{"id":2665,"date":"2020-09-21T17:31:40","date_gmt":"2020-09-21T17:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.humanepa.org\/?p=2665"},"modified":"2020-09-21T17:38:09","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T17:38:09","slug":"a-whole-new-meaning-for-drive-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.humanepa.org\/?p=2665","title":{"rendered":"A Whole New Meaning for \u201cDrive-In!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
By: Suzanne D’Alonzo, Community Outreach Programs Manager for Humane Pennsylvania<\/em><\/h5>\n

Perhaps you\u2019ve been to a drive-in movie.\u00a0 Surely you\u2019ve gotten fast food through a drive-in restaurant.\u00a0 Maybe you have recently attended a drive-in graduation?\u00a0 Well, Humane Pennsylvania is happy to give \u201cDrive-in\u201d a whole new meaning!<\/p>\n

Since late spring, we\u2019ve resumed serving our community with a new form of affordable, accessible pet care:\u00a0 the Drive-in Vaccination\/Microchip Clinic.\u00a0 Our previous vaccination clinic offerings were walk-in models, with many people gathering in the same room- clearly something that had to be tweaked once COVID-19 struck.<\/p>\n

Wanting to hit the ground running, we contacted other shelters and health departments that had been offering drive-in vaccination services for years to see how they had operated such clinics.\u00a0 Using their tips, as well as some of their \u201clessons learned,\u201d our clinics have gone smoothly.<\/p>\n

The clinics are now popping up around Reading.\u00a0 They started in our own Humane Veteri\"\"nary Hospital parking lot, but it\u2019s made sense to move them to various locations, just as we did with our original vaccine clinic model.\u00a0 Each new location has the potential to expand our audience, which is just what we want:\u00a0 the more people that know about the Drive-in Clinics, the better!\u00a0 Different spots also mean that we get the chance to create positive new relationships with other businesses and organizations in the community, and that always opens opportunities.\u00a0 For example, we\u2019ll be in the parking lot of Nightclub Reverb for one of the October clinics (thanks, Reverb!).\u00a0 Nightclubs previously had been overlooked, not coming to mind as an obvious shelter or vet hospital connection.\u00a0 This gave us the chance to ask, \u201cwhy not?!\u201d\u00a0 Their parking lot is a great space for our Drive-in Clinic, plus their neighborhood and their general audience are pet owners too!<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the goal of our Drive-in Vaccination\/Microchip Clinics?\u00a0 To get as many dogs and cats vaccinated and chipped as possible, of course!\u00a0 Drive-in Clinics let us offer affordable, accessible vaccines for some of the diseases that are most dangerous to our pets. \u00a0(We\u2019re able to provide Rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats, DA2PPV for dogs and FVRCP for cats.)\u00a0 And the microchipping increases the chance that a lost pet gets reunited quickly.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Pay-What-You-Can model that lets us provide services to everyone.\u00a0 Our cost is about $10 per service.\u00a0 Pet owners who can pay for the services their pets receive helps cover our costs.\u00a0 The pet owners who contribute a little more help us to provide services to those who can\u2019t pay anything.\u00a0 And for those pet owners who can\u2019t afford to pay anything, it\u2019s free; we happily vaccinate\/microchip those pets too.<\/p>\n

Pet caregivers register ahead of time<\/a>, online or by phone.\u00a0 This lets us keep the flow of cars going as they arrive. \u00a0\u00a0Our team of staff and volunteers check clients in, line up the cars, review previous vet records, and confirm the vaccinations and\/or microchips that will be given.\u00a0 We serve dogs and cats on separate dates, so kittles don\u2019t have to hear barking (we know the car ride is tough enough).\u00a0 In turn, pets are taken to the vet\u2019s station, vaccinated and\/or microchipped, and placed back in their car before they know it.\u00a0 Owners conveniently and safely stay in their vehicles, with the whole process taking only minutes.<\/p>\n

Opening up Drive-in Clinic options can really be a game changer for pet owners.\u00a0 It\u2019s another tool in the toolbox for taking care of pets.\u00a0 For some of our clients this is their only opportunity for veterinary care for their pet at this time.\u00a0 For others, pets may get the \u201cbasic\u201d vaccinations from us, letting their owner sock away money for additional vet care, like a dental cleaning or other vaccines their pet may need.\u00a0 With COVID\u2019s impact, our clinics are seeing an even wider range of clients, and we\u2019re here for them all.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll continue to explore how we can best serve our community.\u00a0 With so many things that are currently in flux, it\u2019s likely that we may tweak the Drive-in option or introduce new options.\u00a0 What won\u2019t change is our commitment to working towards every pet getting what they need to be happy and healthy and at home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Suzanne D’Alonzo, Community Outreach Programs Manager for Humane Pennsylvania Perhaps you\u2019ve been to a drive-in movie.\u00a0 Surely you\u2019ve gotten fast food through a drive-in restaurant.\u00a0 Maybe you have recently attended a drive-in graduation?\u00a0 Well, Humane Pennsylvania is happy to give \u201cDrive-in\u201d a whole new meaning! Since late spring, we\u2019ve resumed serving our community with …
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