Awards and Honors
On a ledge high above the spacious waiting area of the Lloyd Animal Medical Center, stuffed kittens, puppies, bears, and a furry mongoose keep an eye on the activities below: Children of all ages delight in playing fort or reading animal books in the playroom. Although some may find the activity a bit unsettling, Drs. Ronald W. Buffman and Arthur E. Mallock revel in it. The "child-friendly" waiting area is the two owners’ favorite room in their Merit Award-winning hospital in Stoughton, Mass.
"Basically, we wanted something breathtaking and dramatic when you first walk into the hospital," Dr. Buffman says. A handpainted playhouse sitting ion the middle of their airy reception room fits the bill. It was important to them to build such a welcoming waiting area, Dr. Mallock says, because, "that’s the first impression clients have of your practice."
The judges in VETERINARY ECONOMICS’ 1995 Hospital Design Competition appreciated the care these veterinarians took in planning their freestanding hospital. They complimented the "good-looking exterior," "great playroom for kids" and the "many nice decorations throughout."
ALL COOPED UP
When Dr. Mallock graduated from the University of Florida in 1986, he went to work for the Lloyd Animal Center in Stoughton. Dr. William Lloyd had practiced in the area since the 1940’s, starting his first hospital in a chicken coop outside his home. As the practice grew, the facility grew-right around the old chicken coop. "Believe it or not, that coop was still part of the old facility," Dr. Mallock says. "In later years, we used it as a storage room." Dr. Buffman, who graduated from Iowa State University in 1985, joined the practice in 1991 when Dr. Lloyd retired. The two jumped at the chance to purchase the practice-and construct their dream hospital.
The new owners didn’t need a new site-three acres of the original practice’s land was pre-zoned and just waiting to be developed. All they needed was a bank willing to loan them money. "We took over the practice in January 1991, right in the middle of a recession," Dr. Buffman says. "I tried for two years to get financing. Every bank we approached turned us down. Because we were new owners, it was considered a ‘new’ practice, and therefore a higher risk, even though it was stable.
"Finally, a client of ours said he knew someone at a bank who might be able to help us. He reviewed the books and saw that the practice could support a loan."
With financing in hand, the two began in earnest to plan their new hospital. They had some definite ideas about the changes they wanted to make: "The old hospital was so dilapidated and void of any light, brightness, or space," Dr. Mallock says. "But the worst part was the ventilation." "The old system vented return air from the kennels into the rest of the practice," Dr. Buffman says. "Another problem was lack of space. We had only two exam rooms and no treatment or pre-op room, so we had to use one of the exam rooms in the morning as a treatment area. Doing so kept us from booking appointments."
Such flaws helped the doctors define what they wanted in the new hospital. Their requirements: efficient traffic flow, a dramatic reception area, plenty of exam rooms, and sturdy materials that could withstand the abuses a veterinary hospital can dish out, yet be cleaned with minimal effort.
With these specifications in mind, Dr. Buffman began touring some of the new hospitals in the state. After compiling elements they both liked about the hospitals and considering the other owners’ building headaches, the two began the hunt for an architect.
KEEPING IT GLUED TOGETHER
A colleague recommended Edward Lyons of Falcon Associates Architects in Sharon, Mass. "Without Ed, the hospital wouldn’t be standing right now," Dr. Buffman says. "He was the glue that held the project together-he caught mistakes and made sure the contractor did everything right."
But the project didn’t always run smoothly. While you could say the owners experienced a learning curve with their contractor, they’d probably call it a disaster. The contractor had handled many residential jobs but had never worked on a commercial facility. The special needs of a veterinary hospital weren’t always apparent-especially when it came to the poured-epoxy flooring. Even experienced contractors must take great pains to ensure it’s done correctly or the results could be awful.
In fact, one of those mistakes is now a conversation piece: The contractor failed to rope off an area of recently poured flooring, and during a walk-through, Dr. Mallock stepped onto the floor. "My footprint is permanently imprinted in our treatment area," he says with a laugh. "It’s kind of our own Grauman’s Chinese Theater."
Lyons showed up at the site daily, catching and fixing mistakes, the owners say. Despite his intervention, the corrections came at a high price-not only in dollars, but in time: The estimated 10-month project lasted 18, and the owners doled out more money than they’d budgeted. Fortunately, business at the old clinic continued uninterrupted.
"Construction went on about 10 yards from the old building," Dr. Buffman says. "With three acres we had plenty of room to accommodate our clients. The old practice ran smoothly, and we could watch every day to see how things were going. Our clients also enjoyed watching the builders. Looking back, it wasn’t so bad."
MAKE IT FUN
Dr. Buffman proudly points out the decorations in the hospital. Visitors could almost consider it a museum. Display cases house not only health-care products but memorabilia as well. Ceramic steins, antique test tubes, and photos of a young Dr. Lloyd fill one case. Knick-knacks line the reception counter.
In the cat waiting area, a colorful homemade quilt brightens the room, and a bulletin board boasts photos of happy clients and their healthy pets. But without a doubt, the playroom takes center stage.
This playroom features a doghouse-style door "for kids only," and a more mundane half-door for the grown-ups. Inside, the handpainted mural depicts an animal veterinary staff, including a hippo nurse, mouse technician, canine surgeon, and squirrel patient. The background features fluffy clouds, lush trees and a friendly frog.
But as impressive as the reception area is, the two owners know it takes more than creative touches to make a hospital work. That’s why they wanted to offer dentistry, grooming and behavior training. While the old facility couldn’t accommodate such services, their new hospital easily fits them all in. The grooming business has taken off, they say, dental services are becoming more popular, and private trainer holds obedience classes once a week in their large exercise room.
These services have had a profound impact on the practice; to handle the increased business, the owners hired one full-and part-time technicians and a third receptionist. Dr. Kristen Blumenstock, a part-time associate, joined the practice in 1993. Dr.Strake joining our health team in 2000.
Despite winning accolades for their hospital, the two owners keep it all in perspective. They know what really makes their practice work. "The larger space does make a difference, but we’ve always offered high-quality medicine," Dr. Mallock says. "What’s more, we have a great staff-a lot of clients comment of that fact."
"Clients love our new accommodations, but that isn’t what brings them back," Dr. Buffman adds. "Our staff makes the biggest impression, regardless of how good the hospital looks." click here to see our staff
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