On any given day, you can walk through the doors of the San Francisco SPCA Community Veterinary Clinic and be greeted by smiling faces, wagging tails, and a lively symphony of overlapping languages—Spanish, English, and Cantonese.
Established in 2022 in the heart of the city’s Excelsior District, it’s the city’s first stand-alone, low-cost veterinary clinic. Serving mostly Latinx and Asian populations, we offer care provided by staff who reflect and understand the communities we serve. “What’s exciting about the community clinic,” said SF SPCA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jena Valdez, “is that our staff is from the community. They look like the community, and they speak the languages used in the neighborhood. It’s a completely different take on traditional veterinary care, and it works.”
Services include vaccinations, flea and tick treatments, deworming, basic examinations and sick care, and assistance with subsidized appointments at our spay and neuter clinic and veterinary hospital. It’s the kind of basic veterinary care that helps keep pets in their loving homes and prevents costly emergency visits for treatable issues.
Funders like PetSmart Charities help fuel our Community Medicine Programs
In the current fiscal year, 55% of SF SPCA revenue will be contributed by our donors: individuals, foundations, companies, and those who have generously included us in their estate plans. Our ability to improve access to veterinary care is linked directly to donor support for our programs.
PetSmart Charities has supported the SF SPCA since 1998. Last year, PetSmart Charities welcomed the SF SPCA into its multi-year Accelerator grant program, designed to help expand nonprofit, low-cost, financially sustainable veterinary clinics and improve access to veterinary care. In November 2024, PetSmart Charities awarded the SF SPCA a three-year, $1 million commitment to support the Community Veterinary Clinic’s continued growth. As part of the Accelerator program, we meet monthly to share ideas and best practices with fellow awardees who are opening similar community clinics across the country.
“The San Francisco SPCA’s Community Veterinary Clinic demonstrates how accessible veterinary care can transform communities,” says Aimee Christian, PetSmart Charities Lead Community Grants Manager. “By meeting pet families where they are and providing high-quality, low-cost services, the SF SPCA team is breaking down barriers to care and keeping pets and their people together.”
The SF SPCA Community Veterinary Clinic serves growing demand for animal care
As we work toward a financially sustainable model, donor funds will be instrumental to the CVC’s continued success in expanding access to affordable veterinary care in San Francisco. Since the clinic opened, the response from pet guardians has been overwhelmingly positive, and the clinic has doubled its hours of operation to keep up with demand.
We’ve seen a similar increase in demand throughout our Community Medicine Programs. At our free, monthly Mobile Vaccine Clinic, we serve 60% more pets monthly than in previous years, and we regularly refer clients to the Community Veterinary Clinic. They also receive referrals from our Community Ambassador Program.
Angela Harris and her son, Nagail Tobie, from the Bayview neighborhood, bring their two cats, Sylvester and Garfield, and their dog, Penny, to the Community Veterinary Clinic. Angela said the low prices allow her to keep her pets up to date on their vaccines. Just as important, Angela and Nagail have shared that they both appreciate how warm and welcoming the clinic feels. Their ongoing relationship with our veterinary-care team ensures that Sylvester, Garfield, and Penny will live longer, healthier lives with their loving humans.
Providing care where it’s needed most
Before the Community Veterinary Clinic opened, San Francisco’s Excelsior District and adjacent neighborhoods were considered a veterinary desert, with no accessible veterinary clinics or other pet resources. When the clinic opened, residents welcomed the addition. Maribel Ramirez, resident and executive director of Excelsior Action Group, said, “It’s wonderful to have such an amazing organization provide the services our neighbors, families, and friends need.”
As veterinary care becomes increasingly out of reach for many residents, new care-delivery models are needed now more than ever. By prioritizing affordable pricing, staff who are representative of the community we serve, and a judgment-free approach, programs like the Community Veterinary Clinic—and all our Community Medicine initiatives—make care more accessible, save lives, and help more pets remain in their loving homes.
This story originally appeared in the spring 2025 issue of Our Animals magazine. Download a copy to read more.