COTTAGE GROVE – Grovers might have noticed that some construction on Mosby Creek Road has recently come to an end, and a brand-new building now stands where Forest Valley Veterinary Clinic stood shortly before.
After about a year of construction, staff celebrated the transition from a smaller, outdated building to a newly built one with an open house last Saturday. Folks were invited to stop by 2555 Mosby Creek Rd. and learn more from 1 to 3 p.m.
The clinic grew from three to five exam rooms and added new staff due to community growth.
“We have been growing as the community gets bigger, and I feel like we needed to expand in order to serve the community better,” manager Livia Hendrickson said.
According to the hospital’s details, the locally owned building has served the medical, surgical, and dental needs of patients since 1982. Hendrickson said some veterinarians are getting ready to or have already retired, requiring the hiring of new staff members. Dr. DuWayne Penfold will be retiring after more than five decades caring for animals.
“It’s that ebb and flow of the natural way of evolving,” she said.
The bigger space was needed to better serve the community, Hendrickson said. While Forest Valley remained open during construction, the process was “colorful.”
“They were able to demolish the old building, which was hard because change is hard,” she said.
Despite the change, Hendrickson says the community has been receptive to the upgrade and appreciative of the faster service times.
During the building of the new structure, staff remained in the previous building, serving dogs, cats, and pocket pets. Once the building was ready, the equipment was transferred over. The final step was tearing down the old building to make space for a new parking lot.
The first week in the new building was challenging, but now operations are smoother with designated spaces for different functions, improving efficiency. Hendrickson said the space is better designed for veterinary medicine than the old building, and folks can be seen and helped more quickly.
“Before, we would share a break room, which was the X-ray room, or the doctors had to share the manager’s office, and that made it really difficult,” she said. “Now, there are actual break rooms and actual spaces that make veterinary medicine a lot more efficient.”
The company got more than just a new building, though, and is transitioning names from what locals remember as Forest Valley Veterinary Clinic to Forest Valley Veterinary Hospital and Urgent Care. Manager Alisha Cooper said the name change is to be similar to the company’s sister clinic, Echo Hollow Veterinary Hospital and Urgent Care.
The community is invited to an open house and retirement celebration for Dr. Penfold on Aug. 1 at 3 p.m. at the Echo Hollow hospital at 1980 Echo Hollow Road in Eugene.
