Order for a hearing regarding access to low-cost veterinary care. Remains in the Committee on City Services and Innovation Technology.
02920292. Councilor Braden offered the following order for a hearing regarding access to low cost veterinary care. Thank you. The chair recognizes counsel Brett and Counsel Braden. You have the floor. Thank you, Mr. President. This hearing order is a refile and was spurred by increasing volumes of constituents in public and subsidized affordable housing, expressing difficulty accessing low cost veterinary care services for their pets in their families. While Boston has many reputable veterinary hospitals and nonprofit organizations providing reduced cost care, including partnerships with Boston's City Animal Control. Not all programs are equitably accessible to residents in need across the neighborhoods. This has led to low income residents and also in Brighton, a need we have learned of residents in public and subsidized affordable housing developments having difficulty accessing low cost veterinary care. These include residents at the beach at Samuel Gardens, which is 250 units, plus a Commonwealth and um Commonwealth housing, which is over 400 units in Brighton with increased luxury development. We've seen a proliferation of corporate, boutique, upscale, specialty and subscription based veterinary services that widen this gap. My office has met with leading veterinary professionals from EMS, Piqua, Animal Rescue League and Tufts Cummings School to discuss equitable services as well as the impact of the pandemic on the industry. They have expressed enthusiasm for a hearing to deepen partnerships with the city to address this widening gap in service. Pets have increasingly become integral parts of our lives and families, including improving mental health and occupational health. As we look ahead towards the post pandemic recovery, the city should consider adopting a holistic one health animal human animal care approach. We know that the health of people is connected to the health of their animals and under shared environments. This approach has been approved by the CDC, veterinary professionals and policy advocates across the country and the world. Interdisciplinary human animal care approaches to city services should look like integrating broad and holistic public health approaches to food access, senior services, housing access, and considering population growth projections for neighborhoods and capital planning needs. Public health, education, disaster preparedness, and much more healthy pets mean healthy people. This is a much needed conversation. I look forward to hearing from veteran professionals, pet owners and struggling to access low cost care and city agencies, including animal control, care and Control and the Public Health Commission on how to incorporate a more holistic approach. Thank you. Thank you, Counsel. Bright. And would anyone else like to speak on this? Would anyone else like to add their name, please? Please add Councilor Arroyo, please add Councilor Bark please that council Edwards council Fernandez in to send consulate priority consular me here consulate Murphy Council where all the the chair. Darkened 029 Till will be referred to the Committee on City Services Innovation Technology. Per the request of the sponsor, we will take Dawkins 0293 out of order, and we will come back to it in a minute. Mr. Clarke, can you please call docket 0294?