Now, more than ever, low income families are struggling to find access to veterinary care due to COVID-19. Learn more about this important topic from Access to Care expert and the 2020 Avanzino Leadership Award recipient, Dr. Michael J. Blackwell, in the recorded webcast, Access to Care: A National Family Crisis.  

In the webcast, Dr. Michael Blackwell, Director of the program at Pet Health Equity, and Dr. Susan Krebsbach, Assistant Director, discuss barriers to vet care that pet owners face. “The overwhelming barrier for all groups of pet owners and types of care – preventive, sick, and emergency care – is financial,” said Dr. Krebsbach from the UT study in partnership with the AVCC.  

This issue has become increasingly pressing as families continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the conversation surrounding it growing even more relevant. While we continue to navigate through these challenging times, there are resources funded by Maddie’s Fund^® to make access to care more equitable for these families. One being AlignCare, which Dr. Blackwell and Dr. Krebsbach discuss in the webcast.  

“We believe strongly that to improve access to veterinary care, one needs to consider differences that exist across the socio-economic spectrum of families and have a system that is built with the flexibility to meet the needs of these diverse families,” said Dr. Blackwell. 

 Resources like AlignCare are working in effort to alleviate the stress that pet owners face when accessing care. The main goal is to keep pets in their homes, and providing equitable access to care for families is one step closer to achieving that goal. 

 Learn more about access to care in the recorded webcast, Access to Care: A National Family Crisis. Did you hear? Dr. Blackwell received this year’s Avanzino Leadership Award for his career dedicated to preserving the human-animal bond. Learn more about Dr. Blackwell and all of his amazing work!