Telehealth bill aims to increase rural access to vet care
When Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista, needed critical care for a dog which developed spine issues, it resulted in a six-hour round trip drive to a veterinarian in Colorado Springs.
“We have been known as a home for wayward Pomeranians,” said Martinez, presenting a telehealth veterinarian care bill Monday to the Colorado House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee.
He recalled every two to three weeks transporting the dog from the San Luis Valley to Colorado Springs for treatment.
“I was able to make the drive, but a lot of people can’t,” Martinez said.
House Bill 24-1048, which Martinez sponsored with Rep. Karen McCormick, D-Longmont, would aim to make veterinary care more accessible to those living in similar outlying areas of the state, with limited veteri...