We are an Ottawa Community Foundation Grant Recipient
Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO) Ottawa has received support to advance sustainable medical care for pets in need.
CVO Ottawa has served people and pets for over 20 years, providing over $40,000 of medical care last year alone, and serving almost 500 people and pets. The region is led by Dr. Susan Kilborn and Dr. Anne Downes, and over 1,000 volunteers, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and support staff. CVO provides services at pop-up One Health Clinics, where people bring their pets for vaccines and physical exams, flea and tick medications, microchip placement, pro bono spay and neuter access, and pet food/supplies. They also get something for themselves: easy to access human health services like smoking cessation, flu and COVID vaccines, dental care, harm reduction services, legal advice, mental health support, and self care services such as manicures. In addition, the region provides medical veterinary care between clinics where funds allow, along with telehealth, pet food in communities, and spay neuter services.
That’s where the region’s newest grant comes in. CVO Ottawa’s services run entirely on donations. The OCF grant provides funding for three activities aimed to create sustainable solutions to CVO Ottawa’s programming:
Expanding the network of trained veterinary teams: The grant will fund training for veterinary clinic teams in trauma informed care to expand the number of clinics empowered to accept vulnerable clients from CVO (planned for winter 2025)
Sustainable long term solutions: Grant funding will also go towards funding a sustainability workshop in the region to bring together leaders from multiple human and veterinary agencies for a solutions- based meeting on how to support sustainable veterinary care for vulnerable people and pets in the region.
Bolstering funding for medical veterinary care: The grant provides critical funding to provide non- preventive veterinary care to pets in need while sustainability and training are underway.
CVO has previously received grants from OCF, including a grant during COVID-19 to design and deliver equine-assisted, trauma-informed learning programs for vulnerable young women living in a shelter.
With the 2024 Community Grant from Ottawa Community Foundation, CVO will continue its work using a One Health approach to support the human-animal bond and the well-being of pets and their people and the community.
“This grant provides CVO Ottawa with the necessary resources to create sustainable solutions for the pets and people in need in the region,” says Dr. Melanie Barham, CEO of Community Veterinary Outreach. “We know pets are critical to keeping people active, healthy, and making positive choices for themselves. This is true for all people, but especially for people experiencing homelessness. I’m thrilled we can build upon our program in Ottawa to find ways to make veterinary care possible for everyone.”
“Our clients often tell us that their pet is the most important relationship in their life. Our clients generally put their pets’ needs before themselves”, says Drs. Kilborn and Downes. “We are so grateful for this grant because it allows us to train more local hospitals to partner with Community Veterinary Outreach. This will help to keep these important human- pet relationships healthy and intact.”
Follow Community Veterinary Outreach on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to see more about this upcoming initiative.
Interested individuals can learn about the Ottawa Community Foundation by visiting their website https://www.ocf-fco.ca/ or their social media (LinkedIn, Youtube, Facebook, X).
With this specific grant to improve care in our Ottawa region, support is needed for our other 10 regions. Donations to help fund medical care are gratefully accepted at www.vetoutreach.org/donate
Community Veterinary Outreach is a national organization and a registered charity in Canada. The organization has 11 locations from coast-to-coast. Over its 21 year history, the organization has innovated compassionate and accessible health care for both people and their pets experiencing homelessness. CVO has received funding from organizations at the national, international, and local levels. The organization also works with multiple educational institutions to provide graduate student supervision and answer research questions to support the communities they serve.
Interested community members can learn more about Community Veterinary Outreach, including information on donating and volunteering, by visiting https://vetoutreach.org/ or checking out @vetoutreach on Instagram and Community Veterinary Outreach on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Community Veterinary Outreach works directly with case-worker referrals. There are exceptions: CVO’s Vancouver region accepts drop-ins and CVO Whitehorse region accepts referrals from First Nation organizations. Individuals in need of services offered by Community Veterinary Outreach can have their social/case worker email info@vetoutreach.org to receive details!
Learn more and donate here: www.vetoutreach.org
Media inquiries and to learn how your organization can get involved: www.vetoutreach.org/contact-us/