PAAC Secures $600,000 Grant to Launch Three Rotating Vet Clinics in Jim Wells County

People Assisting Animal Control (PAAC) has been awarded a $600,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to establish three rotating veterinary clinics across Jim Wells County, filling a critical gap in a county where access to animal care ranks near the bottom of any measurable scale.

"The veterinary accessibility chart that basically between one and 100 with 100 having access — Jim Wells is an eight," said Cheryl Martinez, executive director of PAAC. "So there is a very low access to care here. A lot of it is because of financial resources. So we'll be able to come in and help with that." The first clinic is expected to open within four weeks at the county fairgrounds.

The clinics will rotate through communities including Ben Bolt, Palito Blanco and Rancho Alegre, though any county resident will be able to make an appointment. The grant is part of the PetSmart Charities Incubator program, a multi-year grant addressing the barriers to veterinary care that extend beyond the financial in communities across the U.S. and Canada experiencing little or no veterinary access.

PAAC is one of only nine organizations across the United States and Canada selected for Phase 1 of this grant program, which takes a unique approach to addressing pet welfare needs. That Phase 1 work is already underway on the ground. PAAC recently held its first community focus survey event in Ben Bolt and Palito Blanco, collecting 100 surveys and distributing more than $11,200 worth of pet food to local families. The completed surveys will be analyzed by graduate students from the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, helping PAAC better understand and respond to the specific needs of underserved pet owners in the area.

The grant carries significant upside beyond the initial award. PAAC is now preparing for its next community event in Rancho Alegre, with hopes of advancing to Phase 2 of the grant program. If successful, Phase 2 would bring an additional $650,000 in funding to support PAAC's work across all three focus communities: Ben Bolt, Rancho Alegre, and Palito Blanco.

Local elected officials have backed the effort. "You know animal control is very hard to get ahold of if you don't have the right resources and with this program it'll help the community tremendously," said George Aguilar, Jim Wells County Commissioner Precinct 1. Commissioner Precinct 4's Wicho Gonzalez pointed to years of work behind the announcement. "It's something we've been after for the last two years, and thanks to Cheryl and Pat that we were able to come through with this, and we're really excited that it's bringing a lot of programs to the area for people that can't afford to do it, so it's really going to be a lot of help," Gonzalez said.

The urgency of the clinics is sharpened by the approaching South Texas summer. "I know a lot of people don't have the means to either put their pets indoors with this program, hopefully they'll be able to assist in providing some essentials... you drive down the street and you see these poor animals down the street in 110 degree weather and it's only humane that humans do something," Aguilar added.

PAAC is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation formed under the laws of the State of Texas in August 2010, with a mission to promote responsible pet ownership, improve the lives of pets in the community, and reduce the number of unwanted and stray animals entering shelters. The county fairgrounds clinic, expected within the month, will be the first concrete test of whether rotating access can move Jim Wells County's veterinary accessibility score off the floor.