Veterinary teaching hospital in Chicago to open in March

CHICAGO — The new Chicago Center for Veterinary Medicine, scheduled to open in March, will offer educational programming, practice management and interactive consultation with University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine specialists in Urbana.

The 6,400-square-foot, primary-care teaching facility is in Chicago's Illinois Medical District. Benefits to the college include enhancing the clinical and management education of veterinary students, expanding the pool of patients for clinical research trials and improving services to veterinary professionals.

The area is underserved by veterinary practices, according to the Chicago Center for Veterinary Medicine Web site.

As the facility grows, so will services, including internal-medicine specialists on site; specialty consultations and referrals in oncology, dentistry, behavior, dermatology and ophthalmology; continuing education for practitioners; programs to recruit veterinary students from underserved populations and educational programs for animal owners.