Every year, nearly 2 million young Americans experience homelessness. which can be both a crucial source of emotional support and a barrier to receiving services such as housing or medical care. Studies have shown that Some may choose veterinary care for their animals over obtaining health care for themselves. ��

The Seattle One Health Clinic was designed to address those barriers. Led by the operated in collaboration with the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and supported by two nonprofit organizations, the clinic offers free veterinary care alongside its medical services. A paper ��in the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health found that the integrated approach increased access to preventative medical care for both people and their pets.��

“It’s truly integrated — human and animal providers working together is a unique approach,” said , lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher in the Center for One Health Research.��

At the One Health Clinic, a nurse practitioner and veterinarian, often accompanied by veterinary students, provide primary care services while 91̽��students volunteer as patient navigators, helping to coordinate care and address shared health needs such as extreme weather, environmental contaminants and zoonotic disease. The clinic also helps clients document their pets as emotional support animals, which enables them to access a wider range of housing and other services. ��

“T��� data clearly shows that this model of care is building trust,” Rejto said. “It’s special to see holistic care that takes into account the environment, the animal, the person and their relationships in society, to provide care to these young people. It’s incredibly important for people to have preventative care, and that in turn has a great impact on public health.” ��

The study analyzed medical and veterinary records of clinic visits between 2019 and 2022. The majority of human participants were 23 years old or younger. Of the 88 human clients who visited the clinic during that period, 75 saw a health care provider at least once, and 40 patients established care for the first time in at least the past two years. Most of those patients returned for at least one follow-up appointment within two years of their first visit.��

Most significantly, nearly 80% of all visits to the One Health Clinic resulted in clients receiving human health care. That includes 69% of visits where clients initially intended to seek care only for their pets.��

“Adding veterinary care to a primary care clinic creates a supportive environment that is vastly different from a typical medical care facility”, said co-author , one of the founders of the One Health Clinic and director of the 91̽��Center for One Health Research, who is also a 91̽��professor of environmental and occupational health sciences and an associate professor of medicine in the 91̽��School of Medicine. “This unique atmosphere encourages clients to seek care for themselves as well as their animals.”������

A fully integrated model may be a new concept to many, requiring novel partnerships between human health and veterinary professionals, Rejto acknowledged. But the results suggest that health care providers should give greater consideration to the health impact of the human animal bond between people and their pets.����

“Potentially a good start would be to increase collaboration and communication between animal and human health care, to have human health facilities that are in communication with veterinary facilities. That could help identify diseases and shared environmental risks,” Rejto said. “It’s about expanding providers’ and human health care workers’ framework for addressing health.”��

Other authors include , senior research coordinator and center manager at the Center for One Health Research; , a 91̽��assistant professor of global health and of epidemiology and deputy director of the Center for One Health Research; Hannah Fenelon, Michael Xie, Alice Tin and Erin Tabor of the 91̽��Center for One Health Research; of the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine; Kate Schneier and Andrew Nee of Neighborcare Health; and Amanda Richer of Uplift Consulting.��

This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research Training Program in Global Health Nursing at the UW, the New Tudor Foundation, and by a gift from the now-shuttered Y/YA Shelter “Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets.” Funding for the publication of this study was provided by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (ASPCA) Open-Access Publishing Fund.

Four years ago, as attention locked onto COVID-19, another virus began circling the globe. A major outbreak of a new strain of bird flu — formally named — has since killed millions of wild birds and infected poultry, dairy cattle, and a small number of humans.����

In the United States, four people have contracted the virus. The most recently confirmed , a dairy worker in Michigan, was the first to experience flu-like respiratory symptoms. For now, federal health officials have deemed the virus a low risk to public health, while and monitoring the virus’s spread.��

But what exactly are public health officials looking for? How is this virus different from previous H5N1 outbreaks? And how can a bird flu become humanity’s problem, anyway?����

91̽��News brought these questions and more to 91̽�� experts Peter Rabinowitz, a professor of environmental and occupational health sciences and of family medicine, and , an assistant professor of epidemiology and of global health. They are director and deputy director, respectively, of UW’s , which studies the connections between the health of people, animals and our shared environment.

