Macon Magazine

114 maconmagazine.com | April/May 2024 CONSUMMATE COLLABORATOR Janet is a natural collaborator. Professional proof is the PPP board — 13 members, 10 women, three men, five in Middle Georgia and seven elsewhere, including California and Alaska. Three California- based board members have ties to the University of California, Davis (UCD), home of the One Health Institute, where the One Health concept originated. The assembled talent reads like a list of "Who's Who" — doctors, lawyers, and healthcare professionals who, like Janet, are driven to advocate for underserved populations and their animal friends. Janet explains, "I started the board in California, not knowing I was moving to Georgia or that there would be a pandemic." The ability to host board meetings via Zoom bridged the distance. In Macon, Hendrickson is a veritable pied piper, assembling a dream team of medical professionals for PPP. Dr. Patrick Roche, a physician who retired from the Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) connected Janet with medical school students who staff PPP clinics. Besides gaining clinical experience, Janet stresses, "The students learn about social issues while talking to the people they screen. Pets are great icebreakers." Keisha Renee Callins, an obstetrician/gynecologist with Community Health Care Systems, doubles as a professor at MUSM and calls her chance meeting with Janet "divine providence." Both women saw partnership potential; Dr. Callins scored an invitation for Janet to speak to the Rotary Club of Macon, which paved the way for a grant. Based in Twiggs and Jones County, Dr. Callins brings two perspectives to the mix — healthcare for women and for rural areas. Recently appointed to the PPP board, she gushes about the dual clinic concept. "I enjoy building bridges. We engage people in their health through their pets, so they want to do the right thing for their pets and for themselves. We focus on what people value, and PPP helps them value their own health. That's the medical side." Dr. Callins continues, "It's also a wonderful way to teach future practitioners about service to the community and how to meet people where they are, which promotes trust. For those who don't have a physician or need follow-up, we provide recommendations. If they don't have health insurance, we recommend Community Health Care Systems, First Choice Primary Care, and the Macon Volunteer Clinic,"where low- or no-cost services lower barriers. TOP TEAMMATE Janet's biggest supporter is her husband, Hank, an Air Force Colonel on assignment at Robins. He employs his skills with policy, organization, and training regularly at the People and Pets clinics. Hank clarifies his role, saying, "The medical students "No one should have to choose between healthcare for their best friend and themselves." ABOVE Janet and pups briskly moving forward. initiative: Mousers in the Middle. To date, Mousers in the Middle has spayed or neutered and vaccinated 501 of Central Georgia's feral felines. MISSION AND VISION As the pandemic eased, Janet began meeting people in Macon's animal and medical community. In April 2021, she funded and unleashed the first One Health Fair with Habitat for Humanity to address the well-being of Maconites and the pets they love. One Health is a collaborative approach to healthcare capitalizing on the powerful bond between people and their pets to exact better outcomes for both. From there, People and Pets partnered with the local organization Macon Mental Health Matters to host pop-up clinics in local parks. But as PPP grew, so too did its need for a rain-or-shine home base, so Janet accepted Habitat for Humanity's offer to use its community room for clinics. Always seeking to extend its reach, in February 2024, PPP conducted its first and biggest clinic at the Macon-Bibb County Health Department's new facility on Forsyth Street with 53 pets and 44 owners. According to Janet, "What we do is public health, and PPP is a great way to teach people about [the Health Department's] services."

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