First Coast No More Homeless Pets to stay open until midnight

Change makes nonprofit 1 of few in nation to offer late-night services

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville's main nonprofit veterinary clinic will be extending its hours, allowing pet owners to come in for veterinary visits and emergencies until midnight, seven days a week.

First Coast No More Homeless Pets' regional safety net veterinary hospital at 464 Cassat Avenue in Jacksonville begin its new hours Friday.

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The Cassat Avenue Veterinary Hospital will be one of the very few nonprofit, late night emergency clinics in the nation and will fill a critical service void in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia, officials with the nonprofit said.

FCNHMP sees more than 100,000 dogs and cats each year, and our team of 23 veterinarians routinely face medical challenges, both big and small, that dogs and cats -- and the people who love them -- bring to the facility each and every day.

“Any type of veterinary visit will be welcomed during the late night hours, but emergencies will, of course, take priority -- as is true during our regular hours,” said Founder and CEO Rick DuCharme. “Our goal is affordable, accessible companion animal care for all at a time of night when few can access treatment. Many find that when late night treatment is available, it is often beyond their financial capacity.”

The Cassat Avenue Veterinary Hospital is recognized as the largest nonprofit safety net hospital in the Southeast United States.

Along with the Norwood Avenue Clinic, the organization’s 10,000 square foot spay/neuter and care clinic on Jacksonville’s Northside, the facilities are part of a multi-partner care network that has kept Jacksonville and the northeast Florida region in the forefront of animal welfare trends for a number of years, officials said.


About the Author:

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.