Peter, you recently . What makes this outbreak different, and why is it drawing so much attention from health officials?����

Peter Rabinowitz: Thirty years ago, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza were rare in birds. Beginning around 2003, a deadly strain of H5N1 avian influenza started spreading widely, but mostly impacted domestic poultry. Now this recent strain of H5N1 that has been circulating worldwide for the past two years is unprecedented in its ability to affect mammals.��

The H5N1 virus started with birds before “jumping” to dairy cattle and now a handful of humans. How does a virus “jump” between species like that, and what makes certain species vulnerable while others seem to resist the virus?��

PR: As they circulate, influenza viruses are continually changing some of their genetic material, acquiring new mutations in a process known as “” Sometimes when two different strains of a virus are present in the same host human (or animal), they can “recombine” to create a quite different strain.����

Health officials have said the chances of H5N1 becoming a major threat to humans are minimal, but that they’re monitoring the situation for any changes. What are they looking for?����

PR: Health officials are looking for evidence of mammal-to-mammal transmission in non-human mammals, and any evidence of person-to-person transmission, which could be a definite warning about H5N1’s potential to become an epidemic.����

The earliest cases of H5N1 in humans were mild — two dairy workers with eye infections — but the most recent case appears to be . That’s triggered alarm, of course, but what does that say about how the virus is evolving?����

Julianne Meisner: The location of symptoms can sometimes — though not always — tell us something about transmission. When symptoms are restricted to just the eye, it’s likely that transmission would require contact with the tissues around or fluids from the eye, similar to how pink eye (conjunctivitis) is transmitted.��

When health professionals see respiratory symptoms, we get concerned about transmission through droplets or aerosols. Because breathing is something every one of us needs to do, all of the time, respiratory transmission is incredibly efficient, and difficult to avoid. Also, some respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, can propel virus particles further, increasing the efficiency of transmission.����

Much has been made of H5N1 as the next possible pandemic. Should that happen, are there lessons we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic that could help us navigate this one?����

PR: Yes, the lessons learned from COVID-19 in terms of rapid development of vaccines and the effectiveness of control measures such as masks would allow us to respond quickly. Unfortunately, everyone is quite tired of hearing about pandemics, so a challenge would be to capitalize on the helpful lessons learned and find a way to avoid misinformation and public backlash to a public health response.����

JM: While COVID has been very divisive in many ways, it has also familiarized many people with public health: People now know how to navigate dashboards on the health department’s website, and we have muscle memory regarding social distancing, mask wearing, handwashing, etc. Basic epidemiology principles such as quarantine, isolation, transmission rate, etc. are familiar to the general public now. But there is also a lot of fatigue, as Peter mentions, which may make it harder to implement public health countermeasures if they become necessary.����

You both study the connection between human and animal health. It’s easy for people to understand that animal diseases can spread to humans, but how else should we consider that relationship?��

PR: We should raise awareness about the terrible impact of the current avian influenza outbreak on wild and domestic animal populations: millions of poultry dying because of spreading infections, also hundreds of thousands of wild birds and mammals, including sea mammals such as sea lions and seals. An event like this represents a threat to biodiversity and the health of ecosystems, which we have learned is extremely important for human health. The concept of “One Health” stresses these vital connections between the health of humans, other species, and our shared ecosystems.����

To reach Rabinowitz or Meisner, contact Alden Woods of 91̽��News at acwoods@uw.edu.����

Update (Oct. 17, 2024): In an article , the researchers behind Medicine for a Changing Planet make the case that physicians should ask about patients’ environmental exposures when taking their histories. The UW’s Dr. Peter Rabinowitz and Stanford’s Dr. Michele Barry explain why it’s important to consider these factors and how physicians can incorporate them into their practice in the above video. Video credit: Stanford University

