Nationally preeminent animal disease diagnostic laboratory
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (May 12, 2017) — A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Thursday for the Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville. The new facility is 77,000 square feet, nearly twice the size of the 44,000-square-foot original building.
The center affords valuable educational and experiential learning opportunities for Murray State students who are pursuing degrees through the Hutson School of Agriculture.
The history of the Breathitt Veterinary Center dates back more than 50 years. In 1966, Gov. Edward T. “Ned” Breathitt signed a bond issue providing $875,000 for construction of an animal disease diagnostic laboratory in Hopkinsville. The original structure was a 19,000-square-foot facility. This was the nation’s first fully accredited laboratory by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.
New and enhanced features of the current facility include a Biosafety Level III Suite, which handles high impact diseases and bioterrorism agents; a large seminar room that is available for local groups to use, such as veterinarians for continuing-education purposes; and a more functional design with diagnostic, educational, conference and research areas that allows for a greater degree of use and increased biosecurity throughout the facility.
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