The Human-Canine Alliance (TH-CA)

The Mental Health Shift Everyone’s Talking About: Why Social Prescriptions Are Going Global

• Stacie J. King • Season 1 • Episode 9

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In this fired-up episode, Stacie dives into the incredible world of Social Prescribing—a powerful, doctor-backed movement in over 30 countries that’s already changing lives by prescribing community, connection, and non-medical solutions like gardening, hiking, and with our help...rescue dogs trained for a person's specific needs.

Learn how the UK’s Social Prescribing model has already helped millions tackle mental health, loneliness, and stress without meds, and meet the unsung heroes of the movement: Link Workers—the compassionate connectors filling in where doctors can’t.

Stacie breaks down:

  • Real-time global snapshot of Social Prescriptions + why it's spreading rapidly
  • Why the UK nationalized it in 2019 and 30+ countries are currently investing in it
  • Where the U.S. stands and how we might be closer than we think to this kind of revolution
  • How The Human-Canine Alliance Matchmaking App could become a prescribing tool for emotional wellness

This episode is a strong dose of education and a powerful look at global mental healthcare trends towards Social Prescriptions. 

Help us lay the groundwork for Social Prescriptions in America. 🐾

Resources used in this episode:

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 Hey guys, it's Stacie. You know what's wild? The Federal Reserve hosted an event last year focusing on what they're calling a missing market in America. Wanna know what that missing market is? Mental Health. Mental Health. They're saying we literally don't have the infrastructure or investment models to meet the demand.

Also, did you know, that loneliness and social isolation were officially declared as a public health crisis in America in 2023. 

Hi everyone. 

This is Stacie with The Human-Canine Alliance, and I am so excited to be here today, by the way. I have a lot to talk about today. Let's get started. 

 Okay. So first off, I discovered this week that The Human-Canine Alliance could today, today likely be a social prescription in the UK or Canada.

Let's start with some basic facts about Social Prescribing, and then I cannot wait to share details around it. All right? I mean, I, I just, I learned so much this week.

What is Social Prescribing at its simplest, is practical and emotional support.

And right now I'm gonna read from Social Prescribing Academy website out of the UK, which they define Social Prescribing, "as many things that affect our health can't be treated by doctors or medicine alone- like loneliness, debt, or stress due to financial pressures or poor housing.

Social Prescribing connects people to non-medical support to address these issues in other unmet needs."

I'm sure you're wondering just like I was, if you're not someone familiar with Social Prescriptions. Like what do you mean Stace? Like what is a social prescription?

So in the UK they are actually prescribing art classes, music groups, dance classes, um, gardening groups, walking groups, hiking clubs, team sports like football, basketball, soccer, individual sports, running, swimming, information and advice.

I thought this was really interesting, and turns out this is one of the most sought after ones or the most, um, useful ones. The ones that, like in the UK they have found that the most people find the most use out of when they get their feedback reports. So information and advice, which is food banks, social care services, talking therapies, career support, just, you know, being connected with information basically.

Social Prescribing is in 32 countries as of this recording.

The UK was the first to get on board in 2017, and by 2019 it was integrated into their national health plan.

Originally, they wanted 900,000 referrals to come from Social Prescribing by 2024. As of 2024, they have over two and a half million referrals, over two and a half million referrals. The goal was 900,000. This exceeds the National Health Service Plan. So something's working. Something's working. Okay.

Who are receiving Social Prescriptions?

Between 2017 and 2022, the largest number of social prescription referrals in the UK was specifically due to Mental Health and wellbeing concerns that 33 and a half percent of people, guys followed by practical support, which is 26% of people.

And then social relationships, 22% of people. Now, I just wanna take a step back here for a second and say.

Social Prescriptions, are problems we're having within our lives that don't really need a medical prescription, but they need something because we are not living our best life because somehow they're causing problems in our lives.

Right? So I'm just gonna go back to the Mental Health and wellbeing concerns, 33.5% practical support, 26% social relationships, 22 and a half percent.

Those are all things that people were going to the doctor for. Those are all things that we are going to the doctor for and we're being prescribed things like Xanax, right?

We're being prescribed things that are anxiety, reducing drugs.

Link Workers are filling the gap of what doctors are trying to fill the gap for because they don't have any other option.

