Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Published Ahead of Print
    • Archive
    • Supplemental Issues
    • Collections - French
    • Collections - English
  • Info for
    • Authors & Reviewers
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • Advertisers
    • Careers & Locums
    • Subscribers
    • Permissions
  • About CFP
    • About CFP
    • About the CFPC
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Terms of Use
    • Contact Us
  • Feedback
    • Feedback
    • Rapid Responses
    • Most Read
    • Most Cited
    • Email Alerts
  • Blogs
    • Latest Blogs
    • Blog Guidelines
    • Directives pour les blogues
  • Mainpro+ Credits
    • About Mainpro+
    • Member Login
    • Instructions
  • Other Publications
    • http://www.cfpc.ca/Canadianfamilyphysician/
    • https://www.cfpc.ca/Login/
    • Careers and Locums

User menu

  • My alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
The College of Family Physicians of Canada
  • Other Publications
    • http://www.cfpc.ca/Canadianfamilyphysician/
    • https://www.cfpc.ca/Login/
    • Careers and Locums
  • My alerts
The College of Family Physicians of Canada

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Published Ahead of Print
    • Archive
    • Supplemental Issues
    • Collections - French
    • Collections - English
  • Info for
    • Authors & Reviewers
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • Advertisers
    • Careers & Locums
    • Subscribers
    • Permissions
  • About CFP
    • About CFP
    • About the CFPC
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Terms of Use
    • Contact Us
  • Feedback
    • Feedback
    • Rapid Responses
    • Most Read
    • Most Cited
    • Email Alerts
  • Blogs
    • Latest Blogs
    • Blog Guidelines
    • Directives pour les blogues
  • Mainpro+ Credits
    • About Mainpro+
    • Member Login
    • Instructions
  • RSS feeds
  • Follow cfp Template on Twitter
Research ArticleCommentary

Linking animal health to human health by establishing veterinary services within a community health clinic

Overall health of marginalized people

Florence Bergia, Marie-Ève Fortin and Jérôme Patry
Canadian Family Physician July 2022, 68 (7) 485-486; DOI: https://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.6807485
Florence Bergia
Veterinarian and a family medicine resident at the Groupe de médecine de famille universitaire (GMF-U) de Lévis in Quebec.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Marie-Ève Fortin
Veterinarian and family medicine resident at the GMF-U de Lévis.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jérôme Patry
Family physician and clinical researcher at the GMF-U de Lévis.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: jerome.patry.1@ulaval.ca
  • Article
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.1 Therefore, health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, but takes into account multiple economic, social, and environmental factors affecting individuals and populations.1 The concept of overall health is largely taught in medical schools and is being gradually introduced into health networks across Canada.2 Increasingly, physicians are understanding the importance of interprofessional collaboration and are adopting an integrated approach that considers the various determinants impacting patient health. However, services provided within health institutions are, admittedly, often limited and do not consider the full range of factors affecting patients’ well-being, particularly with respect to vulnerable and marginalized people.3 As a result, individuals living in financially and psychosocially unstable situations, such as those who are homeless or people with substance use disorder, are often isolated and difficult for health care providers to reach. Fortunately, there are medical clinics specifically aiming to serve these patient populations by offering a wider range of psychosocial and physical health services housed within the same establishment. The SPOT clinic in Québec, Que, is one such clinic.

The SPOT clinic is a non-profit organization founded in 2014 with a mission focused on improving the overall health of marginalized people and people living in precarious situations, such as those who are homeless, people who have been previously incarcerated, or refugees.4 This community clinic uses a collaborative, interorganizational, and interprofessional approach to combat social inequalities in health care. The SPOT clinic also offers free dental care, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, community intervention, massage therapy, nursing care, medical consultation, and other services to almost 900 people per year. In addition, this organization uses a therapy dog to build trust between social service workers and some service users. Clinicians observed the benefits that the dog had on vulnerable patients and noted that a portion of the SPOT clinic patient population also owned pets; the clinic decided to establish veterinary services on site at its Maison Mère-Mallet locations in Québec. By adopting this innovative vision of overall health, the SPOT clinic has positioned itself as a leader in community medicine and in linking animal health to the health of vulnerable populations.

