ASPCA® Opens Community Veterinary Center in Brooklyn to Improve Access to Veterinary Care for Underserved Pet Owners

NEW YORK, April 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced the grand opening of the second ASPCA Community Veterinary Center in New York City, located in East New York, Brooklyn. The ASPCA Community Veterinary Center, supported by the Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Charitable Trust, aims to create better access to affordable veterinary services for underserved pet owners and improve the health and welfare of dogs and cats in Brooklyn. This is the second of three Community Veterinary Centers the ASPCA is building across New York City in communities with limited existing resources for veterinary care. 

"Providing accessible and affordable veterinary services for pets whose owners face financial challenges sustains the health and safety of those animals and helps keeps families together," said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA president and CEO. "This Community Veterinary Center in Brooklyn will provide those vital resources to residents and local pets who need it more than ever during this unprecedented public health and economic crisis. Following in the footsteps of our Community Veterinary Center in the Bronx and stationary and mobile ASPCA clinics throughout the city, the Brooklyn Community Veterinary Center is another symbol of our deep and longstanding commitment to the welfare of New York City pets and people."

The ASPCA Community Veterinary Center will offer partially and fully subsidized basic and preventive care to dogs and cats, including vaccinations, treatment for infections and other minor issues, in addition to spay/neuter surgeries. The Center, made possible by a leadership gift from the Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Charitable Trust, with additional donations from PetSmart Charities® and other dedicated supporters, will have a meaningful impact on thousands of Brooklyn area pets and their owners each year.

The ASPCA Community Veterinary Center 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 first ASPCA Community Veterinary facility, generously supported by donor Barbara Dauphin-Duthuit, opened in the South Bronx in March 2020 before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. In its first year of operation, the Center has provided care to over 11,500 cats and dogs and served as a community resource throughout the pandemic, operating as a free pet food distribution center and offering services to meet the most urgent pet care needs of South Bronx residents.

The third Community Veterinary Center will open in Queens in 2022. The ASPCA strives to share learnings from its Community Veterinary Centers 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 Centers, the ASPCA currently operates mobile veterinary care clinics in East New York and the South Bronx and provides services to the animal rescue community through its spay/neuter clinic in Glendale, Queens. The ASPCA also operates a fleet of mobile spay/neuter clinics that provides low-cost, high quality spay/neuter surgery to pet owners in all five boroughs. In addition, the ASPCA Animal Hospital 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 more than 21 million pets living in poverty with their owners nationwide.

The ASPCA Community Veterinary Center in Brooklyn is located at 464 New Lots Avenue in East New York and will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Services are provided by appointment only and exclusively for Brooklyn residents whose household income is less than $50,000 per year or who qualify for public assistance.

For more information about the ASPCA's efforts to improve access to affordable veterinary care for underserved pet owners, please visit www.aspca.org.

Photos: https://aspca.widencollective.com/dam/externalorderpickup/2419ef5c-8b63-47be-9c8e-ccc5c93c75a3
B-roll: https://aspca.box.com/s/32kpwrj4nvezdpr61m85j0eiau1dzkba

About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first animal welfare organization in North America and serves as the nation's leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. For more information, please visit www.ASPCA.org, and be sure to follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

SOURCE ASPCA