I watched the mobile clinic conversation after the fact. How do we register for the monthly grant since we can't see the chat? Linda H
Original Message:
Sent: 03-03-2025 07:10 PM
From: Sheila Kouhkan
Subject: Community Conversations - 3/3/2025 - Affordable and Accessible Care Through Mobile Veterinary Clinics
Thanks to the 204+ people and paws who joined us on today's Community Conversations call! The recording is now available to watch on-demand. Below you'll find a recap of today's call and the resources shared.
Call Recap
- Welcome from hosts
- @Geraldine D'Silva, Human and Animal Well-Being Consultant
- @Raye Taylor, CEO/CMO, Taylor Veterinary Services; Vice President, Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine
- Question of the Day: How could a mobile veterinary unit impact your work?
- "I'd be curious to know if a mobile clinic could aid in TNVR efforts. - Stef Mates
- "We have been looking for a mobile vet to supplement what have." - Jane Babinsky
- "A mobile unit could help our US dogs. Most of our dogs come from Saint Lucia with very little vet care available." - Janette Martin
- "A mobile unit could help our US dogs. Most of our dogs come from Saint Lucia with very little vet care available." - Kathy Johnson
- "It would be amazing for us. All we do is "field work" going to shelters and homeless encampments and our vets just tote around supplies in their cars. San Mateo Veterinary Wellness Program" - Roxane Fritz
- "I'm curious what mobile clinics are costing in other areas as our county just spent $250k on one and half of that was funded through a 20 yr spay fund from our county." - Rhiannon Filley
- "In NC we are struggling with a shortage of veterinarians who can do high volume spay/ neuter and could staff a mobile vehicle." - Julie Padison
- "Fluent partnership and accessibility" - Victoria Tanner
- "Easier access for those without transportation" - Kate Marshall
- "It would be so impactful - we are an extremely rural with a lot of varied communities that are underserved and low income. A mobile vet would be a phenomenal resource to our local community." - Brittany Pratt
- "It would be great to be able to go where low-income people need the help." - Patricia Burg
- "Our vets are not close so this would be a game changer. It would be so for the Rescue as well as the community." - Molly Keith
- "Our cat rescue impact area is in Rural towns in Puerto Rico where there are no veterinary practice, and a mobile will be life-saving for us!" - Wendy Montanez-Ortiz
- "We service 6 cities and two counties. We got a LaBoit unit with two surgical tables, In the past year we have done 10 vaccination clincis and each one had had over 500 pets. The need for S/N is even larger and we are working hard to grow that program.." - Paighton Corley
- "We will be adding a low/no cost veterinary building to the Sol Dog Lodge campus in 2026. A mobile vet unit would allow us to reach more dogs and their families!!" - Mary Flores
- "Easier reach out to the community (low income in particular). Also provide more continuous medical care versus 2 to 3 times a year vaccination clinic on site." - Elaine Edington
- "We are so fortunate to have a mobile clinic vehicle, and it has been instrumental in providing low-cost vaccine clinics in underserved areas. Our public transit is not robust here in central Virginia - the ability to meet owners where they are has been amazing." - Lauren Krohn
- "Save more lives by managing overpopulation well. We had a 3-yr initiative for our rural outreach and mobile clinic but no funding for it now. We lend it out to shelters in other counties now." - Lisa Pearce
- "Christy Mundy, The Libby Project, a mobile unit is key to our nonprofit, because we will be serving 5 counties in SE Ohio" - Christy Mundy
- "Our Coalition has members in rural areas that don't have vets locally, they have to drive 2 counties over to see the vet - he won't spay/neuter kittens or puppies less than 6 months. It severely limits the number of animals they can pull from local shelter to send on transport. Limited adoptions in Eastern Arkansas." - June Thomas
- "A mobile spay neuter clinic would help tremendously as we are in a very rural community." - Nikki Timberlake
- "Providing TNR in the community without needing community members to bring community cats to our shelter. Increasing access to care for community members with pets (low-cost vaccines and wellness clinics AND spay/neuter). Also, honestly increasing our current medical space. Our shelter is incredibly outdated, and our surgery suite is TINY." - Stefanie Cornell
- "Our shelter would greatly benefit from a mobile vet clinic, as our community lacks accessible resources and faces significant financial barriers to veterinary care." - Britney Ellis
- "A mobile veterinary unit would allow us to provide animal sterilization and vaccination services to low-income areas of our community. This would also allow TNVR to be provided in convenient locations for citizens. We could also use a mobile unit for animal seizure cases and natural disaster events." - Arlene Jones
- National Updates
- Get ready for kitten season! Camp Maddie: Kitten Edition is tomorrow – 4 presentations by pre-eminent kitten experts. Time to bring your questions! Find out more and register here: https://forum.maddiesfund.org/campmaddiekitten
- Doors Wide Open monthly mini-webcast series is all about access to pet care!
