At Mission, we're more than an animal hospital, and we care for more than the pets that come to us. We care for entire communities! Read more below about our transformative programs, and how they are impacting pet owners, communities and the vet-med industry for the better. 

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Social Work Program: Mission has been offering a veterinary social work program since 2022. In 2023, we expanded this program to include a full-time licensed master social worker (LMSW) on staff. Our social worker provides guidance to clients throughout the medical decision-making process, grief counseling when a family loses a pet, referral to social services such as housing or food assistance when needed, and more. We have found that having a social worker in the hospital is a huge benefit to our clients, providing one-on-one assistance to more than 600 families per year.

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Junior Vets: Mission Animal Hospital’s Junior Vets program brings high school students from diverse backgrounds into the hospital to gain hands-on work experience in the field of veterinary medicine. Through a unique partnership with Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, this award-winning program is the first high school veterinary work study program of its kind. 

The veterinary industry is one of the least diverse in the U.S.: 90% of veterinarians identify as white. This is a dismal statistic that veterinary associations and schools have been attempting to tackle for years with limited success. Research shows the opportunity gap in STEM careers starts with the variety of careers that young people are exposed to. In this program, four high school students work directly with all of our medical staff during the school year, assisting in diagnostic and treatment procedures, learning more than 150 different STEM skills.  The 2024-25 school year will be our third year of the Junior Vets program. 

Veterinary Student Education Program: Mission Animal Hospital is a teaching hospital and has been training future veterinarians in the practice of Spectrum of Care medicine since 2020. Spectrum of Care medicine is the practice of providing evidence-based options, without judgment, that take into account a family’s financial circumstances, cultural barriers, lifestyle, and expectations. Each year, this program hosts more than 55 fourth-year veterinary students. Through this externship, we are influencing the next generation of veterinarians to practice in a community-centric way that increases the accessibility of veterinary medicine on a broad scale.

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High-Quality/High-Volume Spay/Neuter Program(HQHV): Mission partners with over 100 rescue and shelter organizations to provide veterinary care to pets as they search for their fur-ever home. During the “puppy and kitten season” (Spring through early Fall), Mission offers weekly High-Quality/High-Volume Spay/Neuter events, providing low-cost spay/neuters for pets currently in rescue or shelter. During each HQHV event, our veterinarians and medical teams will spay or neuter up to 30-40 pets each week and administer appropriate vaccinations, bloodwork, and microchips. This is often the final barrier pets face before being placed in their fur-ever home.