Changes to our environment are creating new challenges: emerging disease patterns, threats to mental health, malnutrition and unpredictable natural disasters. These developments are unprecedented. Their impacts are felt across the world, most intensely in communities traditionally excluded from accumulating wealth. ��

What health professionals see in hospitals and clinics is shifting, requiring new approaches to diagnosis, treatment and advocacy.����

To address this growing need, the 91̽��’s and the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health are launching , a collection of clinical case studies supporting health professionals in providing more effective care for patients living with climate change.����

These case studies, collated from clinical encounters around the world, support health professionals in recognizing and treating a variety of health-related conditions that can be traced to environmental stressors. Topics include infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, malnutrition, heat stress, physical trauma and mental health concerns.����

“We want the skills emphasized in the Medicine for a Changing Planet case studies to empower health care providers to play a more active role in the response to global environmental change,” said , a 91̽��professor of environmental and occupational health sciences who co-led the development of these case studies. “We encourage health professionals to focus on their role as disease detectives, identifying sentinel cases of environmentally induced disease, and steps that they could take to manage such cases, both in and beyond the clinic.”��

Rabinowitz is also a physician in 91̽��Medicine’s Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Clinic and director of the 91̽��Center for One Health Research.��

Among other things, the cases call for an expanded approach to taking a patient’s medical history. Clinicians already are trained to look out for social determinants of health, considering a patient’s occupation, lifestyle and other key factors. Now, in a rapidly changing environment, clinicians must also go a step further. The cases encourage health professionals to consider how environmental stressors, such as extreme heat, wildfires, food access and widespread pollution may impact a patient’s health.����

Each case includes a call to action, describing ways in which clinicians can take action to advance global health. Cases encourage health professionals to work with public health authorities and other key stakeholders, and to consider ways to leverage their roles as trusted voices of authority to advance change in response to a planetary crisis.����

This includes action in the clinic, within local communities, and at a larger societal level — advancing sustainability, developing stakeholder networks, advocating for policy changes and galvanizing grassroots efforts.��

The cases also prompt health professionals to consider how to help patients protect themselves from additional health consequences. This can mean identifying potential environmental stressors and planning steps to reduce exposure.��

“Listening closely to one’s patients to understand the many factors impacting their health has always been a physician’s core responsibility,” said Dr. Michele Barry, Shenson Professor and Director of the at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, and co-lead of this project. “This is even more important now, in a time when the human-altered environment is placing unprecedented pressures on our health and well-being.”��

This project deepens the UW’s longstanding commitment to address the world’s most pressing challenges to health and well-being. The Population Health Initiative unites the entire 91̽��community in that mission by fostering a collaborative approach to improving human health, environmental resilience, and social and economic equity.

, chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, said Rabinowitz is a living example of that mission.����

“Since launching the Center for One Health Research at the UW, Dr. Rabinowitz has established a rich global network of researchers and clinicians investigating emerging environmental challenges and diseases,” Yost said. “His role in assembling this new material demonstrates the UW’s commitment to improving population health around the world.” ��

Medicine for a Changing World’s core partners include the Global Consortium of Climate and Health Education and their new collection of , as well as the Planetary Health Alliance’s initiative.��

Adapted from a press release by Stanford University.��

For more information, reach Rabinowitz by contacting Vickie Ramirez: ramirezv@uw.edu��

To better identify and prevent future pandemics, the 91̽�� has become a partner in a five-year global, collaborative agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development. The newly launched Discovery & Exploration of Emerging Pathogens – Viral Zoonoses, or DEEP VZN project, has approximately $125 million in anticipated funding and will be led by Washington State University.

The effort will build scientific capacity in partner countries to safely detect and characterize viruses which have the potential to spill over from wildlife and domestic animals to human populations.