Find out more and register: https://forum.maddiesfund.org/opendoorwebcasts - My Dog is My Home virtual conference happening this month! March 25-27th - all online and great speaker line up. Dr. Kwane Stewart and Lori Weise of Downtown Dog Rescue are keynote speakers. Registration here:
https://www.mydogismyhome.org/2025-conference - Interested in learning more about infectious diseases in cats, or connecting your fosters with this information? On Thursday, March 6, 2025, join Maddie's® Monthly Foster Connection at 12pm PT/3pm ET, Dr. Rachael Wooten, Medical Director at One Tail at a Time, will be discussing the essentials of feline common infectious diseases.
Register here: http://maddies.fund/MonthlyFosterRegistration - Humane Canada would love to see you at our brand new, first One Health/One Welfare conference bridging Animal, Human and Environmental health and well-being. We will be in Ottawa, Ontario (our nation's capital) November 25 & 26 of this year. You can learn more here: https://reg.eventmobi.com/OneHealthOneWelfare
As well, the call for abstracts is now open and we would love to see some of you as presenters. Submit now here: https://sessionize.com/2025-onehealthonewelfare-conference - If you're a United States organization that takes in animals for the purposes of finding them a new home, we're hoping you'll fill out our National Foster Survey so we can learn about what's happening with foster programs. All orgs who complete the survey will be entered into a chance to win one of ten $500 grants. Whether or not your organization has a foster program, we want to hear from you. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F7NWWP5
- 2025 Online Instructor Led Course enrollment starts 2/28 - courses begin the week of March 31, 2025
Looking to implement a new program, learn more about a specific subject and create positive change for pets and people in your community? Maddie's Fund® Online Instructor-Led Courses provide an interactive educational opportunity for those who are looking to benefit from the wisdom of established innovative programs. They're the catalyst you need to take your programs and learning to the next level! All courses are free #ThanksToMaddie!
https://university.maddiesfund.org/online-instructor-led-courses - Maddie's Fund Monthly Giveaways! Enter here for a chance to win CA$H:
Open to all who are watching live or on-demand! Be sure to enter each week you attend!
https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-mar25-giveaway.htm - Maddie's Pet Forum Monthly Giveaway: Maddie's Fund® is giving away a $3,000 grant each month to one lucky Maddie's® Pet Forum member. You'll automatically be entered to win each month when you start a new discussion, reply to a new post. More info: https://maddies.fund/mpfmonthlygiveaway
In celebration of Maddie's Fund 30th anniversary, Maddie's Fund and Cuddly have partnered to provide $1,000 in prizes monthly, for engaging on a special anniversary-related post on Maddie's Pet Forum. This January, simply comment on this thread telling us about your goals for 2025 and you'll be entered to win a $1,000 Cuddly prize pack: https://forum.maddiesfund.org/30yearsgiveaway
- Presentation: Affordable and Accessible Care Through Mobile Veterinary Clinics
- Highlights from the Chat
- "This is my first zoom, thank you. I am founder and president of Libby Project in SE Ohio, our mission is to help low income families spay/neuter and vaccinate their pets at low or no cost. SE Ohio is a high poverty area and currently we have a PARVO issue. We recently were approved for our non-profit status." - Christy Mundy
- "Thanks for doing this!" - Cyndee Smolik
- "We are celebrating 25 years!!" - Suzanne Trayhan
- "Absolutely - applying business principles is so important." - June Thomas
- June, that seems like a barrier! I wonder how that helps the veterinarian. Perhaps their comfort level and boundaries have a positive impact on him? I wish you the best in finding solutions!" - Raye Taylor
- "We are located outside of Boston. While there are discount services for dogs/cats, they don't exist for rabbits and other exotics. There are some hospitals that will quote $1000 for a spay.." - Suzanne Trayhan
- "Sol Dog Lodge and Training Center operates as a fee for service business with a mission to provide dog care to those who cannot afford them so that dogs can remain in their homes with the people who love them." - Mary Flores
- "Suburban housing and cost of living pushes many to face barriers to accessing veterinary care. We ask private vets to help but it's not always met with grace.?" - Lisa Pearce
- "As a rescue we're shocked by the skyrocketing cost of veterinary care. It's where all our rescue's money goes." - Susan Leavitt
