Outside The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Adjunct Assistant Professor Amanda Beaudoin and third-year College of Veterinary Medicine student Micaela Sanchez Cereceda were seamless in their care delivery.
As Sanchez Cereceda talked with the pet owner, Dr. Beaudoin administered the vaccine so calmly and quickly that the tail wagging never waned. Within minutes, both owner and pooch were happily on their way with a bag of food, a supply of flea and tick medicine, and no bill.
“I just love community medicine,” Sanchez Cereceda said as she waited for her next patient. “It’s hard work and we’re giving up our weekend, but it’s to serve the community and provide the best care while practicing the medicine we love. You create such bonds with the people you work with, and with the community.”
This scene played out multiple times on Saturday, July 25, when more than 150 members of the Austin and Mower County community stopped by The Hormel Institute for Pets and People Community Care. This first-of-its-kind event brought together multiple University colleges and departments, as well as local organizations, to provide free health care services for people, cats, and dogs.
“Rural communities tend to have the least amount of access, so it’s even more important to have us all here because we can offer more if we’re doing it together,” Bethany O’Bryan, DVM, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Rochester alumna, said. “Being able to see my school, who taught me the importance of serving the community, here today makes me very proud.”
O’Bryan, who was there Saturday representing both her alma mater and the Willow Pet Hospital where she works, also expressed her passion for interprofessional health care. If One Health shows how human, animal, and environmental health are all linked, she explained, then interprofessional health care is how providers across different disciplines come together as one unified team for the betterment of all.
“Being able to teach the students here and introduce them to that concept of how different professions can work together to better serve our communities is a huge passion of mine,” O’Bryan added.
In addition to O’Bryan, there were 12 other veterinarians (a mix of professionals, professors, and students) weighing, examining and vaccinating pets; the Salvation Army distributing food and household supplies; and the Mower County Humane Society offering pet adoption and spay/neuter information.
That was just what was happening outside.
Inside The Hormel Institute, human patients received vision and hearing tests from Mayo Clinic, spoke with pharmacists, and received blood pressure, cholesterol, and other health checks from the Institute’s Wellness on Wheels program.
“People are more likely to come and get health care services for their pet because who doesn’t like their pet?” Emily Heath, clinical studies manager at The Hormel Institute, said with a laugh. “We’ve found that if we offer pet and human services, people are much more likely to get themselves checked.”
That was certainly the case for Clinical Research and Outreach Coordinator Megan Moe who saw several patients at the Wellness on Wheels booth, including one whose A1c test results indicated elevated blood sugar levels in the diabetic range.
“It’s a hard message to deliver, but because of our partnership with Mower County Public Health, we can provide as many options as possible so the patient can be seen by a health care provider,” Moe said. “It’s another reminder how important it is for us to provide these services. Especially since the community can access them for free and without needing insurance.”
As the day wound down and the last good dogs, pretty kitties, and their human companions headed home, it was easy to see how much can be accomplished when collaboration and partnership lead the way. With the drive to keep connecting the University with local organizations and communities to solve complex health care problems with real-world solutions, the organizers were left with a single question: How soon can we do it again?