Animal Medical Clinic Celebrates Golden Anniversary
By Space Coast Medicine & Active Living // January 16, 2014
'Our biggest goal is client service'
ABOVE VIDEO: Dr. Animal Medical Clinic’s Dr. Jeff Godwin talks about the 50th anniversary and the practice’s 10,000 square-foot facility that includes the latest in equipment and technology.
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Animal Medical Clinic celebrated it’s 50th year serving Brevard County with a day-long Open House on Sunday, Jan. 12 at their recently remodeled animal hospital at 4020 S. Babcock Street in Melbourne.
Founded in 1964 by Dr. Charles Joiner and Dr. Harold Nelson, Animal Medical Clinic became one of the most respected and best known vet offices in South Brevard County.
In the summer of 1980, Dr. Nelson passed away unexpectedly and Dr. Joiner practiced at the clinic for more than 30 years, until his retirement in the late 1990’s. He passed away a few years later.
Animal Medical Clinic is now lead by Dr. Joiner’s son, Dr. Stephen Joiner, and Dr. Jeff Godwin, who are the senior partners at the clinic that include six other vets.
“Our entire staff is knowledgeable, compassionate and well-trained,” said Dr. Joiner.
“We have a modern 10,000 square foot facility that includes the latest in equipment and technology. Our strong emphasis on quality medicine and top caliber client service has allowed us to serve the South Brevard area since 1964.”
The Animal Medical Clinic veterinary medicine team, in addition to Dr. Godwin and Dr. Joiner, includes Dr. Mike Thomson, Dr. Robert Young, Dr. Stephanie Carraway, Dr. Marcia Craig, Dr. Carrie Rodriguez and Dr. Laura McDougal.
TOP 15 PERCENT IN AMERICA
The full-service veterinary care including wellness visits, surgery, diagnostics and lab testing, dental care, acupuncture and boarding.
“We are one of only 15 percent of the veterinary hospitals in the U.S. that are accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association,” said Dr. Godwin.
“That means that we are inspected to make sure we meet rigorous quality standards in every area of the hospital.”
The full-service, American Animal Hospital Association-accredited veterinary practice and hospital underwent a major renovation that was completed late last year.
Dr. Joiner grew up around the Animal Medical Clinic and it just always seemed right to follow in his dad’s footsteps, who he credits with teaching him a lot of the technical and communication skills that he still uses today.
“I have practiced general small animal medicine and surgery for most of my career, but I currently spend most of my time in soft tissue, orthopedic, and oral surgery,” said Dr. Joiner. “I find surgery and dentistry extremely satisfying.”
“We wanted to give the clinic a facelift and create a relaxing, comfortable environment for pets and their owners,” said Dr. Godwin.
“We remodeled décor, updated the floors and walls, and made changes to make our clinic more cat-friendly. We utilize Feliway in exam rooms, which is a synthetic version of feline pheromones. It puts cats at ease and it makes visits to the vet more relaxing for felines.”
Dr. Joiner grew up around the Animal Medical Clinic and it just always seemed right to follow in his dad’s footsteps, who he credits with teaching him a lot of the technical and communication skills that he still uses today.
“I have practiced general small animal medicine and surgery for most of my career, but I currently spend most of my time in soft tissue, orthopedic, and oral surgery,” said Dr. Joiner. “I find surgery and dentistry extremely satisfying.”
50th ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE A HIT
In addition to tours, the Open House activities included refreshments, raffle giveaways and the staff gave informative demonstrations.
Dr. Rodriguez and her assistant offered a “Child-Friendly” pet exam demonstration in which children could listen to a pet’s heartbeat, and learn the difference between a sick and a healthy dog. Children also got to view mock X-rays.
Dr. Carraway led a dental cleaning demonstration in the pet hospital’s dental suite and demonstrations covered animal agility, acupuncture and ultrasound.
Local pet owners – and their pets – toured the clinic’s spacious facilities, including the pet pharmacy, the full service dental clinic, the ultrasound area and the agility field. Also present at the open house were members of the Coastal Boxer Rescue and Coastal Poodle Rescue.
“Our biggest goal is client service,” said Kelly Mitchell, the hospital’s client service manager for the last 13 years.
“We want our clients to always feel welcome and to call whenever they have a question. It’s a family here, and our pet clientele are all part of our family.”
SNAPSHOTS FROM THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CLINIC 50th ANNIVERSARY
(Space Coast Medicine & Active Living images)
