Reporting Problems

Animal Health

Animal health problems requiring immediate veterinary care should be reported to the Veterinary Services Branch directly. The Veterinary Services Branch is made up of three veterinarians and four veterinary technicians. The veterinary technicians can be contacted directly at 369-2507. There are three veterinarians in the ARC who can assist you in dealing with animal health emergencies. They can be reached by calling 368-3490. In case of emergency a veterinarian will be paged immediately. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians are on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Pager numbers are posted in several locations in all animal facilities. The CWRU Security Services maintains a list of emergency contacts. Security Services can be contacted at 368-3333.

Husbandry

Problems and questions regarding the routine care and feeding of animals should be directed to the Husbandry Services Branch. The Husbandry Services Branch consists of three managers and over thirty technicians. The managers are located in room EB06B in the Health Sciences Animal Facility (HSAF). The managers are the first point of contact. They can assist you in addressing problems encountered with the care of animals, set up Special Care Instruction Forms and provide information on providing additional equipment as needed. Please contact a manager when you encounter a problem.

Billing

Problems with billing or questions concerning animal census should be directed to the Administrative Services Branch. The Head, Administrative Services can help investigate billing or business related issues. The Administrative Services Branch consists of two departmental assistants and the Head of Administrative Services. The Administrative Services Branch also oversees ordering and receiving animals in the ARC. A more complete explanation of the role of the Administrative Service and detailed descriptions of animal ordering, census and billing procedures are described in the Business Office section of this web site.

Animal Welfare

Concerns regarding the humane care and use of animals should be directed to the IACUC. Specific instructions for reporting animal welfare concerns are available on their web site. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee has programmatic responsibility for oversight of the animal care and use program. By law a mechanism must be in place for anonymous notification of animal welfare concerns. All concerns are taken seriously and are thoroughly investigated. The identity of the individual reporting concerns is kept strictly confidential.

Documentation

One of the ways that we strive to prevent problems from recurring is through proper documentation and investigation when problems arise. You will be asked to complete a Problem Resolution Form. This form is used to track problems and discover their causes. We want to learn when mistakes and problems arise to improve our service. If at any time you feel that you are not being heard or that a problem is not being resolved to your satisfaction, feel free to contact the ARC Director.