The SPOT clinic’s veterinary service project was born through collaboration between 2 veterinarians who are also family medicine residents at Laval University in Québec, Que. Since March 2021, these veterinarians have volunteered 1 day per month, offering their services to pet owners living in psychosocially and financially precarious situations. People who meet the project’s selection criteria are referred by various community organizations in Québec. The Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec was consulted to ensure that the SPOT veterinary clinic was in compliance with Québec’s veterinary medicine regulations. Veterinary services are free and focused on pets. Veterinarians also use these consultations to address public health issues like zoonosis transmission and prevention. On days when veterinary services are offered, patients are greeted by a social worker who uses the animal as an initial point of contact for building trust with the owner. While the owner waits for their veterinary consultation, the social worker has the opportunity to discuss and identify the owner’s needs and to offer support and relevant services as necessary. It also gives isolated individuals who are disconnected from the mainstream health care system the opportunity to access comprehensive health care services in an environment that is safe and welcoming, both for them and their pet.

Impact of animals and the SPOT veterinary clinic

To improve services and better understand the impact of animals and the SPOT veterinary clinic on the health of vulnerable people, surveys were distributed to pet owners who attended appointments in 2021. This initiative was supervised by the SPOT clinic research and ethics committee. The survey was completed voluntarily and administered by attending social workers. Between March and September 2021, 36 pet owners benefited from the veterinary service for a total of 100 medical consultations. Ninety-four percent of the pet owners agreed to complete the survey during their first visit. While interviewing these owners, we were not surprised to find that they all considered their pets to have had a positive effect on their health. In fact, they mentioned that their pets improved their social well-being by decreasing their social isolation, improved their mental health by providing emotional support, and improved their physical health by leading them to adopt a healthier daily routine. Consistent with other studies,5,6 most respondents (56%) admitted that having a pet currently or at some point had compromised their ability to meet their basic needs (ie, housing, food, clothing) because of the associated costs. A substantial proportion of those interviewed (38%) also mentioned that they had previously ignored or delayed their own health care needs (eg, hospitalization) because of their pet. It is also important to highlight that 56% of owners agreed that they would be more likely to use health care services that also accepted animals.

A second survey was distributed to owners during subsequent visits to the SPOT veterinary clinic. Most respondents (70%) completed it during their pet’s booster shot appointments 1 month after the first consultation. Despite 30% of pet owners not returning for follow-up appointments, the initial results demonstrate the positive impact of veterinary services on the health of service users. Ninety percent of respondents experienced reduced anxiety after their pet received veterinary care. One service user said, “I feel less stressed because I know more about the state of my pet’s health.” We noted that 50% of respondents had never used SPOT’s services for their own health, but 90% said they were more likely to do so after visiting a veterinarian there. Additionally, 70% were interested in more information about the SPOT clinic’s other health care services after having used its veterinary clinic.

Social workers supporting people who live in poverty or psychosocial precarity in Québec also gave us positive feedback on the implementation of SPOT’s veterinary service. In fact, according to the social workers the veterinary service “puts the person more at ease and promotes greater trust in the SPOT team as a whole, rather than in one professional in particular.” They also described the presence of an animal as a “facilitating factor in approaching precarious individuals” and an “external motivator for rehabilitation” for owners.

Conclusion

The objective of linking animal health to the health of vulnerable people is related to the concept of comprehensive health promoted around the world. While other free veterinary services for marginalized people exist—such as the Clinique des animaux des jeunes de la rue in Montréal, Que7—very few medical clinics are integrating veterinary services as part of an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach. However, there are some interesting examples that demonstrate the benefits of such an approach. In fact, in 2013 a collaboration between the departments of medicine and veterinary medicine at the University of California, Davis, and several community organizations led to the opening of the Knights Landing One Health Center.8 This centre employs several professionals who serve a rural municipality with a large immigrant population that did not have access to health care services. The synergy between the physicians and veterinarians has allowed them to better understand population needs and increase zoonosis screening, which has, in turn, improved the health of vulnerable individuals.

Finally, while the SPOT veterinary clinic is still new, we have already found that veterinary services housed within the same location as a community health clinic improve the overall health of vulnerable and marginalized people. Meeting with veterinarians helps establish a relationship of trust with the pet owner, in addition to addressing the owner’s fears of not having access to resources while having a pet that requires care. Furthermore, by providing free veterinary care to people living in poverty, individuals are better enabled to put their money toward meeting their own needs, such as housing, food, and clothing. This innovative approach also promotes relationship building between owners and other health care professionals who can respond to the needs of individuals who are often disenfranchised. In the future, this collaboration with veterinarians is expected to develop in a sustainable way that promotes advances in overall health.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests

    None declared

  • The opinions expressed in commentaries are those of the authors. Publication does not imply endorsement by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

  • Cet article se trouve aussi en français à la page 491.

