Youth facing homelessness more likely to see a healthcare provider if their pet can too

Youth experiencing homelessness are more likely to get medical care if it means their pets will receive veterinary care too, according to a study conducted by Washington State University and University of Washington researchers.

The study, recently published in the Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, shows youth experiencing homelessness who owned pets - many of whom often prioritized veterinary care over their own and rarely saw a doctor - were more willing to address their own health needs when clinics offered integrated animal and human health care.

Researchers found nearly 80% of all visits to the integrated clinics resulted in clients receiving human health care, even though 69% of clients intended to seek care only for their pets.

The study tracked visits by youth experiencing homelessness at the One Health Clinic in downtown Seattle - a 7-year-oldcollaboration between WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine and the UW Center for One Health Research.

With the oversight of a Neighborcare Health nurse practitioner and a WSU veterinarian, WSU fourth-yearveterinary students team up with health sciences students from UW's University District Street Medicine club to oversee health care of human patients and provide care for animal patients at the One Health Clinic every second and fourth Wednesday of the month.

"Providing veterinary care to this population helped animal owners engage in health care, even when the clinic wasn't happening or there was no veterinary presence there," said Dr. Katie Kuehl, a veterinarian at WSU who provides and oversees veterinary care at the One Health Clinic. "The thinking behind that is because we were able to build trust and create that connection with them that starts with their pet, they are far more likely to engage in their own health care."

The study, led by nurse scientist and University of Washington postdoctoral researcher Natalie Rejto, examined human medical and veterinary records of clinic visits between 2019 and 2022.

Rejto found that of the 88 human clients who visited the clinic during that time, 75 visited a health care provider at the clinic. Forty of those individuals established care for the first time in at least two years.

In fact, more than 50% of human patients who visited the integrated clinic hadn't been to a doctor in more than two years. Of those, 85% went on to schedule nonemergency follow-upappointments.

The trickle-down health effect from the One Health Clinic didn't end there; 85% of clients went on to attend one follow-upappointment with non-emergency health care services within two years.

"To have a good portion of the clients not accessing preventative care within the two years leading up to that initial appointment, and add in those rates of follow-upcare, I think that shows the real value of having the clinic serve as that entry point into care," Rejto, who still volunteers at the clinic, said.

She said the One Health Clinic improves the lives of people and their pets, and it shows this model of integrated human and animal care could be successful in the future.

There's also a clear demand with clinic visits totaling about 300 between May 2024 and May 2025.

"A good next step would be to look at health care and preventative care costs because we know that hospitalizations, surgeries and ER visits are far more expensive than preventative care," Rejto said. "I'd love to explore that in the future, as well as ways to expand access to preventative care for people and their animals. I think there's an opportunity for it, and it's already been shown it can be sustained."

Media Contacts

• Katie Kuehl, WSU College of Veterinary Medicine, [email protected]
• Natalie Rejto, University of Washington Center for One Health Research, 520-906-2077, [email protected]