- "On the topic of thinking about business principles when running a non-profit. A low-cost vaccine and wellness clinic still brings in money to organizations. Our clinic does bring in money every month we provide it. We provide reduced fee vaccines and a few free vaccines thanks to grant resources as well. Also, the more we provide supportive services, the fewer pets we will hopefully see coming into the shelter that will require more of our financial resources to care for in shelter versus providing resources to keep them with their families." - Stefanie Cornell
- "Is the vet shortage nationwide? It is a problem in northern Cali for sure." - Rhiannon Filley
- "Arkansas is 49th state with vets per capita. Primarily as we don't have a vet school, though one will start in 2026 that will focus on domesticated animals." - June Thomas
- "Not just the US, but there is a shortage in Canada as well! Not just veterinarians, but also technicians." - Kathy Duncan
- "Too many barriers to vet schools- access and cost of schooling." - Nina Pinter
- "Too few vet schools." - Donna Miller
- "And too many barriers to stay in the profession and to afford student loans. It is tough!!" - Raye Taylor
- "There will be at least (and growing) another 10-12 vet schools online in the next decades, but it will take time to fill the need." - Raye Taylor
- "I really love these stats about how good animals are for people!" - Janette Martin
- "Some amazing stats and infographics available from habri.org" -Raye Taylor
- "What is the minimum number of dogs that needs to be fixed in an area over what period of time to bring the numbers down based on research?" - Sharon Bice
- "Why has the cost gone so high?" - Anita Selby
- "Compassion is everything. Thank people for asking for help. Give grace. It's so hard when shelters are stressed sometimes." - Lisa Pearce
- "I really appreciate this information. Alba is wonderful!" - Kathy Johnson
- "We need help in Mississippi really bad." - Kim Jackson
- "Corporate takeovers -- got to pay those retired overlords." - Donna Miller
- "If an organization would like to set up a moderate sized mobile clinic - what would/could be the start up cost…. Or how to figure this out?" - Jean Harman
- "It is awful here and we are doing all we can do to keep pets with their families instead of being taken away." - Kim Jackson
- "I am hoping this call explains the cost." - Sharon Bice
- "Thank you, Alba! You had great ideas! You brought them to life and now thank you for sharing!!!" - Janette Martin
- "For The Puppies Foundation Inc. is almost 2 years old. We are trying to help the owners keep their pets. Vet Care, spay and neuter, food, whatever to keep their pets." - Kim Jackson
- "So many Veterinary Clinics here have gone through corporate takeovers. Staff turnover, inconsistent care, high, high costs of care. It's frightening! Love the idea of mobile care." - Molly Keith
- "The City of Seattle has a pop-up clinic in a warehouse in a lower income community and it serves about 100 cats and dog. Unfortunately, no spay and neuter just vaccinations, pet care, and pet pantry." - Christina Veloz
- "How much is it for an organization to host a clinic?" - Anita Selby
- "MS needs veterinarians to stand up and help rescues help people keep their pets." - Kim Jackson
- "@Alba Gonzalez first of all thank you from a fellow Puerto Rican! My question is can you share the set up for your mobile clinic the needed inputs? I like the model for a low-cost for profit for rural towns areas that do not have vets in Puerto Rico. That would be a grant opportunity I will seek for proposing to partner with a local vet." - Wendy Montanez-Ortiz
- "Nearly every privately-owned clinic in my immediate area is declining new patients." - Donna Miller
- "We are considering paying for NC State Veterinary students to attend the Humane Alliance HQHV training, in exchange for helping at x number of spay/ neuter clinics." - Julie Paddison
- "Creative solution! There are also vet training programs that can be sponsored too!" - Raye Taylor
- "There are so many pockets of low-income area in large cities such as mine, Las Vegas. There are several mobile vets, however they are all cost prohibitive for most people. An affordable, mobile solution is a Godsend! Many more people would be open to rescuing animals off the streets if they could get help keeping them healthy." - Amy Joshua
- "Love this! We have our Community Animal Medicine Professionals Program where we train community members to become vet assistants & then hopefully can suck them into the field ;)" - Shannon Glenn
- "Clinics in many places are resorting to declining new patients since they are unable to care for their current clientele, its a double edge sword for sure! It frustrating to be fortunate to be near a clinic, but not get an opportunity to be seen. And, if you are a regular client for the last decade it is also frustrating to not be able to be seen at a home clinic. The shortage is painful!" - Raye Taylor
- "Can students from all veterinary schools take part in the Infinity Learning Program?" - Cynthia Karsten
- "This is amazing, Alba. ❤️" - Kathy Johnson
- "This is a phenomenal model. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!" - BJ Andersen
- " Love this idea of See One, Do One, Teach One!!" - Molly Keith
