One Health

Link to article: Vet SOS Highlights Human-Animal Bond

Maloa met July, his beloved 12-year-old dog, about 11 years ago. This year Maloa added Bella, a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix to his family. Maloa first heard about San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (SFCCC)'s Veterinary Street Outreach Services (Vet SOS) program, a mobile service that provides free veterinary care to the companion animals of San Franciscans experiencing homelessness, from a friend when he needed to get July vaccinated. Though he's been coming to Vet SOS for less than a year, Maloa has become a regular at the program's monthly pop-up clinics, saying the team "does a very good job taking care of Bella and July and give them everything they need…people who work (at Vet SOS clinics) love Bella and July…I got to make sure my two babies are fine. I love them more than anything."

For over 40 years, SFCCC has brought high quality, compassionate and non-judgmental health care to San Franciscans experiencing homelessness with their mobile clinic and outreach program, Street Outreach Services (SOS). At the request of their clients, in 2001, they expanded the program to include the companion animals of their clients. Today their devoted team of staff and volunteers serves over 1,000 humans and 500 pets per year.

Vet SOS volunteer veterinary assistant, Adrienne, is always impressed by Maloa's commitment to his dogs. "When Maloa is around, he never stops asking about what he can do to make their lives better. He is a very special and caring owner to these two and they are all lucky to have each other." Adrienne says that owners like Maloa are one of the reasons she keeps coming back to volunteer with Vet SOS. "I get to interact with people who genuinely care for their pets and will do anything to keep them happy and healthy", adding, "I'm so lucky to work with pets as friendly as Bella and July."

------------------------------
Kayla Anderson
Veterinary Social Worker
Program for Pet Health Equity
------------------------------

Link to article: Vet SOS Highlights Human-Animal Bond

Maloa met July, his beloved 12-year-old dog, about 11 years ago. This year Maloa added Bella, a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix to his family. Maloa first heard about San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (SFCCC)'s Veterinary Street Outreach Services (Vet SOS) program, a mobile service that provides free veterinary care to the companion animals of San Franciscans experiencing homelessness, from a friend when he needed to get July vaccinated. Though he's been coming to Vet SOS for less than a year, Maloa has become a regular at the program's monthly pop-up clinics, saying the team "does a very good job taking care of Bella and July and give them everything they need…people who work (at Vet SOS clinics) love Bella and July…I got to make sure my two babies are fine. I love them more than anything."

For over 40 years, SFCCC has brought high quality, compassionate and non-judgmental health care to San Franciscans experiencing homelessness with their mobile clinic and outreach program, Street Outreach Services (SOS). At the request of their clients, in 2001, they expanded the program to include the companion animals of their clients. Today their devoted team of staff and volunteers serves over 1,000 humans and 500 pets per year.

Vet SOS volunteer veterinary assistant, Adrienne, is always impressed by Maloa's commitment to his dogs. "When Maloa is around, he never stops asking about what he can do to make their lives better. He is a very special and caring owner to these two and they are all lucky to have each other." Adrienne says that owners like Maloa are one of the reasons she keeps coming back to volunteer with Vet SOS. "I get to interact with people who genuinely care for their pets and will do anything to keep them happy and healthy", adding, "I'm so lucky to work with pets as friendly as Bella and July."

------------------------------
Kayla Anderson
Veterinary Social Worker
Program for Pet Health Equity
------------------------------

Thank you for sharing, Vet SOS is a wonderful program that really brings together a dependable clinic that looks out for their clients. I had the pleasure of volunteering with them one day to shadow their process of moving clients through a clinic like this. They really have it down for such a small operation. Kudos to their continued success!

Link to article: Vet SOS Highlights Human-Animal Bond

Maloa met July, his beloved 12-year-old dog, about 11 years ago. This year Maloa added Bella, a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix to his family. Maloa first heard about San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (SFCCC)'s Veterinary Street Outreach Services (Vet SOS) program, a mobile service that provides free veterinary care to the companion animals of San Franciscans experiencing homelessness, from a friend when he needed to get July vaccinated. Though he's been coming to Vet SOS for less than a year, Maloa has become a regular at the program's monthly pop-up clinics, saying the team "does a very good job taking care of Bella and July and give them everything they need…people who work (at Vet SOS clinics) love Bella and July…I got to make sure my two babies are fine. I love them more than anything."

