09-08-94 Equine Center Groundbreaking GROUNDBREAKING SEPT. 17 FOR EQUINE TRAUMA TREATMENT CENTER COLUMBUS -- Groundbreaking ceremonies for the 40,000-square- foot, $6,9 million Equine Trauma, Intensive Care and Research Center at The Ohio State University have been scheduled for Sept. 17, said Glen Hoffsis, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Hoffsis also announced that Daniel M. Galbreath has agreed to chair the fund-raising campaign for equipment for the new center, which will be at the leading edge of equine medicine. Galbreath, a businessman and real estate developer, is an owner and breeder of thoroughbred race horses. "This is a very exciting time in the life of the College of Veterinary Medicine," Hoffsis said. "The new equine center will be one of the finest of its kind in the nation. It will allow our faculty to continue research into the causes and treatment of equine while providing improved services to clients worldwide. It will also provide an outstanding facility for our students to broaden and deepen their knowledge. "We are extremely fortunate to have a person of Dan Galbreath's stature heading our campaign," Hoffsis said. "He is highly regarded in the equine industry, and his love of and commitment to Ohio State is well known." The groundbreaking ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m. at the site of the new center, just west of the existing veterinary hospital on Coffey Road. University President E. Gordon Gee and others will offer remarks, and there will be a ceremonial breaking of the ground with two horses and a plow. Tours of the hospital and presentations on current college research and programs will follow. The center is scheduled to open in 1996. It will include: =FE A modern research facility where faculty can develop, implement and teach medical and surgical procedures. =FE Two state-of-the-art surgery rooms. =FE 14 intensive care stalls with capabilities for continuous monitoring of patients. =FE 19 stalls for patients and horses used in teaching and research. =FE A facility for the placement of a high-speed treadmill to investigate exercise and performance of patient and research horses. =FE An second-floor observation area which will allow clients, students and faculty to observe surgery. The center received a major boost earlier this year with the receipt of a $1.4 million gift from an anonymous donor. Catherine W. Kohn, head of the college's equine section, noted that this gift and others, as well as state building funds, allow for construction of the new center. Additional private funding is being sought to fully equip the center. Hoffsis said the center is needed to support and protect the $6 billion equine industry in Ohio. Currently, 1,200 ill or injured horses are hospitalized each year at Ohio State, and a similar number are treated on an outpatient basis. Ohio State's equine faculty members are recognized nationally and internationally for their expertise and advancement in equine orthopedics, exercise science, neurology, anesthesia, respiratory disease, residency training and industry support. "Since we are the only veterinary college in Ohio, Hoffsis said, "it is vital that we provide a modern facility for state- of-the-art research and service." Galbreath received a master's degree in business administration from Ohio State in 1952. He is chairman and chief executive officer of The Galbreath Co., a national and international real estate development, management and leasing firm. He is a member of The Ohio State University Foundation Board of Directors and served a nine-year term on the university's Board of Trustees, ending in May 1987. He presently serves as a Foundation Board representative on the trustees' Investment Committee and as a member of the university's Presidents Council. Among those expected to attend the groundbreaking are Edward L. Bowen, president of Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation Inc., and John Y. Hamilton, executive director of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. =20 # =20 Contact: Glen Hoffsis, dean, or Larry Rummell, director of development, at the College of Veterinary Medicine, (614) 292-1171. [Submitted by: REIDV (reidv@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu) Thu, 08 Sep 1994 09:37:52 -0500 (EST)] All documents are the responsibility of their originator.