Hold that thought. I know you're wondering what's a link worker.

I'll bet you're also wondering how they fund it. How do they do this in the UK? Right. I know, we all know the funding's a little bit different from UK to US because private and public is a little bit different there.

However, the National Lottery Community Fund is the biggest single funder of the community activity in the UK. Awarding 615 million pounds in 2022 to 2023 in almost 14,000 grants.

And Social Prescribing has gone from being a grassroots type of project, a community-based type of project to creating cross sectoral and cross party political support. You guys, how much do we need that in America? Oh my God. How much do we need that in America?

And from being, it says, from being a niche interest, it has become a mainstream UK wide activity. It's like something people talk about. It's like, like they're not like making fun of each other for it. They're not like, oh, Are you like on that Social Prescribing thing? They're like, Hey man.

What are you being social prescribed, right? Like it's so something that's a positive outlook and maybe I am being assumptive on that based on the data. So there could be people in the UK who might like be like, Hey, that's not exactly how we feel at all. And you are welcome to comment and call and let us know how it really is.

But based on the data. And also guys, I went to a webinar on Friday that was with national representatives from the UK, from the US, from Canada. There was over at least a hundred people there on it who were all talking about and representing Social Prescriptions. And oh man, it just got me so fired up.

It got me so excited about what we can do and what is starting to brew a little bit in the US. And the reason I'm so excited about it, you've got to have figured this out by now, is The Human-Canine Alliance. It fits right. In, oh my God. The app is a Link Worker resource. This is how they're doing it in the UK.

They have this software. Okay. I'm gonna get there. Hold on, I'm gonna get there.

Starting with, I'll bet you're still wondering what a Link Worker is.

They do call it something else in other countries, and they have slightly different ways, the journey happens for, people being prescribed Social Prescriptions in the 30 plus countries.

Just like healthcare in all of our countries, it's a little bit different, but the role, um, of this Link Worker is pretty similar and pretty much the same across Social Prescribing across these countries.

So I'm just gonna call it the Link Worker because in the UK it's nationally recognized and they've been doing this the longest, and they're kind of the world leader in this right now. Not kind of, they are the world leader in this.

So, what is a Link Worker?

First of all, they work alongside the GP's, the general practitioners, also known as doctors, to take on the non-medical related problems that arise.

So, people get referred to a Link Worker by a GP or they'll seek one out on their own.

Because it's not medicine, right? It's technically being connected with an activity that maybe you didn't know existed that would be like a perfect fit for your current needs, right? Um, oh my God, I'm getting so ahead of myself. I'm so sorry.

Number one thing Link Workers have to offer is time. And we all know that's one of the things we all wish we had more time with our doctors.

Let's think about a scenario. Okay? A woman in her mid sixties goes into the doctor, and the reason she's going is because she has just, you know, been depressed.

And, um, her anxiety has just been through the roof because her husband passed like about six months ago and she's been having to handle the finances and she never had to do that. They were married for 50 years and, um, her kids live in, you know, several states away, and they're just busy with their own lives and she doesn't wanna have to bother them.

And so she just, she doesn't. You know, get out much. Her friends, like, um, they're busy as well and she doesn't wanna bother them. And, and, you know, she's just, she's looking for some advice, maybe some help, but she doesn't know really where to go. And so she goes to her doctor, right? She trusts her doctor and her doctor instead of prescribing her anxiety medication or depression medication, right?

They say, you know what, why don't you talk to our Link Worker? Okay? Why don't you talk to our Link Worker? And the Link Worker is gonna then have that conversation again with this woman, but it's gonna be more detailed. And that Link Worker is gonna start to pull things out and find out more things.

And at one point, that Link Worker is gonna be able to say, you know what, and I'm not guaranteeing this right, I'm just giving you a scenario. Like, you know what? Your face lit up when you were telling me about how you used to go swimming when you were like 13 years old. What if we put you in the swim club right here locally?

I can get you hooked up. I can introduce you to the instructor. We can make sure it goes along with your schedule. That's how it works guys. Now obviously that's super high level. Obviously there's a lot of details that go along with it, but that's your scenario and how many times can you relate to that?

How many ways can you relate to that? I can relate to that in a lot of ways.