“The DEEP VZN project provides an exciting chance to better understand why the world is experiencing more frequent and severe outbreaks of zoonotic infectious diseases transmitted between animals and people,” said Dr. , a co-principal investigator for USAID DEEP VZN and professor of environmental and occupational health sciences in the 91̽��School of Public Health.

“This means gaining knowledge about new viruses that could cause problems in the future, and the ecosystem changes that appear to be driving the process of viruses jumping between species,” Rabinowitz added. “T��� hope is that this improved understanding will lead to prevention of future pandemics and more resilient ecosystems.”

Rabinowitz is also director of the and co-director of the .

The project plans to initially partner with five countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to help local organizations carry out large-scale animal surveillance programs within their own countries safely and test samples for viruses using their own laboratory facilities. This will avoid the process of having to ship samples to other countries for testing and build an international network of laboratories capable of quickly responding to disease outbreaks.

“Since the vast majority of viruses that ignite pandemics have their origin in nonhuman animals, it is critical that we figure out which of the many new zoonotic viruses that we are now identifying are most likely to jump species into humans, spread easily from person to person and cause severe disease or death,” said Dr. , a co-principal investigator in the project and chair of the 91̽��Department of Global health.

“T��� focuses on a proactive, integrated systems approach to pandemic preparedness that has brought together internationally recognized leaders in the kinds of laboratory methods that will make it possible for the DEEP VZN team to fully sequence and characterize novel viruses in unprecedented breadth and depth,” said Wasserheit, co-director of the Alliance. “In addition, the Alliance’s approach catalyzed collaborations between these lab-based scientists; One Health leaders working at the interface of human, animal and environmental health; and leaders in Global Health who will work with colleagues in focus countries to identify high-risk locations and subpopulations at the human-animal interface.”

The DEEP VZN project will focus on finding previously unknown pathogens from three viral families that have a large potential for viral spillover from animals to humans: coronaviruses, the family that includes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; filoviruses, like Ebola virus; and paramyxoviruses, such as Nipah virus. With 70% of new viral outbreaks in people originating from animals, understanding future threats helps protect the U.S. as well as the partner countries.

The goals are ambitious: to collect over 800,000 samples in the five years of the project, most of which will come from wildlife; then to detect whether known and novel viruses from the target families are present in the samples. When those are found, the researchers will determine their zoonotic potential, or the ability to be transmitted between animals and humans.

This process is expected to yield 8,000 to 12,000 novel viruses, which researchers will then screen and genome sequence for the ones that pose the most risk to animal and human health.

The UW��Medicine��laboratory effort, led by��Dr.��Alex Greninger,��assistant professor of laboratory medicine and pathology at 91̽�� School of Medicine, will use��the��cutting-edge research expertise of five internationally recognized 91̽��Medicine laboratories to��develop innovative techniques and provide reference and support activities for virus detection and characterization by in-country labs.

“It’s time to get to work and find some new viruses. We will be building capacity in other countries to be able to find new viruses and characterize them in hopes to better understand coronaviruses and other viruses circulating in the world,” said Greninger.

The 91̽��Medicine labs:

• The will coordinate��qRT-PCR and broad serology assay development and in-country training, viral genome recovery and viral glycoprotein characterization.
• The David will model novel viral glycoproteins to determine risk potential based on in silico screens for potential human receptor affinity.
• The��David has detailed mechanisms of viral attachment and entry for novel paramyxoviruses and coronaviruses and will extend these biochemical studies to novel viral glycoproteins discovered in DV.
• will determine the degree and mechanisms of innate immunity evasion in human cells by novel viruses.
• The will produce recombinant proteins for in-country serological analysis as it has done for SARS-CoV-2.

The 91̽��Department of Global Health will apply its experience in more than 145 countries and expertise in capacity strengthening through the International Training and Education Center for Health, or I-TECH, to support sustainable sampling and strengthen in-country laboratory programs.

