Integrating Human–Animal Care Through a Public Health–Driven One Health Clinic Model in Pima County, Arizona, October 2023–February 2024

One Health clinics integrate human, animal, and environmental health to provide interdisciplinary health care and community resources to people experiencing homelessness (PEH). Five mobile, public health-led One Health clinics were newly implemented in Pima County, Arizona, during October 2023-February 2024. Clinic locations included parks, libraries, and homeless shelters to reduce transportation-related barriers and integrate public health, veterinary, and housing services. Originally designed for PEH and their pets, Pima County One Health clinics were open to everyone in neighborhoods where clinics were hosted to promote community engagement with clinics and strengthen relationships with public health. We evaluated the performance of these clinics by describing service patterns, client perceptions, and lessons learned to support development of clinics by other jurisdictions. During clinic visits, basic demographic information was collected for people and pets, along with data on housing status, environmental and resource concerns, use of clinic services, and perceptions of clinics. The first 5 monthly mobile community clinics served 108 clients and 93 pets; 44% of clients were unhoused or unstably housed, 36% of clients were housed, and housing status was unknown for 20% of clients. Clinics facilitated partnership among service providers and with housed and unhoused community members. Clinics supported vaccine uptake among people and their pets and identified 3 cases of sexually transmitted infections that might otherwise have remained undetected. By implementing a One Health Clinic framework, our local health department helped address gaps in human and veterinary health care services. Other public health agencies might consider implementing similar models to enhance public health engagement with local communities.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Public Health Reports
Published
2025-11-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549251367579
Primary Topic
Human-Animal Interaction Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Integrating Human–Animal Care Through a Public Health–Driven One Health Clinic Model in Pima County, Arizona, October 2023–February 2024

Cedar L. Mitchell, Vickie Ramirez, Ellen Santos, Lindsay N. Kohler et al.
Public Health Reports
Human-Animal Interaction Studies
article

Integrating Human–Animal Care Through a Public Health–Driven One Health Clinic Model in Pima County, Arizona, October 2023–February 2024

Cedar L. Mitchell, Vickie Ramirez, Ellen Santos, Lindsay N. Kohler, Kristen Pogreba-Brown, Katherine Ellingson, Nellie Goetz, Mariana Singletary, Karl‐Heinz Wagner, Theresa Cullen, Michele Figueroa, Jennifer Wagner, Danielle Noumeh, Shayla VerSchave, Haley Escheman
article en

Abstract

One Health clinics integrate human, animal, and environmental health to provide interdisciplinary health care and community resources to people experiencing homelessness (PEH). Five mobile, public health-led One Health clinics were newly implemented in Pima County, Arizona, during October 2023-February 2024. Clinic locations included parks, libraries, and homeless shelters to reduce transportation-related barriers and integrate public health, veterinary, and housing services. Originally designed for PEH and their pets, Pima County One Health clinics were open to everyone in neighborhoods where clinics were hosted to promote community engagement with clinics and strengthen relationships with public health. We evaluated the performance of these clinics by describing service patterns, client perceptions, and lessons learned to support development of clinics by other jurisdictions. During clinic visits, basic demographic information was collected for people and pets, along with data on housing status, environmental and resource concerns, use of clinic services, and perceptions of clinics. The first 5 monthly mobile community clinics served 108 clients and 93 pets; 44% of clients were unhoused or unstably housed, 36% of clients were housed, and housing status was unknown for 20% of clients. Clinics facilitated partnership among service providers and with housed and unhoused community members. Clinics supported vaccine uptake among people and their pets and identified 3 cases of sexually transmitted infections that might otherwise have remained undetected. By implementing a One Health Clinic framework, our local health department helped address gaps in human and veterinary health care services. Other public health agencies might consider implementing similar models to enhance public health engagement with local communities.

Public Health ReportsVol. 141(1)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US), University of Arizona (US), University of Washington (US), Pima County Health Department (US), Epidemic Intelligence Service (US), Pima Community College (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 66%
Human-Animal Interaction Studies
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.