Link workers also, they can meet with you several times along your journey if that's something you need. You know, if you're somebody who's super independent, and once you get prescribed what you get prescribed and it's like doing it for you, you don't need 'em anymore. They're like, cool, awesome. Glad we could help, but you know, sometimes people need a little more of a hand to hold, right? And so Link Workers offer that as well.

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So also now. Get this, get this, you guys, in 2013, Jennifer Neff and her friend Leanne Monk, without any formal tech or healthcare backgrounds.

They were inspired to go to the TMed Health Challenge. And this was in Northern Ireland. And basically they pitched an idea of what is called now Elemental Software, and it is to connect Social Prescriptions for activities like arts, exercise, and social groups with people who need them.

Well, what did I just explain? Did anyone else who's been following this podcast get what I just explained to you? I just explained to you The Human-Canine Alliance, except insert dogs. So exciting to me, so exciting to me.

And Jennifer Neff just became one of my heroes. Didn't even know she existed until this week, and she's just inspired me. And so I was watching some of her videos and one of her background videos she was talking about how they had gone to this TMed challenge, this health challenge, and the video didn't work that they had created to explain their idea.

And they felt like a fish out of water with their idea. They were like, it doesn't exist, but we know it should exist and we don't really know what we're explaining, but we get the idea, we see the vision and their video didn't work well, then they got stuck trying to explain it on stage.

Well, they didn't win. But the winner get this, the winner of the TMed Health Challenge prize saw the vision, donated his prize to them, which was like 500 pounds or something like that, donated his prize to their vision because he saw it even though he had his own vision.

I just find that absolutely incredible. I think that's such a cool starting story.

Since then, their platform, Elemental Software, has become UK's largest digital Social Prescribing provider integrated into numerous NHS trusts and local authorities. Their work has been recognized nationally. They've contributed to shaping Social Prescribing strategies at various government levels.

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Anyway, I've mentioned this webinar series that I attended this past week, and it was something I literally just stumbled on. It's called the Jameel Arts and Health Lab Conversation Series. It's a monthly webinar. I highly recommend it if anyone else is as excited about Social Prescribing as I am in the US or just in general, worldwide.

I just wanted to share some of my learnings.

So bird's eye view of what Social Prescriptions look like globally r ight now, why are countries moving so quickly to implement them.

And I just thought that this quote from the World Health Organization and National Academy for Social Prescribing, summed this up so well in their recent report called the 2024 Report of Social Prescribing Around the World.

I'm just gonna read it to you. "Recommendations for adopting Social Prescribing policies are informed by current global health trends. Health systems worldwide are locked in a poly crisis facing intensifying pressures on both the demand and supply sides of health care. The growing profile of ill health with an aging population and substandard patient care demonstrate that the unsustainable is not sustained. Visionary thinking and new models of service delivery are now necessary."

Guys, that's a quote from the World Health Organization and the National Academy for Social Prescribing.

Dr. Bogden Guirca, global lead and clinical lead of the National Academy for Social Prescribing out of the UK. One of the things he had to say struck me so hard and so great, and I really wanna get this, message angle out there. It's so obvious, but It's also something I've never heard before.

So health versus healthcare. Okay, you guys. Do you normally just put those two things together? 'cause that's what I do. Like what do you mean, health versus healthcare? Like what do you mean? They're not two different things? Yes, they are. Yes they are.

So he made it so obvious.

Health is as he put in pictures, pictures of like, people playing outside, playing with a soccer ball and, going to the movies and out to dinner and just people socializing, people being out and about exercising, people with dogs, you know what I mean?

Just like it was just people socializing, people being out and about. That was health, right?

Healthcare. He puts up a hospital and he's like, that's maintenance. Healthcare is where you go to get fixed. This is for repairs. And all I could think of was like a car, right?

So healthcare is where you go to the repair shop. It's where you go to the car shop, right? And then health is what you're doing to be healthy, right? The socialization you create for yourself, the physical nature you create for yourself, the identity you create for yourself, the cognitive perceptions you build within yourself based on the communities that you have identified with and become part of.

Those are all part of Mental Health. Those are all part of health in general.

The UK has been doing this since 2017 originally, but 2019 nationally. Like that's been integrated into their national health plan since 2019. So they have some data. Right. And listen to this data. It's fantastic.

