Santee Nation receives timely visit from Community Outreach team
Veterinary Nurse Catherine Lowry takes a quick selfie with K-State professor Dr. Brooke Davis, fourth-year student Gabrielle Maroulis and volunteers with the Nebraska Humane Society: Dr. Andrea Popken (blue), Dr. Emily Burbach (yellow) and staff member Kindall Flores. The dog's name is Peanut!
Once each semester, the Community Outreach team makes a 5 1/2 hour trip to northern Nebraska to provide care for the Santee Nation.
“Our work with the Santee Nation is about more than the numbers—though they matter: 146 patients seen, 50 surgeries completed, and two porcupine-quill emergencies handled smoothly by an outstanding student-faculty team," said Dr. Ron Orchard, assistant professor and director of Community Outreach. "What makes this trip distinct from earlier visits is how integrated the care has become. We are now pairing high-quality veterinary medicine with on-site social work through Cassidy Moreau, which helps families address the real-world barriers — transportation, cost planning, stress — that stand between a pet and timely treatment."
"This is an outreach effort that brought preventative medicine, spay/neuter, and illness exams/ medications/ treatment options to a community that is underserved and without adequate access to care," said veterinary nurse Catherine Lowry.
Veterinary assistant Logan Linenberger and Dr. Ron Orchard, Community Outreach director, help track the pets that are being admitted for examinations and care.
A variety of canines are seen by different groups of students volunteers, such as third-year student Weston Ahles (far right).
"People told us they felt ‘heard’ and ‘less alone,’ and several shared that, because we return consistently, they sought care earlier this time," Dr. Orchard said. "That is the change we want to see: prevention over crisis, partnership over transactions. The Santee Nation welcomes us with generosity; our responsibility is to meet that trust with practical, dignifying care for both ends of the leash.”
The Community Outreach team and local volunteers
Clinical Students: Madeline Myrick, Christinea Wagner, Heather Beigh and Gabrielle Maroulis
Pre-Clinical Students: Weston Ahles, Kayleigh Corless, Brennan Becker, Anna Mannix, Cameron Long
KSU SM/CO staff: Catherine Lowry and Logan Linenberger
KSU SM/CO veterinarians: Dr. Brooke Davis and Dr. Ron Orchard
KSU Social Work Support: Cassidy Moreau
Guest Surgeons/Support:
Capital City Humane DVM: Dr. Jake Bornschlegl
Nebraska Humane Society DVM: Dr. Emily Burbach and Dr. Andrea Popken
Nebraska Humane Society staff: Kindall Flores and Kymee Bair
Far left: First-year student Cameron Long helps Weston with an examination. Middle pick: This was one of two surprise visits from porcupine quill patients. You can see the quills in his snout. Far right: Dr. Jake Bornschlegl removes quills from one of the patients. Dr. Bornschlegl is a K-State alumnus who graduated in 2022 and now works in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Quill removal
Catherine says it's fairly easy to treat patients with porcupine quills in a clinic, but that it's a little harder on mobile units.
"These patients came to the surgery trailer right before we needed to leave," Catherine said. "Thankfully Dr. Jake, Dr. Davis, myself and a few students were still around. With these procedures, we sedated the animals and put them on anesthetic gas. The only way to pull out porcupine quills is to gently attach to the base of the quill and yank or wiggle them out. Both of these poor pups were sent home with pain medications and antibiotics as the quills were across their faces and chests."
With over 100 community events annually, there are always opportunities to join the outreach team for clinics year round. If interested please email ksusheltermed@vet.k-state.edu
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