United Action for Animals is launching their first free spay/neuter clinic on January 17th in the Bronx. The clinic will open its doors to the public at 8 a.m. and will be held at the Phipps Community Center at 286 156th Street. 
UAA hosted their inaugural Bet for Pets Casino Night in October to raise funds for the free MASH-style (mobile) clinics, which will enable New York City pet owners who cannot afford to fix their animals - a procedure that typically costs hundred of dollars at the vet - to get the surgery done for free.
These mobile clinics are not only endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the ASPCA, but they are an innovative way to provide spay/neuter surgeries. They offset the operating costs that come from using a van as well as the real estate costs that come with running a permanent clinic. "This is precisely why we are able to offer these vital surgeries for free," said UAA President, Jennifer Panton.
The clinics will be held in community centers such as Phipps in the Bronx, as well as school campuses and churches in "hot spots" around New York City - these are areas where most stray and relinquished animals are coming from.
In NYC alone, an average of 110 animals a day are dumped at the city's municipal shelters. Approximately half of them are euthanized daily due to the fact that there are simply not enough homes.
As an animal welfare organization that believes in sterilizing over euthanizing, in order to prevent thousands of unwanted companion animals, UAA believes that spay and neuter services should be an option for people who cannot otherwise afford it.
"Our goal is to knock out more than 100 spay/neuters that day, which will save thousands of lives in the future," said Panton.
The clinic will have six veterinarians and six vet techs working on site at the Phipps Center, however UAA is still seeking the help and support of volunteers. To volunteer at UAA's first free, mobile spay neuter clinic please send an email to jpanton@ua4a.org.
To schedule an appointment to have your pet fixed for free, please call 212-249-9178.
To learn more about UAA's "MASH-STYLE" mobile clinics, visit http://www.ua4a.org/spayneuter.html.