Flood-torn clinic reopens

Belle Meade, Tenn. — The water receded, and life at the Animal Hospital of West Nashville is back to normal — relatively speaking, anyway. The practice reopened for business, and after a hectic first week, has settled into a regular schedule filled with routine appointments. But getting to this point wasn't easy.

Not giving up: Soon after renovating her entire, newly puchased clinic, Dr. Jill Burgess had to rebuild once again. (Photos by Jim yates)

After historic flooding destroyed the practice and took the lives of six animals, practice owner Dr. Jill Burgess prepared herself for the longest five months of her life. She turned her home into a makeshift clinic, using her washing machine and dryer as an exam table. A bonus room was transformed into a reception area. She salvaged as much equipment and inventory as possible and programmed a single cell phone to accept all of the practice's calls.

After a long five months filled with financial hurdles, construction roadblocks and countless other headaches, Burgess was finally set to unveil the hospital in late October. Team members gathered in the clinic's parking lot to unload a trailer filled with equipment and supplies that had been in storage since the flood. The team spent the weekend cleaning up mud and moving equipment, piece by piece, into the newly renovated practice. On Oct. 25, the doors swung open and the Animal Hospital of West Nashville was officially back in business.

Burgess gives credit to her employees for the recovery. "My people have hung in there," she says. "They were so committed to seeing our practice get put back together."