Dr. Kevin Roeser: Farewell Wishes

It is with great sadness that we announce the departure of Dr. Kevin Roeser from St Francis Animal Hospital. After 17 years, he was presented with an amazing opportunity to work in a practice close to his home and his barn, allowing more time with his family and his horses. We are sad to say goodbye, but are excited for him to embark on this new journey. His final day at St Francis will be December 28th; he will begin practicing at Lake Animal Hospital on January 6th. He wanted to share the following with you.

St. Francis Animal Hospital has been my rock and truly my second home for almost half my life, and it is with a heavy heart that I announce my departure at the end of 2019. I have been so fortunate to work with such a close knit staff, to treat patients of all shapes and sizes, and to establish such a wonderful sense of community with our amazing clientele. This position has given me the opportunity to see many patients throughout the varying stages of their lives, and I feel so lucky to remember the puppy behind the greying muzzle, to have watched families grow to add new members (human and animal alike), and to be on a first name basis with so many more individuals than this naturally introverted veterinarian could ever have dreamed of. I am so grateful for your kindness, patience, and trust, and I will miss you and my entire St. Francis “family” very much.

Having moved back to my childhood city of White Bear Lake/Hugo earlier this year, I will be joining the team at Lake Animal Hospital in early 2020. I look forward to being able to spend more time with my husband, dogs, and horses, and hope to find a group of pets and their owners that is even a fraction as fantastic as the Roseville community I have come to know and love.

During my time at St. Francis I have learned so much from my fellow veterinarians, and especially from my incredible mentor, Dr. Blair. It is a comfort to know that my patients will be in the very best of hands in my absence.

With my most sincere gratitude and appreciation,

Kevin Roeser, DVM

We understand the sadness that you may feel with this news. We certainly share those feelings with you. I have worked side by side with Dr. Roeser since he started cleaning kennels at St Francis in 2002. I have been honored to be his mentor and to watch him learn and grow, from a young kennel assistant to the outstanding veterinarian that he is today. He will be missed greatly.

I want to take a moment to assure each of you that St Francis will continue to provide you with the exceptional care that you have known and loved throughout the years. We have an excellent team of doctors, technicians, and assistants to carry on Dr. Roeser’s legacy. Beginning in January, I will have more appointments available on Wednesdays and Fridays at St Francis to provide a seamless transition for the care of our patients; the schedule will remain the same for each of our other doctors. All of us are here to help you throughout this transition.

If you have any questions that we can answer for you during this time, please reach out to us via email (group@stfrancisabh.com) or phone (651-645-2808).

Sincerely, Jennifer Blair, DVM, CVA, CVFT, CTPEP

Employee Spotlight: Abby Torok, CVT, Director of Dermatology Services

Each month, we will spotlight one of our team members in order of years of service at St Francis Animal Hospital.Abby Torok

Abby joined St. Francis Animal Hospital in 2014 as a Veterinary Assistant. She graduated from Globe University with her Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Veterinary Technology in December 2015 and became a Certified Veterinary Technician in April 2016.

Abby’s main professional interest is in veterinary dermatology. In addition to her work at St Francis, she has worked as a veterinary technician at McKeever Dermatology, a specialty dermatology practice. She brings her expertise back to St Francis as our Director of Dermatology Services.

She currently lives in St. Paul with her husband, Nick; daughter, Elena; and five dogs: Toto, Bella, Tweenie, Chloe, and Molly. Outside of work, she enjoys walking or biking around Como Lake, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Why do you love being a veterinary technician?

I have always loved animals from a young age and knew that I wanted to be in this field. I have grown up with dogs and cats, and to me, they were as much a part of the family as the humans.

Why do you love working at St Francis Animal Hospital?

I truly love my job and feel so fortunate to work alongside our compassionate doctors and staff. We love and care for all of your pets. They deserve the best quality care and that’s something that they will receive here at St. Francis.

Communication Platforms: Telephone and PetDesk

We look forward to launching two new communication platforms in December.

Telephone

On December 10th, we will go live with our new phone system. When you call St Francis, you will have the options to be transferred to the Animal Emergency & Referral Center; leave a message with a medication refill request; review our clinic hours, address, and contact information; enter a call queue to schedule an appointment or speak with a staff member; or leave a general voicemail. We welcome feedback from you once the new system has launched. We are hopeful that this will be a great improvement over our current telephone system.

PetDesk

We are really excited to partner with PetDesk starting on December 19th. PetDesk will provide another means of communication between St Francis and each of you. We will be utilizing PetDesk for our health service reminders, appointment confirmations, and text messaging. PetDesk will also replace ePet Health for your pet’s portal. You will have access to your pet’s medication list, vaccine history, and laboratory results. PetDesk’s easy-to-use app will make appointment requests and medication refill requests simple and convenient for you. We will also launch our first ever Loyalty Program, an app-based program that allows you to earn Healthy Points redeemable for future rewards.

We look forward to having yet another way to partner with you in your pet’s health care. We invite you to visit the PetDesk website on your mobile device to download the app so you are ready to launch with us on December 19th! https://petdesk.com/download-app-for-pet-health/ To learn more, click here to visit PetDesk’s Frequently Asked Questions. https://petdesk.com/frequently-asked-questions-faq-pet-parents/.

If you do not want to utilize any of these features, you are welcome to opt out of PetDesk at any time.

News Briefs

Controlled Substances

We are required by law to ask for identification for all controlled substances unless the individual in charge of the transaction knows you personally. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we abide by these new requirements.

Samantha Folger, CVT: Five Year Anniversary

We wanted to wish a congratulations to Samantha Folger, CVT for celebrating her Five Year Anniversary at St Francis. Happy Anniversary, Sam! We are grateful for all that you do every day!

St Francis Hours

Starting January 2nd, we will be closing at 6 pm nightly. Our regular office hours will be Monday through Friday from 8 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 8 am to 12:30 pm. We will be closed on Saturday February 22nd for the MVMA Annual Veterinary Conference.