Connect to Care
Connect to Care was born of the need to provide more cats with access to the care they deserve. Previously known as Catalyst Connection, this project was designed to begin building the relationship between local veterinarians and new pet owners from the moment they leave the shelter.
The pilot program was launched in Delaware, Oregon, and Portland collecting data to measure the impact of establishing these relationships at the point of adoptions. This manual process included adopters selecting a veterinarian at the point of adoption and the data indicated that by creating the relationship between shelters, veterinarians, and adopters at the time of adoption, pets were more likely to see a veterinarian. Establishment of this relationship early in the bonding process, results in companion animals being more likely to receive care, stay in their adoptive homes, and have access to the supplies and resources needed to create healthy lasting relationships that support the human animal bond.
In 2018 CATalyst Council launched a new pilot in the Metro Denver area, using technology to automate the process. In partnership with the Petsmart Charities, CVMA, Pethealth and Denver Dumb Friends League we developed technology that automated the transfer of the pet’s health records in digital form, where they are easily accessed by the veterinarian’s practice selected by the adopter at the time of adoption.
Connecting adopted pets with our veterinary community is an essential step in keeping adopted pets in homes and ensuring that adopters make the “connection” with a local veterinarian and some of the many pet resources that exist within that relationship.
As a result, CATalyst has determined that this concept is a winning one. In 2022 CATalyst will be transitioning the program to our partners, using existing technology to automatically transfer the information to the veterinary providers from the shelter software. While this process will eliminate the data collection process on the “care received” end, it will continue to benefit the thousands of adopted pets each year!
For more information, or to request project updates:
*Return for Care is a Colorado VMA-run program in which veterinarian agree to provide free post adoption veterinary care for shelter-related illnesses for two weeks post-adoption. In 2018, RFC communication and metrics will be managed by the Catalyst Connection technology platform.