VCA ANIMAL HOSPITALS EXPANDS ACCESS TO VETERINARY CARE WITH THE LAUNCH OF URGENT CARE HOSPITALS

First VCA Urgent Care Opens in Los Angeles, With Expansion Planned Nationwide

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Driven by a once-in-a-generation mix of forces ? from talent shortages to pandemic-era pet adoptions, the field of veterinary medicine is under strain responding to significant demand for care. To help expand access to care, VCA Animal Hospitals has added a new care option: Urgent Care. VCA Animal Hospitals Urgent Care builds on VCA's existing network of hospitals and positions VCA as one of the world's most comprehensive veterinary service providers ? enhancing and expanding VCA's network of primary, emergency, and specialty animal hospitals. The first Urgent Care is now open in Mar Vista, Los Angeles, with plans for future locations around the U.S. in the months ahead.

"As the leading provider of comprehensive veterinary care, we take seriously our responsibility to help address the critical capacity issues facing our field ? issues that challenge our ability to take care of every pet and client who needs help," said Garrett Lewis, Chief Operating Officer for VCA Animal Hospitals. "Our hospital teams are working harder than ever to see more pets, and we're developing new ways to deliver care to pets quickly. The launch of VCA Animal Hospitals Urgent Care is one way we're expanding access to world-class veterinary medicine. It's also historic for VCA ? this is the first time we've built a new line of hospitals from the ground up. Urgent Care has the potential to create a better experience for our Associates, our clients, and pets through purposeful design and new uses of technology."

VCA's urgent care locations aim to offer pets and owners another option when seeking care, focused on non-life-threatening issues that should be addressed same or next day:

• Urgent Care Only. A primary care veterinarian is the best partner for everyday wellness and medical care. But when something pops up that isn't an emergency and needs more immediate attention, VCA's urgent care hospitals are a great option.
• Free Teletriage. Clients have access to VCA's free 24/7 teletriage, which connects them directly to a team of on-call credentialed veterinarian technicians. This team can help assess a pet's condition, advising whether a trip to urgent care or the emergency room is needed.
• Easy Access to Care. Pet owners have access to same or next-day care with transparent, up-to-the-minute wait times and the ability to quickly join the virtual waiting room. This means clients can join the virtual waiting room and wait in the comfort of their homes until it's their turn, rather than waiting in the hospital.
• Calming Environment. The hospital is thoughtfully designed to create a calming and welcoming environment for both owner and pet. Intentionally designed without a front desk or phones, friendly client service representatives help clients get comfortable and checked in via mobile device.
• Convenient location. VCA Animal Hospitals Urgent Care ? Mar Vista is located at 12108 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066.

"When we began this journey to create VCA Animal Hospitals Urgent Care, we started fresh with a relentless focus on making the veterinary experience even better for the animals we care for, their owners, and our teams," said Brendan Lynch, Senior Vice President for Urgent Care & Innovation, VCA Animal Hospitals. "Our Urgent Care hospitals are designed to be calming, welcoming environments. We have infused our decades of medical expertise into a new, seamless digital and in-hospital experience."

For more information about VCA Urgent Care and our first location in Los Angeles, visit http://www.vcaurgentcare.com.

A leader in veterinary care, VCA Animal Hospitals is committed to caring for the future of veterinary medicine. We are a family of hometown animal hospitals determined to positively impact pets, people, and our communities. From general practice to emergency and specialty care, VCA delivers world-class medicine to more than four million pets each year. Our national network of clinics and hospitals invest in cutting-edge tools, training and technology that enables our Associates to lead the industry today and into tomorrow. Among our talented 35,000 Associates are nearly 7,000 veterinarians ? including 430 who are board-certified specialists ? nearly 4,000 credentialed technicians and over 10,000 veterinary assistants ? all dedicated to giving pets the very best in medical care. 

As part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of brands, VCA is taking care of the future of veterinary medicine to help achieve the Mars Petcare Purpose?A Better World for Petstm. To learn more about VCA, visit: www.vca.com. And find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE VCA Animal Hospitals