With each patient that approached their table, University of Minnesota Adjunct Assistant Professor Amanda Beaudoin and third-year College of Veterinary Medicine student Micaela Sanchez Cereceda seemed seamless in their care delivery. 

As Sanchez Cereceda talked with a pet owner, Beaudoin administered the vaccine so calmly and quickly that the tail wagging never waned. Within minutes, both owner and dog 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 says. “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.” 

It's a scene that played out multiple times on Saturday, July 25, when more than 150 members of the Austin, Minn., and Mower County communities stopped by The Hormel Institute for Pets and People Community Care clinic. The event brought together teams from the University— including the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs, the Center for Interprofessional Health, and the Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science—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,” says Bethany O’Bryan, '23 DVM, a veterinarian volunteering at the event. “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 adds. 

In addition to O’Bryan, there were 12 other veterinary volunteers—a mix of professionals, faculty and students—who examined and vaccinated pets. The Salvation Army distributed food and household supplies, and the Mower County Humane Society offered 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?” says Emily Heath, clinical studies manager at The Hormel Institute. “We’ve found that if we offer pet and human services, people are much more likely to get themselves checked.”

That was the case for Megan Moe, clinical research and outreach coordinator for The Hormel Institute, 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 of how important it is for us to provide these services. Especially since the community can access them for free and without needing insurance.”

The event exemplified how University collaboration with local organizations and communities can help solve complex health care problems with real-world solutions.