News Release

July 19, 2007

Contact: Carolyn Pennington, 860-679-4864
e-mail: cpennington@uchc.edu

Health Center Again Awarded Full Accreditation for Lab Animal Care Center

FARMINGTON, CONN. – The animal care program at the University of Connecticut Health Center has again been awarded full accreditation by the international organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science.

The Council on Accreditation of the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care specifically commended the Health Center’s Laboratory Animal Care program for a number of its services:

• Animal Care Committee’s in-depth protocol review process
• Excellent veterinary medical services and husbandry staff
• Thorough attention to animal health problems
• Research compliance monitor’s proactive interactions with principal investigators and other research staff
• Environmental enrichment provided across species

The Health Center has been accredited by AAALAC since 1977.

More than 730 companies, universities, hospitals, government agencies and other research institutions in 30 countries have earned AAALAC accreditation, demonstrating their commitment to responsible animal care and use. These institutions volunteer to participate in AAALAC's program, in addition to complying with the local, state and federal laws that regulate animal research. Some of the institutions that have earned AAALAC accreditation include the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The American Red Cross, and the National Institutes of Health.

The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital, a Solucient Top 100 Hospital® 2006. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. To learn more about the UConn Health Center, visit our website at www.uchc.edu.

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