Bright Ideas 2017: Delivering social services via veterinary care

Here’s something that I think is really cool that’s happening in the veterinary community right now. It’s a group called WisCARES. We realized there were all these people that had pets, but that had trouble accessing the veterinary care they needed. There were reasons why they were having difficulty getting that care, from homelessness to poverty. Under the leadership of Dr. William Gilles, the organization has taken off and is now part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. The focus is now a “one health” initiative, trying to support people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, and trying to keep their pets with them. In keeping in touch with these people via their pets, the school is also partnering with the school of social work and the pharmacy school. It’s looking at not only the health of animals, but also people who need help in the community.