PATTON TOWNSHIP – Construction began on a state-of-the-art expansion of Abington Equine Hospital in Patton Township that will offer a wider range of health services to treat local horses, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte).
The 63,000-square-foot expansion will include surgical suites, treatment rooms, an area for lameness examinations and a reproductive management unit.
When completed, the facility will greatly reduce travel times for horses that require urgent surgical care. Most surgical cases require hospital management, and the nearest full surgical facility is in Somerset – at least 90 minutes away from most local communities.
At a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion, Corman noted that the project would not only improve animal health in the region, but also support the growing local equine industry. The industry has grown to include more than 1,000 horses in the State College area.
“This project holds the potential to eventually be the best equine health facility in the state to serve the growing local demand for service,” Corman said. “Offering this level of care will work hand-in-hand with the expansion of the Grange Park Equine Center and other local projects to support Pennsylvania agriculture.”
The long-term plans for the facility also include the addition of an internal medicine department and specialist.
The $2.4 million project was supported by a $370,000 grant from the Keystone Communities program, which is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
Senator Jake Corman and Representative Rich Irvin joined Abington Equine Hospital’s Dr. Catherine Radtke and other key stakeholders to break ground on the $2.4 million expansion project that will make equine care more convenient and accessible for local horse owners.
Original source can be found here.
