The Monroe County Human Association, Monroe County’s non-profit veterinary center, is expanding more than double the size to make more room for the animals and additional staff. The MCHA specializes in helping those who cannot afford medical care for their pets. They offer subsidized pricing on veterinary fees and medicine so that every animal is given the proper care. The clinic has become so crowded that the expansion was necessary to make the staff and the animals more comfortable.

“We’ve just got no place to put the people and their pets and we’re out of room. We need more staff but we don’t have a place to put them,” Dr. Sarah Nickel said.

The MCHA purchased more than six acres of land near the Monroe County airport to build the new clinic. The land was purchased using community donations. Some donors who’ve died donated a portion of their assets to the MCHA in their will.

“It was kind of a pipe-dream, you know, something that was down the road that we really knew was needed for the community and knew that we needed to expand our clinic. We never dreamed it would come together so quickly,” Kimberly Goy said.

The new clinic will have more space to store food, animals and people, a memorial garden for pets who’ve died, walking trails for owners and their pets, and an additional boarding facility that can house animals who belong to the homeless or who are involved in domestic abuse situations.

The staff at MCHA is excited to offer more ways for the community to get involved in the association. They say that the expansion is truly a community effort.

“We really appreciate all the donors that we get all the time. We’re so dependent on our donors and our donors are wonderful people and because of such generous support, we’re able to really help make a difference in the community I think,” Dr. Sarah Nickel said.

For more information about MCHA’s expansion, visit their website.