The South Central Spay Neuter Clinic is now part of the Lynchburg Humane Society. The change, in the works for several months, becomes official Saturday.
Makena Yarbrough, executive director of the Lynchburg Humane Society, said that although the Lynchburg Humane Society now manages the staff and the nonprofit, the Evington-based clinic will continue offering spay and neuter services regionally.
The clinic opened in 2006 and has provided low-cost spay and neuter surgeries for thousands of cats and dogs in the cities of Bedford, Danville and Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, Halifax, Nelson and Pittsylvania. It is supported by those fees and through donations.
“The clinic is not closing; we’re there and we’re open for business,” said Lynda-Sue Napier, executive director of the South Central Spay Neuter Clinic. The phone number, address and mission of the clinic all remain the same, she said.
“We are still going to be part of the community,” said Napier.
The change was initiated by the board of the South Central Spay Neuter Clinic. In the midst of a regular review, the board determined that it had reached a crossroads, having grown and needing a way to do grow more. It was believed that the Lynchburg Humane Society, a larger nonprofit, might help achieve that goal, Napier said.
“We hope to be better known as part of the Lynchburg Humane Society,” said Napier. She said the clinic’s board approached the board of the Lynchburg Humane Society with the proposal.
“It definitely goes hand-in-hand with our mission and fits in with our goals to reduce pet overpopulation,” said Yarbrough.
Yarbrough doesn’t expect clients to notice any difference in service, although in the future they will notice increased offerings, particularly in the transport service.
“We hope to increase staff with increased surgeries, but it is still too early to determine if there will be any staffing changes presently. We feel they have a strong staff that works very well together under Dr. (Lorna) Coyle’s direction,” said Yarbrough.
Yarbrough said the clinic is essential in helping the humane society get animals into adoptive homes quickly. Local veterinarians cannot provide the number of surgeries that the clinic can.
Adoptions would be slowed down and “there would be a huge gap in services,” without the clinic, said Yarbrough. In the future Yarbrough said she would like to see the clinic provide 40 surgeries a day, more than it does now.
In coming together, Yarbrough and Napier believe the clinic will become more visible, have more resources and have a greater capacity for outreach. It also will make scheduling surgeries easier and allow for the consolidation of services, Napier said.
“The focus remains on the animals and what we do best,” said Napier. “The care for the animals is a constant.”
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