ASPCA Opens Third Community Veterinary Clinic in New York City, Providing Affordable Veterinary Care to Underserved Pet Owners in Queens

NEW YORK - 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 14^th 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.

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