{"id":26835,"date":"2023-09-10T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=26835"},"modified":"2023-09-11T06:41:12","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T06:41:12","slug":"va-and-pet-partners-renew-partnership-to-support-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=26835","title":{"rendered":"VA and Pet Partners renew partnership to support Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"

In April 2023, VA and Pet Partners<\/a> announced the renewal of their memorandum of agreement, reaffirming their commitment to enhance the quality of life for Veterans. Facilitated by VA\u2019s National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP)<\/a>, the renewed partnership builds upon the strong collaboration established in 2019 and signifies a continued effort to deliver impactful support to Veterans.<\/p>\n

Since 1977, Pet Partners has been a leader in promoting the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted activities and therapies. The partnership focuses on the positive effects of the human-animal bond (HAB<\/a>), a mutually beneficial relationship that enhances the well-being of both humans and animals.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>
A human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial relationship<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

By incorporating animal-assisted intervention (AAI) including animal-assisted therapy (AAT), animal-assisted education and animal-assisted activities at VA facilities, Veterans receive additional support for their physical, mental and emotional well-being. Pet Partners\u2019 well-trained animals coupled with the compassion and expertise of dedicated volunteer handlers create an environment where Veterans can experience the transformative power of the HAB.<\/p>\n

Research suggests<\/a> that HAB and AAI may significantly help reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, increase feelings of safety and trust, and alleviate feelings of loneliness among Veterans. Additionally, AAT is an effective complementary treatment for a variety of mental and behavioral health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.<\/p>\n

Therapy dog an incentive to his recovery<\/h2>\n

One example of the positive impact of AAT<\/a> occurred at Minneapolis VA.<\/a> A Veteran who was initially reluctant and in distress became motivated to learn how to use his motorized wheelchair to reach therapy animal Wilson at the end of a hallway. Wilson\u2019s presence served as an incentive to help the Veteran successfully navigate his wheelchair, a significant turning point in his recovery journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cScientific studies show the therapeutic benefits of animal-assisted interventions can positively impact a Veteran\u2019s well-being,\u201d said Mary Margaret Callahan, Pet Partners\u2019 chief mission officer. \u201cWe are excited to expand our programs and provide more information about the benefits of animal-assisted interventions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pet Partners and VA are dedicated to leveraging the HAB to provide additional support to Veterans to enhance their overall health and well-being. The partnership\u2019s objectives include expanding pet visitation and therapy programs for Veterans at VA facilities, educating Veterans and VA staff about the benefits of AAI, and supporting efforts to increase health literacy for Veterans and their families. Additionally, the partnership aims to facilitate Veteran volunteerism in rural communities and increase Veteran involvement in Pet Partners\u2019 events and activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnimals have a special impact in many of our lives.\u201d<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe goals of the partnership align with VA\u2019s strategic objective to collaborate with partners and fiercely advocate for Veterans to improve their outcomes, equity and quality of life,\u201d said Dr. Jamie Davis, HAP health system specialist. \u201cThe joint effort allows us to harness the positive health benefits associated with animals and extend the power of the human-animal bond to Veterans across the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chien Chen, HAP chief officer, echoed HAP\u2019s commitment to supporting innovative partnerships and health care advancement initiatives that directly benefit the nation\u2019s Veterans. \u201cHAP is thrilled to continue championing innovative partnerships and health care advancement initiatives that advance the health and well-being of our nation\u2019s Veterans. Animals have a special impact in many of our lives, and through robust partnerships, HAP is unwavering in its dedication to sharing unique practices that effectively support the needs of Veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information<\/a> about Pet Partners<\/p>\n

More information<\/a> about HAP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In April 2023, VA and Pet Partners announced the renewal of their memorandum of agreement, reaffirming their commitment to enhance the quality of life for Veterans. Facilitated by VA\u2019s National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP), the renewed partnership builds upon the strong collaboration established in 2019 and signifies a continued effort to deliver […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":26837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26835"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26843,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26835\/revisions\/26843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}