In addition to 91̽��and WSU, USAID DEEP VZN includes virology expertise of The Washington University at St. Louis, as well as data management and in-country expertise of public health nonprofits PATH, based in Seattle, and FHI 360, based in North Carolina. These partners have extensive established presence and partners in countries in the target regions.

“To make sure the world is better prepared for these infectious disease events, which are likely to happen more frequently as wild areas become increasingly fragmented, we need to be ready,” said Felix Lankester, lead principal investigator for USAID DEEP VZN and associate professor with WSU’s Paul G. Allen School for Global Health. “We will work to not only detect viruses but also build capacity in other countries, so the United States can collaborate with them in carrying out this important work.”

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For more information, contact Jake Ellison at Jbe3@uw.edu

This story was adapted from a Washington State University .��

is a 91̽��-wide institute connecting scholars with community partners to address environmental challenges. The institute announced awards for its 2020 on May 5.

Four research teams were chosen from 43 that applied. Proposals were reviewed by an 11-member committee including faculty and staff in several areas as well as an outside community member. This is the program’s second year.

Each team will receive up to $75,000 as well as administrative and communications support for a 16-month period ending in September 2021.

Crucially, the researchers also plan to collaborate with community partners from El Centro de la Raza locally to universities internationally for these projects. All of the community partners involved are listed on the .

Does vegetation help mitigate roadway and aircraft-related air pollution in Seattle?

, associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, is principal investigator on this community-engaged study using drones for 3D air quality measurements.

Co-investigators are professor and assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, and , professor of atmospheric sciences.

According to their proposal, “Findings from this study will provide local and highly relevant evidence on the effectiveness of urban planning initiatives that may utilize greenery as an approach to address particulate air pollution.”

Hazard planning, food sovereignty and climate adaptation in the Alaskan Arctic��

, assistant professor in the Department of American Indian Studies and the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, is this project’s principal investigator and co-director.

is a 500-person community in Northwest Alaska about 80 miles above the Arctic Circle. Sea-ice cover around this area has decreased dramatically in the last two decades, increasing coastal erosion during storms and the frequency of traveler distress calls, among other concerns.

For this research, an interdisciplinary team of 91̽��polar researchers will work with area search and rescue volunteers to help Kivalina and its residents achieve more safety, resilience and food sovereignty, and become a model of community-driven polar research. The team also plans to develop new methods in sea ice forecasting to support local decision-making, among several other goals.

Other 91̽��researchers involved are , chair and professor; and , research assistant professor, both in atmospheric sciences.

Píkyav on the Mid-Klamath River: Peeshkêesh Yáv Umúsaheesh

The flows through parts of Oregon and Northern California. Four hydroelectric dams along the river are scheduled for removal in 2022. The , in that area, is among the largest in California.

This research team proposes a river restoration process on the Klamath that centers on Karuk tribal sovereignty using a model of justice, helping to bring tribal perspectives to large-scale governance. The title of the project, they write, translates to “the river will look good” — and the phrase “goes far below the surface to include function, connection and ceremonial renewal.”

The team plans an intergenerational, field-based school on the river, working with Karuk youth and cultural practitioners to gather historical maps, stories and spatial data on Karuk uses of floodplain ecosystems.

91̽��team members for this project are , assistant professor in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs; , a lecturer in Comparative History of Ideas and the Program on the Environment; and Karuk tribal member Kimberly Yazzie, a doctoral student in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.

Lessons from urban indigenous immigrants ��

“This project will compare a self-managed indigenous immigrant community still using traditional practices in Iquitos, Peru,” the team wrote, “to a similar indigenous immigrant community nearby that developed with social and political pressures to colonially urbanize and leave traditional practices behind.”

91̽��members of the research team are , affiliate assistant professor of landscape architecture; , photographer with the 91̽��Center for One Health Research; , lecturer in the 91̽��Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences; Kathleen Wolf, research social scientist with the School of Environment and Forest Sciences; and doctoral student of the School of Public Health.

