Human/animal support services

Reimagining Healthcare: Human–Animal Bond Support as a Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Public Health Intervention

“…To focus scope and analysis, HASS are examined within this manuscript in the context of the United States as a single-country case example. The use of the term human–animal support services (HASS) emerged in the United States during the early 1980s AIDS epidemic in California and was also referred to as the San Francisco Model; as people were debilitated with AIDS, a groundswell of grassroots volunteer efforts emerged to help keep people with AIDS with their animal companions for as long as possible and help ensure pets who lost their people to AIDS were cared for [ 25 ]. HASS entail the provision of needed assistance—such as pet food banks, accessible/affordable veterinary care, and pet housing deposit assistance—aimed at keeping vulnerable people and their companion animals together, typically for mutual benefit of the person and animal [ 25 , 26 ].…”

“…The use of the term human–animal support services (HASS) emerged in the United States during the early 1980s AIDS epidemic in California and was also referred to as the San Francisco Model; as people were debilitated with AIDS, a groundswell of grassroots volunteer efforts emerged to help keep people with AIDS with their animal companions for as long as possible and help ensure pets who lost their people to AIDS were cared for [ 25 ]. HASS entail the provision of needed assistance—such as pet food banks, accessible/affordable veterinary care, and pet housing deposit assistance—aimed at keeping vulnerable people and their companion animals together, typically for mutual benefit of the person and animal [ 25 , 26 ]. These grassroots efforts evolved into a formal organization in 1987—Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS)—through a collaboration of AIDS activists, people living with AIDS-related disabilities, veterinary and animal welfare professionals and students, and human health and social service professionals [ 25 , 27 ].…”

“…HASS entail the provision of needed assistance—such as pet food banks, accessible/affordable veterinary care, and pet housing deposit assistance—aimed at keeping vulnerable people and their companion animals together, typically for mutual benefit of the person and animal [ 25 , 26 ]. These grassroots efforts evolved into a formal organization in 1987—Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS)—through a collaboration of AIDS activists, people living with AIDS-related disabilities, veterinary and animal welfare professionals and students, and human health and social service professionals [ 25 , 27 ]. PAWS provided a range of services, such as pet food assistance (pet food banks and home delivery), financial and logistic help accessing veterinary services, and in-home pet care assistance (dog walking, emergency fostering, cat care, etc.)…”