Toledo, OH, Feb. 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Open Door Veterinary Collective, a national non-profit 501(c)(3) network and collaborative forum that helps expand access to veterinary care, has announced the launch of an online locator tool called PetHelpFinder.org. The online tool connects pet families with financially friendly veterinary care, pet food and supplies, temporary boarding, behavioral support and other services. PetHelpFinder.org is utilized by 211 national services and will also support Pets and People Together, a national public service campaign made in partnership between the Ad Council, Maddie’s Fund®, and the Humane Society of the United States.
“While working on research for Meals on Wheels America for homebound clients with pets, it became clear to me that a tool was desperately needed to help families identify and connect accessible pet care resources in communities across the country,” said Heather Cammisa, project lead for Pet Help Finder at Open Door Veterinary Collective. “At the time nothing existed, and when I joined forces with Open Door, whose mission is to serve both pet families and veterinary service providers in expanding access to care, we took on the project,” Cammisa added.
Pet Help Finder launched with more than 1,500 providers already on the platform, with new listings added daily. The organization stated that the term “financially friendly” is designed to welcome all providers of accessible services, including those offering free and discounted resources such as pet food and vaccines, as well as standard-priced veterinary services where payment options are made available, or where a spectrum of care approach is utilized when clients have financial constraints.
“It was important to us to support every provider in a community who is offering a meaningful pathway to pet services and care, whether private practice, non-profits, foundations, voucher programs, or social service agencies helping with pet resources,” said Aimee St. Arnaud, founder of Open Door Veterinary Collective and co-owner of two private practices that implement the Open Door business model. Open Door Veterinary Collective was founded in 2020 with a mission to expand access to veterinary care by offering business model training support to veterinary providers to help them be sustainable and earn net revenue. The non-profit also publishes research and helps lead the field in bridging pet care gaps. “There’s simply too much pain in the system. Open Door was created to mobilize practical solutions and drive innovation,” St. Arnaud said.
According to the Access to Veterinary Care Coalition, research has shown that one in four pet families reported an inability to access needed veterinary care in the past two years. The catalyzing Meals on Wheels America research also found higher rates in inability to access care. Additionally, Open Door reports that while millennials currently own the most pets according to the American Pet Products Association, this group is also the age cohort where 70% are living paycheck to paycheck.
While the top barrier in access to care research is consistently financial, the cost of care is not the only concern. The peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science reflects Open Door’s recent study on the amount of care potentially enabled by soft credit-based lending tools. It was found that 14.5 times the care is made possible when adding these tools to clinics to address clients who would not qualify for hard credit tools and who cannot pay for services in full. This evidence prompted the charity to include providers proactively offering these tools on Pet Help Finder, even if no other discounts are available.
The organization is mindful also of the financial hurdles faced by veterinary providers due to the rising costs of supplies and staffing. The American Veterinary Medical Association reports that the average student loan debt for 2022 veterinary school graduates is $147,258. “The costs of running a clinic are real and rising,” said St. Arnaud. “We want to see veterinary clinics be paid for their services and able to retain staff, purchase equipment, and earn a net revenue to support their sustainability.”
The Pet Help Finder locator also lists providers of non-veterinary pet care needs as identified in the Meals on Wheels America research, and which are recognized in animal welfare and social service circles nationwide. Among these: grooming and nail trimming help, pet behavior support, transportation services, pet supplies, fence building, straw for insulating outside dog houses, and help for community cats.
The locator was made possible by a grant from Life of Riley, a program of Spring Point Partners that advances animal welfare by investing in diverse leadership and community-driven solutions. Spring Point Partners is a social impact organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
To access the locator, visit PetHelpFinder.org. More information on Open Door Veterinary Collective or Life of Riley may be accessed by clicking on their logos at the bottom of the locator landing page.
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Referenced Links and Reports:
- Access to Veterinary Care Coalition, University of Tennessee Veterinary School: https://pphe.utk.edu/access-to-veterinary-care-report/
- American Veterinary Medical Association debt statistic: https://www.avma.org/news/starting-salaries-debt-down-new-veterinarians
- Meals on Wheels America Pet Programming and Clients Needs Assessment: https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/docs/default-source/research/pet-programming-and-client-needs-assessment_final-report.pdf
- American Pet Products Association on Millennial pet ownership: https://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_releasedetail.asp?id=1252
- Paycheck to Paycheck PYMTS May 2022: https://www.pymnts.com/economy/2022/millennial-minute-70-of-millennials-live-paycheck-to-paycheck
Pets and People Together Campaign: https://petsandpeopletogether.org/
About
Open Door Veterinary Collective is a national non-profit training network and collaborative forum that helps veterinary and animal welfare organizations implement innovative strategies to expand access to veterinary care. Its website is https://opendoorconsults.org
Life of Riley is a signature program of Spring Point Partners that advances animal welfare by investing in diverse leadership and community-driven solutions. Life of Riley funds programs and initiatives that advance animal welfare in the pet industry and across our communities, and which protect, elevate, and celebrate the bond between people and pets. Its website is https://lor.dog/about/
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