For over 40 years, SFCCC has brought high quality, compassionate and non-judgmental health care to San Franciscans experiencing homelessness with their mobile clinic and outreach program, Street Outreach Services (SOS). At the request of their clients, in 2001, they expanded the program to include the companion animals of their clients. Today their devoted team of staff and volunteers serves over 1,000 humans and 500 pets per year.

Vet SOS volunteer veterinary assistant, Adrienne, is always impressed by Maloa's commitment to his dogs. "When Maloa is around, he never stops asking about what he can do to make their lives better. He is a very special and caring owner to these two and they are all lucky to have each other." Adrienne says that owners like Maloa are one of the reasons she keeps coming back to volunteer with Vet SOS. "I get to interact with people who genuinely care for their pets and will do anything to keep them happy and healthy", adding, "I'm so lucky to work with pets as friendly as Bella and July."

------------------------------
Kayla Anderson
Veterinary Social Worker
Program for Pet Health Equity
------------------------------

That's amazing, Venessa! I was so elated to see a program like this working to improve the lives of pets and their parents in vulnerable circumstances. What are some of your biggest takeaways from that experience?

Thank you for sharing, Vet SOS is a wonderful program that really brings together a dependable clinic that looks out for their clients. I had the pleasure of volunteering with them one day to shadow their process of moving clients through a clinic like this. They really have it down for such a small operation. Kudos to their continued success!

Link to article: Vet SOS Highlights Human-Animal Bond

Maloa met July, his beloved 12-year-old dog, about 11 years ago. This year Maloa added Bella, a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix to his family. Maloa first heard about San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (SFCCC)'s Veterinary Street Outreach Services (Vet SOS) program, a mobile service that provides free veterinary care to the companion animals of San Franciscans experiencing homelessness, from a friend when he needed to get July vaccinated. Though he's been coming to Vet SOS for less than a year, Maloa has become a regular at the program's monthly pop-up clinics, saying the team "does a very good job taking care of Bella and July and give them everything they need…people who work (at Vet SOS clinics) love Bella and July…I got to make sure my two babies are fine. I love them more than anything."

For over 40 years, SFCCC has brought high quality, compassionate and non-judgmental health care to San Franciscans experiencing homelessness with their mobile clinic and outreach program, Street Outreach Services (SOS). At the request of their clients, in 2001, they expanded the program to include the companion animals of their clients. Today their devoted team of staff and volunteers serves over 1,000 humans and 500 pets per year.

Vet SOS volunteer veterinary assistant, Adrienne, is always impressed by Maloa's commitment to his dogs. "When Maloa is around, he never stops asking about what he can do to make their lives better. He is a very special and caring owner to these two and they are all lucky to have each other." Adrienne says that owners like Maloa are one of the reasons she keeps coming back to volunteer with Vet SOS. "I get to interact with people who genuinely care for their pets and will do anything to keep them happy and healthy", adding, "I'm so lucky to work with pets as friendly as Bella and July."

------------------------------
Kayla Anderson
Veterinary Social Worker
Program for Pet Health Equity
------------------------------

The experience was inspiring. I'll start by saying that Dr. Strubel is a well known force in the region as a client advocate and stand out community veterinarian, it was an honor to tech with her that day. I also had the pleasure of working with Boyd at the East Bay SPCA years before getting to see him in action operationalizing these clinics from start to finish, his demeanor is absolutely the calm, yet "we got this" energy that helps keep staff and volunteers returning. 

Apart from the incredible staff and volunteers I met that day, I got to see a step further towards meeting clients where they are at. We all had "stations," but were often going to the clients where they were most comfortable, which wasn't always exactly in our prepared exam area. When pets still weren't trusting of the process, we gave them space and evaluated what we could, understanding that some medical concerns could be addressed better at the speed of trust.

Despite the abundant and unending need in the area, everyone understood that it's ok to not book the day solid. Between a few no-shows and 30 minute appointment slots, doctors were able to take the time they needed with families, then write notes while one volunteer filled medications and another collected a history on the next patient. Clients were also happy to receive other supplies they might need like food, leashes, harnesses and collars. 

It's good to expect the unexpected at clinics like these, and when more intervention is needed, a strong referral partner is crucial. There was a surgery we needed to refer out, and the SFSPCA is a great partner to this program and prioritizes Vet SOS clients in their veterinary services. There's also quite a bit that can be done diagnostically at these outdoor clinics that can really support partnerships in the referral process.

