Want to do something that saves lives, feels good and helps your community? Then volunteer to help animals when disasters strike in California!
Thousands of animals need care during and after disasters. Some 63% of California households have pets, including an estimated 10 million pet cats, nine million dogs, and one million horses. Other pets, farm animals, and wildlife also need assistance during and after disasters like earthquakes, floods, and wildfires.
Veterinary professionals are vital to animals during disasters. The mission of the California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps (CAVMRC) is to preserve animal well-being and protect the public health and welfare by providing emergency veterinary medical care and expertise during the response phase of declared states of emergency.
Deployment is always voluntary. Volunteers get involved at whatever level works for them – assistants are needed as well as leaders, part-time responders are as welcome as those who can help out for a week or two, plus there are ongoing roles in areas such as planning and disaster response.
Volunteer participation can be a matter of life or death for rescued animals and means the world to the owners of those animals.
The CAVMRC provides veterinary professionals:
You don’t need any prior disaster response experience or training to join the CAVMRC. The entire veterinary practice team is welcome, including:
The CVMA registered the CAVMRC as a unit of the Medical Reserve Corps under the California Emergency Medical Services Agency and works in cooperation with local, statewide, and national agencies. The CVMA has played an important role in preparing for and responding to disasters in California since 1994 and builds on this experience with this new affiliation.
It’s Not About Politics….It’s About Your Profession. The CVMA PAC is a bipartisan political action committee whose purpose is to educate state legislators and candidates on issues of importance to the veterinary profession.