Ember Duke | layout editor

Access to healthcare for humans and their furry companions can be especially scarce for people experiencing homelessness, poverty and housing insecurity.

People might be more inclined to seek medical attention for their pets than themselves, said Duquesne alumna Katie Willis, who earned her master’s from the applied and public sociology program. For her master’s thesis, Willis studied the Humane Health Coalition – a partner program between the non-profit Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Health Network, which offers free joint veterinary and medical resources at their bi-monthly mobile clinics.

“Ten percent of people experiencing homelessness in the United States have pets, but only 6% of homeless shelters in larger U.S. cities are pet-friendly,” according to her research, which she presented on Zoom for the Center for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research’s Journal Club.

Stigma and anxiety are also a leading factor in people’s aversion to seeking medical attention, Willis said. For her, building trust is key to helping the community.

“It’s a benefit to Pittsburgh for people to see maybe a new model, something that’s a little bit different and exciting and that feels a little more innovative, and an acknowledgement that human and animal health can be really intertwined,” Willis said.

When conducting her research during September through December of 2023, 78 pet owners were served. All pets receive their core vaccines and three months of flea and tick preventative medicine. They also get tested and receive medicine for tick-borne diseases and heartworms. Humans are offered social care as well as tests for HIV/Hep-C, vision exams, distribution of food, hygiene products and clothing, connections to housing services, Veteran Affairs representation and other resources, according to the AHN website.

In other cases, the care extends beyond the basic needs, said Casey Garrity, vet tech and HHC coordinator. One little, white dog with a skin and mite infection was brought to the clinic. Now after treatment, it looks like a completely new dog, Garrity said.

“From the shelter aspect, we don’t want to see the animals here. We would much rather have them stay in their own homes,” Garrity said.

She said they tend to service 32 animals at each clinic and that many are returning patrons.

In the past year, the program has grown tremendously and nearly 50% of people utilize the provided medical care for themselves alongside their pet, Garrity said.

HHC is an innovative take on providing healthcare, and while some other cities have similar programs, they often have stipulations which require people to get medical attention for themselves if they are seeking veterinary help, Willis said. This can in some cases de-incentivise people from attending the clinics and getting help for their pets, she said.

Willis took a hands-on approach to the research. She interviewed 13 staff members and 27 patrons at the clinics, attended weekly organization meetings and pored over data.

“Animals provide a comfortable topic of conversation for people, because most people have had a pet. Most people have fond memories of a pet,” Willis said. “[Clients] just come from such varied backgrounds, but all of them, universally, needed some type of assistance, and I think [the clinic] gave them maybe some confidence in the community too.”

The program commonly services the McKees Rocks Homewood, North Side, Mt. Oliver and Larimer neighborhoods, as demographically they tend to be lower income areas, Garrity said. They usually last about four hours — with the first three being by appointment and the last one for walk-ins.

The locations varied, but Willis noticed several times when they were held at soup kitchens or community centers, people who were not strictly there for the clinic would use the resources.

“The community around seems to be very thankful and grateful,” Garrity said. “The venues we go to are very happy that we’re there … that we’re taking care of their community.”

The depth of her research helped Willis to provide some feedback along the way to the organization, and after the thesis was written, she presented her findings to the HARP board. She noticed at times a disparity in people’s awareness of the services offered. Many didn’t know that human medical care was available as well, she said.

“I just wanted [the study] to be something that could potentially give back and be more than a thesis that kind of gathers dust on the shelf,” Willis said

Her master’s advisor, Anita Zuberi, said she went “above and beyond” with her research by coupling a public facing research approach with traditional methods.

“She wanted to do a mixed methods study, so she got some quantitative data in addition to the qualitative, and was, in the end, able to tell a really nice story about this program,” Zuberi said.

Willis had previously volunteered for HARP and sits on their junior advisory council board. Through that she learned about the HHC program, which was just launching when she began her study.

Zuberi said Willis’s already formed relationships helped her conduct some of her public facing work.

“Her thesis project really focused on the implementation … those first stages of getting a new program off the ground and running,” Zuberi said.