The ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by The
Rachael Ray Foundation™ will provide much-needed care to
thousands of Long Island City-area
pets each year
NEW
YORK, Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The ASPCA®
(The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals®) today announced the grand opening of its third
ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic in New York City, located in Long Island City, Queens, to provide access to affordable
veterinary services for tens of thousands of underserved pet owners
each year and improve the health and welfare of dogs and cats in
the surrounding community. The ASPCA Community Veterinary
Clinic by The Rachael Ray Foundation™ is the fourth Community
Veterinary Clinic the ASPCA has opened in five years, with the
first clinic opening in Miami,
followed by clinics in the Bronx
and Brooklyn, collectively serving
more than 100,000 cats and dogs since 2019, and helping to make
veterinary care more affordable and accessible nationwide.
"The need for affordable veterinary care is at an all-time high,
and for many pet owners, keeping their beloved pets healthy can be
a challenge, which puts stress not just on the animals, but on
owners, families, and entire neighborhoods, because everyone is
impacted when a vital family need is unmet," said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President & CEO. "The
new ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic in Queens is one example of how we are working to
help meet that need by intentionally embedding ourselves in
communities where access to basic veterinary care is most needed.
The lessons we learn from our community-based work in New York City will strengthen our clinics here
and shape our current efforts to improve veterinary care access in
Los Angeles, Miami and beyond."
The location of the new clinic was chosen because of the lack of
affordable veterinary care in the surrounding area. Specifically,
this clinic will serve residents of the nearby NYC Housing
Authority (NYCHA) developments—Queensbridge, Ravenswood, and
Astoria—all within walking distance of the clinic. Together, these
three NYCHA developments house over 6,000 units and are home to
many families and their pets.
The ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic will offer partially and
fully subsidized basic and preventive care to dogs and cats,
including vaccinations, treatment for minor illnesses and injuries,
and spay/neuter surgeries. The clinic will also provide
high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations to
homeless dogs and cats being cared for by animal rescue
organizations, including Animal Care Centers of New York City, expanding the ASPCA's services
to the animal rescue community.
The new ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic in Queens is located at 36-02 14th
Street in Long Island City and is
open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Services are
provided by appointment only. To receive services from the
Queens Community Veterinary Clinic, pet owners must provide proof
of public assistance and live in one of three zip codes surrounding
the clinic: 11101, 11102 or 11106. Acceptable forms of public
assistance include proof of residency in public housing (NYCHA),
Medicaid, SSI, Disability/SSD, Welfare, TANF, SNAP/Food Stamps.
This Clinic is made possible by a leadership gift from The
Rachael Ray Foundation, along with donations from other dedicated
supporters. Launched in support of the causes closest to
Rachael Ray's heart, The Rachael Ray
Foundation is committed to helping improve the lives of animals in
need and honoring the human-animal bond.
The ASPCA now has four Community Veterinary Clinics operating in
Miami and New York City: one opened in Liberty City,
Miami, in 2019, in partnership
with Miami-Dade Animal Services and Miami-Dade County, the second in the
South Bronx in 2020, supported by
donor Barbara Dauphin-Duthuit, and the third in East New York in 2021, supported by the Alex
and Elisabeth Lewyt Charitable Trust. The ASPCA shares
learnings from its Community Veterinary Clinics with the
animal welfare community and veterinary professionals across the
country, helping to make veterinary care more affordable and
accessible nationwide.
In addition to its Community Veterinary Clinics, the ASPCA
currently operates mobile spay/neuter and veterinary care clinics
in under-resourced communities across New
York City, and the ASPCA Animal Hospital in Manhattan offers advanced care services for
pets of low-income households. The ASPCA has launched programs and
partnerships in New York City,
Los Angeles, and Miami that make veterinary care more
accessible and affordable and continues to develop initiatives to
serve the millions of pets living in poverty with their owners
nationwide.
For more information about the ASPCA's efforts to improve access
to affordable veterinary care for underserved pet owners, please
visit www.aspca.org.
About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) was the first
animal welfare organization to be established in North America and today serves as the nation's
leading voice for vulnerable and victimized animals. As a 501(c)(3)
not-for-profit corporation with more than two million supporters
nationwide, the ASPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to dogs,
cats, equines, and farm animals throughout the United States. The
ASPCA assists animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and
cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement,
legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the
sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and
resources. For more information, visit www.ASPCA.org, and follow
the ASPCA on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
About The Rachael Ray Foundation™
The Rachael Ray
Foundation™ (RRF) is a private foundation that is fully funded by
the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®. RRF
was launched by Rachael in 2016 to better support the causes she
cares for most such as helping animals in need. Additionally, RRF
works with organizations that support the mission of Yum-o!,
Rachael's 501c3, in order to bolster and amplify their efforts
through additional funding. Yum-o! empowers kids and their families
to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. It also
teaches families to cook, feeds hungry kids, and funds cooking
education, among other initiatives.
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SOURCE ASPCA