The future site of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington’s new low-income pet clinic is at the Holly Park Center in Hazel Dell. The clinic is expected to open next summer. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
The Humane Society for Southwest Washington will open a clinic for low-income pet owners next year.
The Southwest Washington animal welfare nonprofit will begin remodeling a facility in Hazel Dell’s Holly Park Center.
The Community Veterinary Clinic, 10501 N.E. Highway 99, will offer low-cost, subsidized veterinary care for pets of income-qualifying families in Clark County. It is expected to open late next summer, Humane Society President Andrea Bruno said.
“It’s not about growing the shelter capacity. It’s not about having more animals come to us. It’s about us getting ahead of it and being proactive so that we have fewer animals needing shelter services,” Bruno said. “As much as we have a beautiful shelter, we know a shelter is not the ultimate goal for an animal. We’ll always be there for those that need us, but if we can keep more pets in homes with people who love them, that’s what we want to focus on.”
Pet owners who are low-income or receiving government support, including free and reduced-price school lunches, Medicaid, Section 8 housing, Apple Health and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits qualify for care. For a full list of income qualifications, visit southwesthumane.org/services/mobile-veterinary-clinic.
“Our focus is really to serve a lot of the community who probably aren’t accessing veterinary care now,” Bruno said. “It will still be high-quality services, but it will be subsidized by donors and the Humane Society to provide care at the lowest cost we possibly can.”
The campaign to build the clinic began in 2018 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally, the Humane Society for Southwest Washington planned to add it to its shelter space at 1100 N.E. 192nd Ave., Vancouver.
After coming onto the project in 2020, Bruno decided to have the clinic built out of the existing retail space at Holly Park Center.
The new plan will reduce construction costs and provide more accessibility for families, according to Sam Ellingson, spokesman for the Humane Society for Southwest Washington.
“This clinic is a critical step in our work to invest in upstream solutions to support pets and families,” Ellingson said in an email. “We expect this clinic will help reduce the number of pets who come to the shelter by providing care that can reduce or prevent some families from surrendering their pets due to treatable medical issues.”
Initially, the clinic will operate with a team of about eight staff members, concentrating on wellness and spay and neuter services. Over time, it will expand to offer similar services to those provided at the Humane Society’s Vancouver shelter, such as preventative care and surgical procedures, Bruno said.
The clinic will also feature a large multiuse room for the organization’s training program.
The Humane Society for Southwest Washington will provide updates to the community about the construction process and the official opening date through its newsletter, website and social media accounts.
The nonprofit plans to maintain operations at its current Vancouver location, while expanding to manage the Cowlitz County shelter, 909 Columbia Blvd., Longview. Once the acquisition is finalized in January, the Cowlitz County shelter will take on the Humane Society for Southwest Washington brand.
Bruno said she is hopeful that the acquisition, along with the new clinic and the shelter’s mobile clinic, which launched over the summer, will create access to affordable care and provide a seamless network of resources throughout the region.
“I think this is an exciting moment for Southwest Washington,” Bruno said. “We think it’s complementary to what other veterinarians are doing in this community, and we think it will have a huge impact. It’s about making a healthier, happier community overall.”
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
