward is that they presented their practice, to staff and the public, with AAHA as their standard of excellence. They demonstrated a rare level of community service, and a practice culture that should be admired,” Thompson said.

Lafayette Veterinary Care Center shined when it came to creating a healthy workplace culture by implementing strategies to turn the tide of burnout and community involvement by participating in year-round charitable and community engagement activities.

Award finalists included:

• Stack Veterinary Hospital, Syracuse, New York
• Four Seasons Veterinary Specialists, Loveland, Colorado
• MedVet-New Orleans, Metairie, Louisiana

The AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year (APOY) award recognizes outstanding achievements in workplace culture, patient care, client engagement, and community involvement among AAHA-accredited practices. The awards committee evaluates each finalist on its most recent AAHA accreditation score, the practice’s mission and vision, team composition, CE and training programs, community service activities, and more.

###

About AAHA Since 1933, the American Animal Hospital Association has been the only organization to accredit veterinary hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada based on standards directly correlated to high-quality medicine and compassionate care. Accreditation in veterinary medicine is voluntary. The AAHA-accredited logo is the best way to know if a practice has been evaluated by a third party. For more information: aaha.org.