About
About Us
This is Bruiser. Several years ago my husband and I were driving home from Baltimore when I received a call from my dog sitter telling us that he [the dog] was not feeling well. Panic immediately set in. It was 2am and we were half way between Maryland and Ohio imagining the absolute worst.
We arrived home to find that Bruiser was indeed very ill. Afraid and in tears, I put him in the backseat of my car and raced like a bat out of hell, at better than 90 mph, to the nearest emergency vet. As I was driving, I remember having two distinct thoughts — 1. If I speed by the police, they will have to chase me all the way to the vet and arrest me after I drop Bruiser off because I am not stopping, and 2. There has got to be a better way than this to handle emergencies.
After breaking traffic laws in at least three separate municipalities, we made it to the vet. I am happy to report that Bruiser was good as new. However, the entire incident has scarred me for life, and I have been obsessed with figuring out how to address this problem, not only with my own pets, but for all pets. I began asking everyone I saw with a pet or those who work with pets, “What would you do if your pet experiences some type of medical emergency or trauma?” Overwhelmingly the answer I received was a resounding “I don’t know.”
So that is how Squad FiftyOne began. We set out to answer that very question: “What would you do?”
Sadly, Bruiser crossed the Rainbow Bridge in October of 2020 at the age of 14. It is an understatement to say we miss him each and every day. However, his legacy lives on through Squad FiftyOne and all of the pets we are privileged to help get the care they need.
Incidentally, people always ask how we came up with the name Squad FiftyOne. For those of you who are not old enough to remember, back in ancient times – the 1970s – there was a popular tv drama entitled “Emergency!” This was a show about the daily ins and outs of a L.A. Fire Department Paramedic Unit and the unit was Squad 51. It was one of my favorite shows and calling my business by the same name is just my little way of paying tribute.
You can watch a thrilling summary here: Emergency!
Yalanda Medina, M.Sc., CVP
Principal / CEOAs a long time supporter of animal welfare, it has been a dream of Yalanda’s to provide pets with medical care in emergencies just like that of humans. A Microeconomist and a Northeast Ohio native, Yalanda began her academic career at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA before transferring to Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management in Cleveland, OH, receiving degrees in Economics with an emphasis in Law. Before entering the world of veterinary medicine, she engaged in economic research, specificlly, the various societal economic outcomes that occur with changes in bodies of law.
Currently she is focused on helping to establish the same Community Paramedicine model we see in human medicine within veterinary medicine. Yalanda envisions a future where the Community Paramedicine model becomes the industry standard. With her sights set on expanding this revolutionary approach, Yalanda is committed to ensuring that no pet goes without the care they need when they need it.
Contact: yalanda@squadfiftyone.com
Daniel Bestic, DVM
Medical Advisory Board PresidentGraduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Dayton with his Bachelor of Science degree. Dr. Bestic attended The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in order to fulfill his lifelong passion of with with animals. Upon graduation, he returned to the area where he has been practicing small animal medicine and received additional training in less invasive surgical techniques, ultrasonography, and orthopedic procedures. He is the owner and Lead Veterinarian of Veterinary Center of Hudson in Hudson, Ohio.
Dr. Bestic grew up in Northeast Ohio and was a four year letterman for the Division I men's soccer team and a Verizon Academic All-American.
Contact: dbestic@squadfiftyone.com
Steve G. Mitchell, DVM
Lead VeterinarianBecause of his lifelong interest in animal health and science, Dr. Mitchell, originally from Newark, NJ, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from Rutgers University before going on to receive is Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Aristotelean University School of Veterinary Medicine in Thessaloniki, Greece. From there, Steve spent 13 years as an Associate Veterinarian in County Cork, Ireland treating both companion and large animals. His practice of large animal medicine allowed him travel to farms all across Ireland's countryside before returning to the U.S.
Fun fact: Dr. Mitchell is the son of renown Food Chemist & Scientist Willam A. Mitchell who, while working for General Foods Corp, was the key inventor behind Pop Rocks, Tang, and Cool Whip.
Contact: smitchell@squadfiftyone.com
Nichole Martovitz, RVT, CPhT, VTS (ECC)
Registered Veterinary TechnicianA native of Brunswick, Oh., Nichole has spent the last 22+ years in veterinary medicine. She earned her AAS in Veterinary Technology from Cuyahoga Community College and her area of expertise includes critical care nursing.
As a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) she is one of only approximate 500 technicians in the U.S. whose certification is in that of Emergency and Critical Care (ECC). Additionally, Nichole is a Certified Pharmacy Technician, receiving her AAS in Pharmacy Technology also from Cuyahoga Community College.
Contact: nmartovitz@squadfiftyone.com
Amy Jones, RVT
Registered Veterinary TechnicianAmy has spent the last 25 years caring for animals as an Emergency Veterinary Technician. She earned her AAS in Veterinary Technology from the University of Cincinnati where she was awarded the Veterinary Technology Student of the Year Scholarship. She is an active member of the Society for the Improved Conditions of Stray Animals (SICSA) as well as a volunteer for the Buckeye Border Collie Rescue.
Contact: ajones@squadfiftyone.com
Andrew Ettinger, RVT
Registered Veterinary TechnicianBio coming soon.
Contact: aettinger@squadfiftyone.com
Charity Semczyszyn, CVP
Veterinary Technician, Veterinary ParamedicBio coming soon
Contact: csemczyszyn@squadfiftyone.com
Andrew Najdusak, NREMP-P
Operations Manager, Veterinary ParamedicAndrew has spent the last 15 years in healthcare with 6 of those years being in Emergency Medicine as a Paramedic for the City of Sharon, PA. In addition, he is also a certified CPR instructor with the American Heart Association. Andrew has been able to apply his vast knowledge of human ambulance operations and emergency rescue to veterinary care. He is the parent of 3 very spoiled dogs--Honey, Brody, and Tigger.
Contact: anajdusak@squadfiftyone.com
David Brock, Ph.D.
Territory Representative & Community OutreachA Cleveland native, Dave earned his Ph.D. in History from the University of Missouri. A former history professor, he now uses his exceptional communication skills to advocate for both people and pets alike. As a lifelong dog lover, he looks forward to aiding those for whom a pet is a member of the family. Dave is a huge fan of his hometown and runs a very successful blog dedication to all things Cleveland: www.clevelandbrocks.org.
Contact: dbrock@squadfiftyone.com
Dawn Santoro
Veterinary AssistantBio coming soon.
A. Hamilton, CCO
Chief Canine OfficerHamilton is a hard-nosed, no nonsense task master who fancies himself by keeping the rest of us in line.
Contact: ahamilton@squadfiftyone.com