Welcome to CVMA’s new member platform! When logging in, you will need to change your password by clicking “Forgot Password” and following the prompts in the email you receive. If you do not have an email in our system, you will need to create a new account. Click here for a how-to guide to use the new platform. Please note that CVMA staff will be available to assist you Monday-Friday from 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
Bonnie Mader was the co-founder and coordinator of the Pet Loss Support Hotline at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine for 20 years. The PLSH allowed grieving pet owners to find a empathetic ear as they navigated the difficult emotions of saying goodbye to their pet. An estimated 15,000 people utilized the hotline during its existence, providing an essential service to the community. Ran by volunteer veterinary students, the hotline also provided vital experience to future veterinarians on how to actively listen without judgement, convey empathy, and process the strong emotions of a grieving pet owner. Although PLSH closed in 2009, veterinary students of that era still find themselves regularly applying lessons that they learned manning the hotline. Bonnie’s influence on the mental health of the veterinary profession and animal caretakers is immeasurable.
In 2011, Naomi Tobias founded the Central California Animal Disaster Team to assist emergency response agencies with animal evacuation, emergency sheltering, search and rescue, and animal reunification during small or large-scale incidents. Since 2013, this team has responded to over 40 wildfires.
In March of 2020, in the wake of the statewide lockdown resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (SSPCA) CEO Kenn Altine created the Paw Pantry Project. It quickly became apparent to Mr. Altine that many pet owners were struggling to afford to feed their pets, particularly isolated seniors and those who lost a job as a result of the pandemic. Through tireless fundraising efforts, the Paw Pantry Project provided approximately 219,000 meals for 31,200 animals. Because of his quick response and leadership, Mr. Altine managed to keep pets with their families, thus preventing the increasingly important human-animal bond in recent times of isolation.
Mr. Altine is also commended for his creation of the Spay and Neuter Enhancement Program with the SSPCA. Through Mr. Altine’s leadership and fundraising skills, the Program enabled the renovation of an existing administrative building into a 6,400 square foot spay and neuter clinic, increasing capacity by 38 percent. It is estimated that the new facility will result in 5,000 additional spay and neuters, thus significantly reducing the number of unwanted and abandoned animals entering area shelters.
Dr. Carrie Jurney serves as the President of Not One More Vet (NOMV), a non-profit organization established to address the mental health and suicide crisis faced by the veterinary community. In 2014, NOMV was created as a Facebook page where veterinary professionals could discuss mental health challenges they faced. Dr. Jurney first joined found Dr. Nicole McArthur as a moderator of the Facebook page. She served as Board secretary before becoming president in 2019. Under her leadership, NOMV has grown from a Facebook group with 20 members into a charity organization that provides financial and professional mental health support to veterinary professionals in need, with other 26,000 members worldwide. NOMV has become a strong non-profit entity, offering an educational program focused on wellness, a growing support grant program providing financial support for struggling veterinary professionals, and a partnership with BetterHelp, providing one month of free psychotherapy for those in need. In addition, Dr. Jurney has worked to forge a partnership with the University of Tennessee and Auburn University to develop an online crisis support system designed for veterinary professionals and is advancing research into wellness, mental health, and the reduction of suicide in veterinary professionals.
Darlene Geekie, RVT | The Little Angels Project
Hospital Staff | VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center
Ruth Daniels | Canine Companions for Independence
Lori Weise | Downtown Dog Rescue
SHARE (Special HAB Relationships) | Marin Humane Society
Emily Ewing
Tammy Osborn
Sharon Lohman | New Beginnings for Merced County Animals
Don Conkling, DVM
Nicole Montroy
Scott Weldy, DVM
Jackie Hobe
Ilana Strubel, DVM | Veterinary Street Outreach Services (VET SOS)
John Gressman | Veterinary Street Outreach Services (VET SOS)
Peggy Blue | AHEAD With Horses
Laura Dunne | AHEAD With Horses
Larry Carson| Pen Pals of San Quentin
Pam Duey | Woodland Veterinary Hospital Education Series
Carol Rathmann | Forget Me Not Farm
Nathan Rathmann | Forget Me Not Farm
Fred Bergendorff | “Pet Place”
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