全国联盟 The Pet Variable 成立：推动把人宠纽带纳入公共卫生政策
10月30日，美国全国公共卫生专家、兽医、研究人员与倡导者宣布成立一个新的全国联盟 The Pet Variable，目标是让人与宠物之间的纽带成为公共卫生与公共政策的长期组成部分。联盟表示，对数以百万计的美国人来说，照顾宠物与照顾自己密不可分；它将跨越医疗、住房、金融安全等领域，推动消除让「人宠分离」的政策障碍，保护家庭的健康、安全与稳定。
联盟共有九家创始成员，横跨公共卫生、兽医学、住房、社会服务、研究与政策领域：CARE（Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity）、Annie & Millie's Place、RedRover、BestyBnB、My Dog is My Home、马萨诸塞州防止虐待动物协会（MSPCA）、Ohio State 大学兽医学院、JVR Strategies 与 The Pet Vet Connection。联盟执行主任 Anna Stout 与创始成员10月31日在 San Antonio 举行的 2026 One Health Systems Summit 上正式亮相。
Anna Stout 说：「当一个人因为担心宠物无人照料而推迟就医，为找不到能带宠物的稳定或临时住房发愁，或者在同时承担人的开支与兽医费用时捉襟见肘——这些不是彼此孤立的难题，它们是相互关联的。」她表示，联盟正是为了推动承认这种关联、支持整个家庭健康与稳定的政策与制度而成立。
联盟成立的同时，非营利组织 AlignCare Health 在新创刊的同行评议开放获取期刊《Journal of One Health Systems》发表政策提案《把人宠纽带认定为健康的社会决定因素》，汇集多项研究数据：高达70%的美国家庭养宠物；61.5%的受访医疗提供者表示每月至少遇到一次因宠物顾虑而推迟治疗的患者；50%的房东允许养宠物，但只有9%不设体型或物种限制，另一项研究中27%的受访者称宠物押金本身就构成障碍；18%至48%的家暴幸存者曾因担心宠物而推迟离开施暴环境，而全美只有18%的家暴庇护所接受宠物；研究还估算，仅2015年，养宠物就因减少就诊与肥胖为美国节省了118亿美元医疗开支。
在政策层面，联盟称 Colorado 今年早些时候已立法把人宠纽带认定为健康的社会决定因素，Massachusetts、Arizona 与 New York City 也在推进减少宠物家庭障碍的措施，特别是住房领域。在联邦层面，联盟将推动把人宠纽带纳入下一期全国公共卫生规划框架 Healthy People 2040。BestyBnB 联合创始人 Andy Bond 表示，为宠物提供临时照料这样简单的做法，就能实质帮助一个人获得所需支持；MSPCA 住房政策专家 Jamie Blackburn 表示，联盟希望把 Massachusetts 等地的小步政策进展，带入全国层面的公共政策讨论。
National Coalition The Pet Variable Launches to Make the Human-Animal Bond Part of Public Health Policy
On October 30, national public health experts, veterinarians, researchers and advocates in the United States launched The Pet Variable, a new national coalition working to make the human-animal bond an enduring part of public health and policy. The coalition said that for millions of Americans, caring for a pet is deeply connected to caring for themselves, and that it will work across health, housing, financial security and other systems to advance policies and practices that address barriers to keeping people and pets together and protect families' health, safety and stability.
The Pet Variable has nine founding members spanning public health, veterinary medicine, housing, social services, research and policy: CARE (Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity), Annie & Millie's Place, RedRover, BestyBnB, My Dog is My Home, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), Ohio State's College of Veterinary Medicine, JVR Strategies and The Pet Vet Connection. Executive Director Anna Stout and the founding members were inaugurated in person at the 2026 One Health Systems Summit in San Antonio on October 31.
"When someone delays their health care because they are worried about what will happen to their pet, struggles to find stable or temporary housing that accommodates their pet, or faces financial strain trying to meet both human and veterinary needs, those aren't separate challenges. They are interconnected," said Anna Stout, the coalition's executive director. She said the coalition was created to advance policies and systems that recognize that connection and support the health and stability of the whole family.
The launch came alongside a policy proposal by the nonprofit AlignCare Health, "Recognizing the Human-Animal Bond as a Social Determinant of Health," published in the newly launched peer-reviewed, open-access Journal of One Health Systems. The paper cites a body of research: up to 70% of American families include a pet; 61.5% of healthcare providers surveyed reported encountering a patient at least once a month who delayed treatment because of pet-related concerns; while 50% of landlords allow pets, only 9% do so without size or species restrictions, and 27% of respondents in another study said the cost of a pet deposit itself created a barrier; 18% to 48% of domestic violence survivors delayed leaving an abusive situation out of concern for their pet, while just 18% of domestic violence shelters accept pets nationally; and pet ownership was estimated to have generated $11.8 billion in U.S. healthcare cost savings in 2015 alone, from reduced doctor visits and decreased obesity.
On policy, the coalition said Colorado earlier this year enacted legislation recognizing the human-animal bond as a social determinant of health, while Massachusetts, Arizona and New York City have advanced efforts to reduce barriers facing pet families, particularly in housing. At the federal level, the coalition will advocate for recognition of the human-animal bond within Healthy People 2040. Andy Bond, co-founder of BestyBnB, said something as simple as providing temporary care for a pet can make all the difference in helping someone access support, while Jamie Blackburn, a housing policy specialist at the MSPCA, said the coalition offers a chance to bring local policy progress into nationwide conversations about public policy.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：少女在户外抱着自己的小狗（资料图）。Paolo Neo 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A girl outdoors holding her small dog (file photo). Photo by Paolo Neo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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