VCA Impact Report Paves Way for Future of Veterinary Medicine

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Press release: VCA Animal Hospitals

VCA Animal Hospitals has released its third annual Impact Report, titled “Caring & Carrying On” – underscoring the company’s commitment to creating A Better World for Pets in a year of uncertainty and change. The report highlights the company’s impact – across the 4.2 million pets VCA associates cared for in 2020, more than 30,000 associates and the communities VCA serves.

“At VCA, we are committed to taking care of the future of veterinary medicine,” said Todd Lavender, DVM, president of VCA Animal Hospitals and Petcare Services. “Despite the challenging circumstances and ambiguity of last year, our family of world-class veterinary professionals showcased remarkable dedication and creativity as they continued to deliver the very best in veterinary care in completely new ways.”

After a transformative year, VCA’s 2020 Impact Report summarizes the progress the company has made in three key areas: supporting associates, innovating veterinary care and nurturing our world and communities.

Supporting Associates

This last year shone a light on the deep dedication and compassion of VCA’s more than 30,000 associates as they adapted, overcame and cared for more than four million pets in 2020. At the same time, VCA worked hard to improve their lives at work, home and everywhere in between, including by:

• Aiding associates affected by the pandemic through the creation of a Better Together fund, and expanding pay and benefits to help associates respond to and recover from natural disasters;
• Expanding mental health, financial and wellbeing support for associates through VCA’s Total Rewards package and a range of new programs like reducing associate healthcare expenses and increasing 401(k) contributions; and
• Strengthening an ongoing commitment to inclusion, equity and diversity by introducing formal and sustainable initiatives, such as partnerships with industry groups putting diversity at the forefront, including PrideVMC, National Association of Black Veterinarians and many more.

Doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 and nurturing our world and communities.

In partnership with VCA Charities, the nonprofit founded by VCA in 2005, VCA strives to increase its impact and reach every year to help as many pets as possible. In a year when it was more important than ever to give back to communities, VCA and VCA Charities raised money for COVID-19 relief, provided free veterinary services, medication, food and financial support to pets in need, and supported multiple animal welfare organizations throughout the nation with life-saving grants and resources.

Highlights of these efforts include:

• Raised nearly $1 million for COVID-19 relief;
• Supported 150,000 pets post-adoption with our Animal Welfare and Shelter program;
• Established the HOPE Funds Program, which helps with the cost of life-saving veterinary care for pet owners who financially qualify; and
• Offered free boarding assistance for pets that were displaced by wildfires across the U.S.

Innovating veterinary care.

As COVID-19 spread, VCA pivoted quickly to ensure continuity of care and safety for hospital teams, patients and clients. Social distancing rules, the introduction of curbside visits and contactless support offered safer, convenient alternatives to in-hospital care. The change is reflected in a surge in client demand for digital; nearly 48,000 clients used virtual services in 2020, a 165 percent increase from last year.

In 2020, VCA also made substantial investments in cutting-edge medical technologies for pets, including stereotactic radiation therapy machines that help eliminate the need for manual and invasive brain surgeries. Innovations like this are necessary to improve the ability of VCA specialists to deliver safer and often less expensive treatments that extend the best lives of patients.

Other care and innovation highlights include:

• 11 million text messages were sent between associates and families, a 57 percent increase from last year.
• VCA Live Chat users increased by 144 percent.
• Debuted a new video series titled “AskVCA.”

“As we emerge from the darkest days of COVID-19, I feel strongly that a bright future lies ahead,” said Marie Kerl, DVM, MPH, MBA, DACVIM, DACVECC and chief medical officer for VCA. “I’m proud of the innovative care our hospitals provided last year and the impact we had, and I’m looking forward to what we’ll be able to accomplish together in 2021.”

VCA Animal Hospitals operates more than 1,000 small animal veterinary hospitals in the U.S., Canada and Japan. The hospitals are staffed by more than 4,500 fully qualified, dedicated and compassionate veterinarians to give pets the very best in medical care, of which over 600 are board certified specialists who are experts in areas such as internal medicine, oncology, cardiology, emergency and critical care, and surgery for animals. VCA Animal Hospitals provides a full range of general practice services to keep pets well and specialized treatments when pets are ill. As part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of brands, VCA is committed to the Mars Petcare purpose—A Better World for Pets.