- "This is amazing!" - Susan Leavitt
- "This is so much useful information presented in a well-crafted format! Thank you!" - Beth Porter
- "Are students allowed to administer Rabies vaccinations in Ohio?" - Christy Mundy
- "GREAT IDEAS!!!!" - Janette Martin
- "Good to know for any state because--every single state has a different law around this/ It is best to check with that state's board of animal health and/or board of veterinary medicine" - Raye Taylor
- "Alba, are you for hire for consultation??? Do you work with ASPCA?" - Christina Veloz
- " CUTE!" - Janette Martin
- "Excellent program, thank you for sharing your knowledge." - Nikki Timberlake
- "Fantastic presentation!" - Katelyn Mills
- "So inspiring." - Stef Mates
- "One of the best sessions I've been in! Great info!" - Shannon Glenn
- "Alba, you're a guardian angel. Thank you! Grateful to learn from you." - Lisa Pearce
- "Fabulous ideas!" - Patricia Burg
- "WOW, fantastic info. Thank you, Alba." - Anita Selby
- "@Alba Gonzalez amazing! Thank you so much. I learned a lot." - Wendy Montanez-Ortiz
- "This was amazing, thank you!" - Beth Porter
- "Dr. Gonzalez, you are amazing and an inspiration!! Thank you!!" - Amy Joshua
- "@Alba Gonzalez Absolute amazing presentation!!! Thank you so much! Dr Alba, we could use your advice in setting up the Sol Dog Lodge NPO veterinary unit on our new campus in Marana AZ!!! I'm going to follow your work!" - Mary Flores
- "Container home-on wheels? Just an idea - containers usually are less costly and retrofit." - Wendy Montanez-Ortiz
- "There is also a shortage of LVT's. We have been trying to hire a 2nd LVT for the past year." - Jane Babinsky
- "There was an interesting program recently launched in our area. A local vet clinic worked with the state employment department and built a paid apprenticeship program for LVTs specifically with some grant funding and stuff like that. Maybe it is worth trying to look into if that could be an option? Here's info on that: https://careerconnectwa.org/introducing-the-veterinary-technician-registered-apprenticeship-program/?fbclid=PAY2xjawIy3rlleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABpoPOdBzYqQNqB0SxO64Rfjf8I0vcxGkLyegukoOBuv4WhzEmoQ9KOZ5l7g_aem_dhyBl0fEOcM_TScnSB-yUA" - Stefanie Cornell
- "Ever thought of a "pay it forward" for s/n?" - Anita Selby
- "Thank you all for such a wonderful discussion." - Brittany Pratt
- "This was my favorite talk!" - Kathy Johnson
- "Thank you! That was fantastic." - Suzanne Trayhan
- "I have been lucky to be part of Rascal clinics, through FSOD in Athens and Save OH Pets - Thank You!!!!" - Christy Mundy
- "This was phenomenal, thank you 👏" - Cara O'Grady
- "Good talk – gracias, Alba!" - Wendy Montanez-Ortiz
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Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2025 04:05 PM
From: Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Subject: Community Conversations - 3/3/2025 - Affordable and Accessible Care Through Mobile Veterinary Clinics
Updated 3/3/25 at 3:10 pm - Recording now available!
Please note: All views expressed on these calls are not necessarily endorsed by Maddie's Fund.
We hope to see you on the next Community Conversation on Monday, 3/3/25 at 11am PT for "Affordable and Accessible Care Through Mobile Veterinary Clinics."
Providing mobile, affordable, and accessible veterinary care is crucial for promoting animal welfare and public health. Many low-income and rural areas lack access to traditional veterinary services due to financial, geographical, and logistical barriers. Mobile veterinary units bridge this gap by delivering essential care directly to these communities, ensuring pets receive preventive care, spay/neuter services, and treatment for illnesses. Affordable options reduce economic strain on pet owners, decreasing the risk of abandonment or neglect of animals due to the high cost of care. Furthermore, accessible veterinary services enhance the health of both animals and humans by controlling zoonotic diseases and supporting the emotional well-being of families through the human-animal bond. In this Community Conversation, we will share insights on how you can help bring this service to your community and encourage others to join your mission.
Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom: https://maddies.fund/CommunityConvoRegistration2024
Make sure you are using the latest version of Zoom when you join us!
If you are unable to make it live on Monday, this thread will be updated with the recording and resources so you can watch and share whenever you'd like. After you watch the recording on-demand or attend the call live, be sure to complete this new March 2025 entry form to enter to win up to a $5,000 grant: https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-mar25-giveaway.htm
#AccesstoCare
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Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Maddie's Fund
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