Ariola questions DOHMH on contracted veterinarian identities and oversight

Thank you, Chair, and thank you for coming to testify.

So I have a question.

I would want to go back to the vet.

Who is the contracted vet for the Department of Health?

We have multiple contracted veterinarians.

Okay, who would be one that is a large animal veterinarian, an equine veterinarian?

The veterinarians, we have other veterinarians.

The veterinarians I've been speaking about are equine veterinarians.

Do you know the names of those veterinarians?

Or the one that you use most of the time?

There are multiple veterinarians, equine veterinarians that we work with.

And do you have their names?

I would rather not provide their names here.

Why would that be?

The equine veterinarians work with us at the health department under contract, and I would prefer not to provide their names.

Is the reason why you do not want to provide their names is because they have been suspended in the past or relieved from their position at the ASPCA or have any type of history of using steroids

in horses or submitting certificates of...

Examination for horses to the department without doing those exams?

Would that be why you wouldn't want to mention their names?

I'm not aware of those, the implications that you're making.

I don't, I'm trying to protect their privacy.

This is an issue that is very important because part and parcel of why this legislation is so important is because

we're just as concerned about the health of the horses, the health and well-being of the horses, and if we have compromised veterinarians that are

checking the health of the horses before they're going out onto the street, then that is a problem.

That is why it's important that this committee, and perhaps you'd like to share those names with the chair privately so that it's not made public.

I understand.

I appreciate that.

I do want to say that the veterinarians

The veterinarians that certify the horses as fit to work are not health department veterinarians.

Those are the veterinarians that the owners engage to be the veterinarians for their own horses.

And I don't have their names, but we would be happy to communicate privately.

So then what oversight do you have over the veterinarians that the owners choose to...

To examine their horses, which could benefit them if they got a very good health report on their horse.

So the horses need to be licensed in New York State and to sign off under their license.

But again, to just remind everybody, we are here to support the intent of this bill.

Okay, thank you.

We are here to provide reasons why the intent of this bill is necessary.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember De La Rosa.