“We use an innovative, mixed-methods approach by combining indigenous knowledge, science and art to document environmental conditions, ecosystem health, traditional knowledge practices, and human-nature connections in each community,” the team wrote.

Environmental and human health impacts of a new invasive species in Madagascar

A fifth project was in March, representing the second project funded in collaboration with the 91̽��Population Health Initiative. The project’s 91̽��leads are , assistant professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences; and , professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences.

For more information, contact the EarthLab Innovation Grants program lead at elgrants@uw.edu.

The next time you eat sashimi, nigiri or other forms of raw fish, consider doing a quick check for worms.

A new study led by the 91̽�� finds dramatic increases in the abundance of a worm that can be transmitted to humans who eat raw or undercooked seafood. Its 283-fold increase in abundance since the 1970s could have implications for the health of humans and marine mammals, which both can inadvertently eat the worm.

Thousands of papers have looked at the abundance of this parasitic worm, known as Anisakis or “herring worm,” in particular places and at particular times. But this is the first study to combine the results of those papers to investigate how the global abundance of these worms has changed through time. The were published March 19 in the journal Global Change Biology.

“This study harnesses the power of many studies together to show a global picture of change over a nearly four-decade period,” said corresponding author , an assistant professor in the 91̽��School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. “It’s interesting because it shows how risks to both humans and marine mammals are changing over time. That’s important to know from a public health standpoint, and for understanding what’s going on with marine mammal populations that aren’t thriving.”

Despite their name, herring worms can be found in a variety of marine fish and squid species. When people eat live , the parasite can invade the intestinal wall and cause symptoms that mimic those of food poisoning, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In most cases, the worm dies after a few days and the symptoms disappear. This disease, called or anisakidosis, is rarely diagnosed because most people assume they merely suffered a bad case of food poisoning, Wood explained.

After the worms hatch in the ocean, they first infect small crustaceans, such as bottom-dwelling shrimp or copepods. When small fish eat the infected crustaceans, the worms then transfer to their bodies, and this continues as larger fish eat smaller infected fish.

Humans and marine mammals become infected when they eat a fish that contains worms. The worms can’t reproduce or live for more than a few days in a human’s intestine, but they can persist and reproduce in marine mammals.

Seafood processors and sushi chefs are well-practiced at spotting the worms in fish and picking them out before they reach customers in grocery stores, seafood markets or sushi bars, Wood explained. The worms can be up to 2 centimeters in length, or about the size of a U.S. 5-cent nickel.

“At every stage of seafood processing and sushi preparation, people are good at finding worms and removing them from fish,” Wood said.

Some worms can make it past these screening steps. Still, Wood — who studies a range of marine parasites — said she enjoys eating sushi regularly. For sushi consumers who remain concerned about these worms, she recommends cutting each piece in half and looking for worms before eating it.

For the analysis, the study’s authors searched the published literature archived online for all mentions of Anisakis worms, as well as another parasitic worm called Pseudoterranova, or “cod worm.” They whittled down the studies based on set criteria, ultimately keeping only those studies that presented estimates of the abundance of each worm in fish at a given point in time. While Anisakis worms increased 283-fold over the study period of 1978 to 2015, Pseudoterranova worms did not change in abundance.

Although the health risks of these marine worms are fairly low for humans, scientists think they may be having a big impact on marine mammals such as dolphins, whales and seals. The worms actually reproduce in the intestines of these animals and are released into the ocean via the marine mammals’ feces. While scientists don’t yet know the physiological impacts of these parasites on marine mammals, the parasites can live in the mammals’ bodies for years, which could have detrimental effects, Wood said.

“One of the important implications of this study is that now we know there is this massive, rising health risk to marine mammals,” Wood said. “It’s not often considered that parasites might be the reason that some marine mammal populations are failing to bounce back. I hope this study encourages people to look at intestinal parasites as a potential cap on the population growth of endangered and threatened marine mammals.”

