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San Francisco SPCA Co-President Named Recipient of the 2011 Association of Shelter Veterinarians Meritorious Achievement Award

Jennifer Scarlett, D.V.M., Honored for Committed Service to SF SPCA and the Animal Welfare Community

San Francisco, Jan 18 2011: Today, the San Francisco SPCA joins the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) to honor Jennifer Scarlett, D.V.M., co-president of the SF SPCA, as the recipient of the 2011 ASV Meritorious Achievement Award for contributions to the veterinary field. The award recognizes Scarlett for her remarkable and ongoing service to the SF SPCA, namely her extensive work with the organization's Shelter Medicine program. The ASV presented Scarlett with a $250 honorarium, which she will donate to the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society, whose pet adoption center was devastated by a fire in May 2010.

"I am honored and humbled to be named as this year's recipient of the ASV's achievement award, though I see this as a testament to the remarkable team we have at the SF SPCA and the many accomplishments we've made over the past several years," said Scarlett. "We look forward to continuing our work providing needed care and loving homes for the thousands of animals that we serve in our community every year."

Scarlett joined the SF SPCA in 2007 as the head of the Shelter Medicine program and was formally appointed co-president on Jan. 4. Since joining the SF SPCA, Scarlett has implemented several prominent programs, including:

• Improved medical care and increased adoptions by 25 percent by reducing the amount of time animals await adoption; each adoption represents a life saved.
• Introduced the Community Cares Initiative in which mobile vaccine clinics visit at-risk neighborhoods and offer free vaccinations to any pet. The program has vaccinated more than 660 pets since its inception in fall 2010.
• Bolstered spay and neuter care, including increasing surgeries by 1,000 procedures with focus on subsidized and free care, and addressing the increasing local feral cat population. The SF SPCA is on track to perform 9,000 spay/neuter surgeries this year.
• Established the SF SPCA Fospice ("Foster Hospice") Program which provides necessary medications and veterinary care, as well as end-of-life services, for older animals at no charge to foster families. The program allows the SF SPCA to extend its life-saving capacity to animals that traditionally would not be given a chance to live out their natural lives.

For more information on the ASV or its Meritorious Achievement Award, visit www.sheltervet.org.