"We're here to celebrate the Palm Springs Animal Hospital, which has an incredible legacy here in the Coachella Valley," said Bruce Fessier to a room full of animal lovers on March 12. "And it all started with two veterinarians who were married to each other named Herman and Sylvia Salk."
The pet-friendly crowd had gathered at Willie's Modern Fare in Rancho Mirage for the second annual mixer for the nonprofit Amy's Purpose. Passed appetizers were served, as were wine and beer, as Fessier told the rapt crowd the animal hospital's history.
Herman and Sylvia Salk purchased and began operating what was called Desert Animal Hospital and the Veterinary Clinic after moving to Palm Springs in 1954, the same year that Herman's older brother, Jonas, began clinical trials with his life-saving polio vaccine.
Originally located at 395 Sunny Dunes Road and 550 Oleander Road in Palm Springs, the clinics were run by the Salks for 25 years. The business was sold in 1985 by Herman and Sylvia's son, Dr. Steven Salk, who eventually returned to the clinic, now located in Rimrock Plaza on Highway 111 and rechristened the Palm Springs Animal Hospital. Patients included the pets of Barry Manilow and Fred "The Hammer" Williamson.
Dr. Peter Henein went to work for Steven in 2010. He had left his native Egypt at the age of 17 and earned his Ph.D. in veterinary medicine on Prince Edward Island in Northeast Canada. He worked in British Columbia and Laguna Niguel before joining Steven at the Palm Springs Animal Hospital. Two years later Steven decided to retire, and he handed the reigns to Henein, who purchased the clinic.
With dreams to expand the business and its services but lacking the money to make it happen, Henein sold the business to a corporation in 2018 but stayed on as medical director.
And then in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which decimated the Palm Springs Animal Hospital. It started quickly losing staff, including its veterinarians. The doors were about to close, when the one remaining doctor, Henein, decided he had to do something for the community because the community had reacted to lockdown by adopting more pets. Suddenly there was an even greater demand for veterinary services in the Coachella Valley.
Henein purchased the hospital back and began re-hiring staff, including John Garcia, a former musician turned veterinary technician.
"We're here to celebrate the fact that Dr. Henein has resuscitated the Palm Springs Animal Hospital," Fessier told the crowd at Willie's. "That's like Amazon buying the Washington Post — only Dr. Henein doesn't have (Jeff) Bezos' money."
Having already committed to expanding the hospital's hours and services, Henein is looking to buy or lease space so the organization can offer emergency services.
"He's filling this incredible void in the Coachella Valley, and he's doing it for one reason," Fessier said. "He's a good person."
When called to speak, Henein was humble. "There's no working hours in the hospital — there's no 8 to 5," he said. "If it comes through the door, we stay late. We're trying the best we can. It's hard. It takes a total of all of us. But thank you all. And thank you to Irene, my wife."
Fessier also told the group about the next Amy's Purpose fundraiser, which will take place in the fall at the former Elvis Presley residence on Chino Canyon.
About Amy's Purpose
An educational nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the lives of pets, Amy's Purpose is an education 501(c)(3) dedicated to coyote and predator awareness and promoting safety information to help protect your beloved pets, according to its website. Its mission comprises community-based education outreach programs, including pet loss grief counseling and local veterinary scholarships to help rectify the current emergency veterinarian care crisis.
amyspurpose.net.
As philanthropy editor at The Desert Sun, Winston Gieseke writes about nonprofits, fundraising and locals who give back, like his beloved dog Ernie Banks, who volunteers at the local cancer center. Reach him at winston.gieseke@desertsun.com.
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