The authors aren’t sure what caused the large increase of Anisakis worms over the past several decades, but climate change, more nutrients from fertilizers and runoff, and an increase in marine mammal populations over the same period could all be potential reasons, they said.

Marine mammals have been protected under the since 1972, which has allowed many populations of seals, sea lions, whales and dolphins to grow. Because the worms reproduce inside marine mammals — and their rise occurred over the same time period as the mammals’ increase — this is the most plausible hypothesis, Wood said.

“It’s possible that the recovery of some marine mammal populations has allowed recovery of their Anisakis parasites.” Wood said. “So, the increase in parasitic worms actually could be a good thing, a sign that the ecosystem is doing well. But, ironically, if one marine mammal population increases in response to protection and its Anisakis parasites profit from that increase, it could put other, more vulnearble marine mammal populations at risk of increased infection, and that could make it even more difficult for these endangered populations to recover.”

Other co-authors are , who completed the work as a 91̽��graduate student; , a graduate student in the 91̽��School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences; of Bates College; of Washington Sea Grant; and of the 91̽��School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences; and of NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center.

This study was funded by Washington Sea Grant, the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the 91̽��.

For more information, contact Wood at chelwood@uw.edu.

Rivals in the sports arena, the state’s two largest public universities have teamed up off the field to improve the health of young adults experiencing homelessness – and their pets.

The 91̽�� and Washington State University are working with New Horizons Ministries and Neighborcare Health to provide health care and veterinary care to this vulnerable population. Key educational partners include the 91̽��School of Public Health, WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and 91̽��Medicine.

Many people experiencing homelessness have pets, but the animals can be a barrier to health care. Owners may not want to leave their dogs or cats while visiting a clinic. Enter the new One Health Clinic, which welcomes two- and four-legged patients at the same time.

“Our joint human health��and veterinary care model allows us to treat humans and their pets as a unit, since there are so many overlapping health issues,” said Dr. Peter Rabinowitz, director of UW’s . is a professor of environmental & occupational health sciences in the 91̽��School of Public Health, of family medicine in the 91̽��School of Medicine, and of global health, a department jointly run by medicine and public health. “T��� aim of this project is to determine the best way to integrate human and animal medical care for people facing homelessness and their pets, and to leverage positive aspects of the human animal bond.”

The project grew out of a pilot grant from the UW’s Population Health Initiative. Rabinowitz reached out across the state to enthusiastic colleagues at WSU. The partnership comes amid a statewide campaign by the 91̽��and WSU to promote the affordability and impact of public higher education. In the One Health Clinic, WSU veterinary students work together with UW��medical, nursing and social work��students from University District Street Medicine, a student-run volunteer organization.

“For those people experiencing homelessness, companion animals can provide comfort and friendship. At the One Health Clinic, veterinary and human health students work side by side with their preceptors and community providers to serve these vulnerable animal and human pairs in a truly interprofessional model of care,” said Bryan K. Slinker, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The One Health Clinic held several pilot clinics last year and is now open up to two nights a month at New Horizons, a shelter and service provider for young adults youth ages 18-25, located in Belltown. Neighborcare Health, which has operated a health clinic for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness since 1993, is the human medical provider at the One Health Clinic. The clinic can serve up to seven client-pairs a night.

“When we can treat a health problem in the pets, we remove that as a stress point while these young people are working to transition from homelessness. This helps them feel safe in accessing care for their own health needs,” said Dr. Katie Kuehl, lead WSU Veterinary Medical Director, One Health Clinic.

One goal of the project is to research the impact that having a companion animal has on the physical and mental health of people facing homelessness and to provide research-based recommendations for combined health care. The Center for One Health Research, based in the 91̽��Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, explores linkages among humans, animals and their shared environment.

The One Health clinic could eventually expand to Ballard and could include a mobile clinic, but Rabinowitz says sustainable funding is needed.

To learn more or support the One Health Clinic, visit .

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