The ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) will be opening a low-cost veterinary center in East New York to help low-income Brooklynites keep their furry friends healthy and happy, announced the organization on Tuesday.
The East New York center will be one of three to be built in NYC and is expected to open in 2020. Additional locations will come to the South Bronx and Manhattan.
The announcement is part of a $45 million investment that will increase ASPCA's capacity to care for victims of animal cruelty and expand services to underserved pet owners. The ASPCA Community Veterinary Centers will also treat homeless dogs and cats that are being cared for by animal rescue organizations, officials said.
Additionally, ASPCA will build a 50,000 square-foot a state-of-the-art facility for behavioral and medical interventions to shelter, rehabilitate and rehome abused and neglected dogs rescued through the nonprofit's partnership with the NYPD.
"The ASPCA is deepening its commitment to helping the most vulnerable animals and their owners by increasing the availability of crucial veterinary resources to pet owners in need and by successfully rehabilitating and rehoming more victims of cruelty," said ASPCA President and CEO Matt Bershadker.
According to the ASPCA, a lack of affordable veterinary care and limited access to spay/neuter services are primary causes that force pet owners to relinquish their pets. In response to these needs, the ASPCA has piloted mobile veterinary care clinics in the Bronx and East New York. The new centers aim to further fill service gaps by providing low-income pet owners with access to basic veterinary care, including vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery.
"The ASPCA's expansion of free and low-cost veterinary care to animals will bring much-needed relief to New Yorkers' pets in East New York, the South Bronx and upper Manhattan," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "These clinics will also reduce the burden on our city's animal shelters by preventing pet surrenders from owners who can't access basic veterinary care for their pets. Thanks to the ASPCA's continued leadership, we are taking significant strides toward becoming a city where New Yorkers can get access to the care their pets need to thrive."
Meanwhile, until the new center is up and running, Brooklynites can also obtain low-cost services from the ASPCA's Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinics that travel throughout the city. For more information, go here.
