# Ep 656: Bridging the Gap in Access to Care with Claire Schuch, Associate Director of Research for University of Tennessee, Knoxville Center for Pet Family Well-Being

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-community-cats-podcast-743149/ep-656-bridging-the-gap-in-access-to-care-with-claire-schuch-associate-director-of-research-for-university-of-tennessee-knoxville-center-for-pet-family-well-being
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-community-cats-podcast-743149/ep-656-bridging-the-gap-in-access-to-care-with-claire-schuch-associate-director-of-research-for-university-of-tennessee-knoxville-center-for-pet-family-well-being.md
Podcast: [The Community Cats Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-community-cats-podcast-743149)
Published: 2026-04-07T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://communitycatscentral.com/episode-656-claire-schuch/
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/communitycatspodcast/CommunityCatsPodcast_Ep659_Schuch_260407.mp3?dest-id=394167
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-community-cats-podcast-743149/episodes/ep-656-bridging-the-gap-in-access-to-care-with-claire-schuch-associate-director-of-research-for-university-of-tennessee-knoxville-center-for-pet-family-well-being
Duration seconds: 1596

## Resource

"We might think access to veterinary care is just an issue for low-income families—but the reality is, it affects people across income levels, for very different reasons." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and the Feline Behavior Summit 2026 . Access to veterinary care is one of the most pressing—and complex—issues facing pet families today. In this episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with researcher Claire Shuch, PhD, to unpack the latest findings from a groundbreaking national study on barriers to veterinary care. Drawing from her work with the University of Tennessee Knoxville's Program for Pet Health Equity, Claire shares insights from the updated Access to Veterinary Care: Barriers and Insights from Pet Families report. This research builds on the foundational 2018 study and reveals how economic pressures, workforce shortages, and lingering pandemic effects continue to shape how—and whether—families can care for their pets. Listeners will discover surprising truths about who struggles to access care (hint: it's not just low-income households), why many cats remain unspayed or unvaccinated, and how logistical challenges like scheduling and clinic availability play a major role. The conversation also explores the broader "One Health" framework, highlighting how human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. For community cat advocates, this episode offers valuable context on intake trends, stray adoption patterns, and opportunities for intervention through education and accessible services. Claire also paints a compelling vision of a more integrated future—where human and animal healthcare services are co-located or mobile, reaching underserved communities more effectively. Whether you'…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-community-cats-podcast-743149/episodes/ep-656-bridging-the-gap-in-access-to-care-with-claire-schuch-associate-director-of-research-for-university-of-tennessee-knoxville-center-for-pet-family-well-being/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-community-cats-podcast-743149/ep-656-bridging-the-gap-in-access-to-care-with-claire-schuch-associate-director-of-research-for-university-of-tennessee-knoxville-center-for-pet-family-well-being.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.