  • Copyright © 2022 the College of Family Physicians of Canada

References

  1. 1.↵
    Constitution of the World Health Organization. New York, NY: World Health Organization; 1948. Available from: https://apps.who.int/gb/bd/PDF/bd47/EN/constitution-en.pdf. Accessed 2022 Jun 9.
  2. 2.↵
    1. Koplan JP,
    2. Bond TC,
    3. Merson MH,
    4. Reddy KS,
    5. Rodriguez MH,
    6. Sewankambo NK, et al.
    Towards a common definition of global health. Lancet 2009;373(9679):1993-5. Epub 2009 Jun 1.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  3. 3.↵
    1. Hudson AL,
    2. Nyamathi A,
    3. Greengold B,
    4. Slagle A,
    5. Koniak-Griffin D,
    6. Khalilifard F, et al.
    Health-seeking challenges among homeless youth. Nurs Res 2010;59(3):212-8.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  4. 4.↵
    Suivi d’implantation. Rapport intérimaire sommaire - juin 2016. Québec, QC: SPOT Clinique communautaire de santé et d’enseignement; 2016. Available from: https://cliniquespot.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Rapport-suivi-implantation-sommaire-vf.pdf. Accessed 2022 Jun 9.
  5. 5.↵
    1. Kerman N,
    2. Lem M,
    3. Witte M,
    4. Kim C,
    5. Rhoades H.
    A multilevel intervention framework for supporting people experiencing homelessness with pets. Animals (Basel) 2020;10(10):1869.
    OpenUrl
  6. 6.↵
    1. Rhoades H,
    2. Winetrobe H,
    3. Rice E.
    Pet ownership among homeless youth: associations with mental health, service utilization and housing status. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2015;46(2):237-44.
    OpenUrl
  7. 7.↵
    Faculté de médecine vétérinaire. Clinique des animaux des jeunes de la rue. Montréal, QC: University of Montréal. Available from: https://fmv.umontreal.ca/vie-facultaire/vie-etudiante/clinique-des-animaux-des-jeunes-de-la-rue/. Accessed 2022 Jun 9.
  8. 8.↵
    1. Sweeney JM,
    2. Zielinska Crook P,
    3. Deeb-Sossa N,
    4. Tu B,
    5. Dear JD,
    6. Mazet JAK.
    Clinical one health: a novel healthcare solution for underserved communities. One Health 2018;6:34-6.
    OpenUrl
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Canadian Family Physician: 68 (7)
Canadian Family Physician
Vol. 68, Issue 7
1 Jul 2022
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on The College of Family Physicians of Canada.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Linking animal health to human health by establishing veterinary services within a community health clinic
(Your Name) has sent you a message from The College of Family Physicians of Canada
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the The College of Family Physicians of Canada web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Linking animal health to human health by establishing veterinary services within a community health clinic
Florence Bergia, Marie-Ève Fortin, Jérôme Patry
Canadian Family Physician Jul 2022, 68 (7) 485-486; DOI: 10.46747/cfp.6807485

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Respond to this article
Share
Linking animal health to human health by establishing veterinary services within a community health clinic
Florence Bergia, Marie-Ève Fortin, Jérôme Patry
Canadian Family Physician Jul 2022, 68 (7) 485-486; DOI: 10.46747/cfp.6807485
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Impact of animals and the SPOT veterinary clinic
    • Conclusion
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • Relier la santé animale à la santé humaine par l’implantation d’un service vétérinaire dans une clinique médicale communautaire
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Training policy limits career exploration in family medicine
  • Our role in making the Canadian health care system one of the world’s best
  • Food for thought, feeding the medical soul: COVID-19 pandemic lessons and reflections
Show more Commentary

Similar Articles

Navigate

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Archive
  • Collections - English
  • Collections - Française

For Authors

  • Authors and Reviewers
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Permissions
  • Terms of Use

General Information

  • About CFP
  • About the CFPC
  • Advertisers
  • Careers & Locums
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • Subscribers

Journal Services

  • Email Alerts
  • Twitter
  • RSS Feeds

Copyright © 2023 by The College of Family Physicians of Canada

Powered by HighWire