SFCCC also has a medical van that accompanies these clinics to provide free medical exams for clients getting their pets seen. The medical van seemed almost underscored that day as a simply natural part of these clinics, but gave me something to aspire to in my clinic work at the time. Even with a small team, and a strong scheduling process, the consistency of showing up rain or shine for clients will attract the right people to volunteer and will keep clients returning to keep pets healthy.

That's amazing, Venessa! I was so elated to see a program like this working to improve the lives of pets and their parents in vulnerable circumstances. What are some of your biggest takeaways from that experience?

Thank you for sharing, Vet SOS is a wonderful program that really brings together a dependable clinic that looks out for their clients. I had the pleasure of volunteering with them one day to shadow their process of moving clients through a clinic like this. They really have it down for such a small operation. Kudos to their continued success!

Link to article: Vet SOS Highlights Human-Animal Bond

Maloa met July, his beloved 12-year-old dog, about 11 years ago. This year Maloa added Bella, a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix to his family. Maloa first heard about San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (SFCCC)'s Veterinary Street Outreach Services (Vet SOS) program, a mobile service that provides free veterinary care to the companion animals of San Franciscans experiencing homelessness, from a friend when he needed to get July vaccinated. Though he's been coming to Vet SOS for less than a year, Maloa has become a regular at the program's monthly pop-up clinics, saying the team "does a very good job taking care of Bella and July and give them everything they need…people who work (at Vet SOS clinics) love Bella and July…I got to make sure my two babies are fine. I love them more than anything."

For over 40 years, SFCCC has brought high quality, compassionate and non-judgmental health care to San Franciscans experiencing homelessness with their mobile clinic and outreach program, Street Outreach Services (SOS). At the request of their clients, in 2001, they expanded the program to include the companion animals of their clients. Today their devoted team of staff and volunteers serves over 1,000 humans and 500 pets per year.

Vet SOS volunteer veterinary assistant, Adrienne, is always impressed by Maloa's commitment to his dogs. "When Maloa is around, he never stops asking about what he can do to make their lives better. He is a very special and caring owner to these two and they are all lucky to have each other." Adrienne says that owners like Maloa are one of the reasons she keeps coming back to volunteer with Vet SOS. "I get to interact with people who genuinely care for their pets and will do anything to keep them happy and healthy", adding, "I'm so lucky to work with pets as friendly as Bella and July."

------------------------------
Kayla Anderson
Veterinary Social Worker
Program for Pet Health Equity
------------------------------

Link to article: Vet SOS Highlights Human-Animal Bond

Maloa met July, his beloved 12-year-old dog, about 11 years ago. This year Maloa added Bella, a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix to his family. Maloa first heard about San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (SFCCC)'s Veterinary Street Outreach Services (Vet SOS) program, a mobile service that provides free veterinary care to the companion animals of San Franciscans experiencing homelessness, from a friend when he needed to get July vaccinated. Though he's been coming to Vet SOS for less than a year, Maloa has become a regular at the program's monthly pop-up clinics, saying the team "does a very good job taking care of Bella and July and give them everything they need…people who work (at Vet SOS clinics) love Bella and July…I got to make sure my two babies are fine. I love them more than anything."

For over 40 years, SFCCC has brought high quality, compassionate and non-judgmental health care to San Franciscans experiencing homelessness with their mobile clinic and outreach program, Street Outreach Services (SOS). At the request of their clients, in 2001, they expanded the program to include the companion animals of their clients. Today their devoted team of staff and volunteers serves over 1,000 humans and 500 pets per year.

Vet SOS volunteer veterinary assistant, Adrienne, is always impressed by Maloa's commitment to his dogs. "When Maloa is around, he never stops asking about what he can do to make their lives better. He is a very special and caring owner to these two and they are all lucky to have each other." Adrienne says that owners like Maloa are one of the reasons she keeps coming back to volunteer with Vet SOS. "I get to interact with people who genuinely care for their pets and will do anything to keep them happy and healthy", adding, "I'm so lucky to work with pets as friendly as Bella and July."

------------------------------
Kayla Anderson
Veterinary Social Worker
Program for Pet Health Equity
------------------------------