Social Prescribing has proven to reduce GP visits, remember, that's doctor visits, by 20 to 40% lowered ER visits, emergency room visits by 15 to 25%. They have shown to be effective in supporting patients with long-term conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, dementia, and cancer.

And their ROI for every pound is three pounds.

I mean, that's amazing. Okay. Another representative that I had the pleasure to listen to at this webinar, was Kate Mulligan from Dalla Lana, School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

And something she also said stuck with me, and that was instead of saying, "What's the matter with you?", We should be saying "What matters to you?"

Right? Because if you figure out what matters to you, then you don't have nearly as many problems because you're focused and you are intentional, you figure it out.

So anyway, Canada started Social Prescribing in 2018, but in 2022 there was a national collaborative and the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing anchored by the Canadian Red Cross was born.

And since then, Canada has seen a 49% decrease in loneliness, and they estimate that they see a $4.43 return for every dollar spent.

For every dollar spent.

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Okay. So I feel like that's a lot of info, a lot of data, a lot of excitement.

So I'm gonna go ahead, take a commercial break, give you a little break, and after the break, we're gonna be discussing America's status on Social Prescribing today.

Meet you back here in a few.

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 Hey, hey. Thanks for listening to the commercial break and not skipping through. If you are a small business looking for some inexpensive exposure and professionally voiced commercial, head on over to buy me a coffee and you can buy this ad space for a pretty inexpensive price. You get to keep the audio file.

We'll see you soon.

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 Welcome back to The Human-Canine Alliance. I am Stacie, your host, and we're gonna get right into it.

Before the break, we were talking about Social Prescribing around the world. 32 countries who are doing it. We specifically talked about the UK and Canada.

Now we're gonna talk about America. Now we're gonna talk about where America is on Social Prescribing, and I have some real information on this.

One thing I am excited to report is Social Prescribing is starting to gain some traction in America.

And I say that because the first ever pre-Summit Caucus exploring the connection between arts and health happened in January, 2024, and it convened national leaders, at Washington DC, the National Endowment for the Arts headquarters. And they helped to envision tangible steps to value the arts as part of how we understand health in the United States.

So it's something that has been brought to government level in just the last year and a half.

Also, one of the representatives in the Jameel Arts and Health Lab Conversation Series webinar that I attended, her name was Jill Sonki, Director of Research Initiatives, UF Center for Hearts and Medicine at University of California.

She shared 23 case studies that happened across the US focused on arts-based approaches for social isolation.

The activities they prescribed were nature-based summer camp, zoo visits, music lessons, music therapy, art activities, cultural visits, and volunteering.

How did they fund it? They basically funded it through public organizations and donors. And she did have a mention that Blue Cross Blue Shield, were one of the only insurance prescribers to participate in the case studies, which I thought that was pretty interesting because they are what, the biggest, or one of the biggest health insurance prescribers in our nation.

And so for them to have interest in Social Prescriptions, um, you know, makes me have a little hope for us. Makes me have a little hope for the US.

But that said, another thing that Jill Sonki was able to share with us is they were able to identify that 84% of health workers support screening needs for social needs.

Guys, that means 84% of health workers are willing to have something like a Link Worker working with them that they can pass off patients that are not in medical need but are in need, right? Like, just because they're not in medical need doesn't mean they're not in need.

And I think America has really like gone from, if you don't need a doctor, you need a therapist, right?

Where, where I kind of see where a Link Worker almost a little bit might act like a therapist in the sense that they're listening to your problems with a little bit more time on their hands, but they're also not just there to be conversational support.

They're there to connect people with activities and with groups and with organizations and with information and whatever it is they need within their community to health them get where they need in life and where they need to get in order to have a better, um, lifestyle and Mental Health and that sort of thing.

So it is different than therapy and it is different than anything we actually have to offer here in America, currently today.

Another thing very cool that I was able to find in the US is a woman named Julia Hotz. I hope I'm pronouncing her last name right. It's HOTZ.

She wrote the world's first book, exploring the Science Stories and Spread of Social Prescribing, and it's called The Connection Cure. Okay. I haven't read it yet. I literally just learned about it this week, but I did download it. I did download it on Audible, so I'm getting there. I'm starting it.

It was featured in NPR. The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Scientific American, and selected as the Next Big Idea Club must read. It was also a best public health book of 2024 by Harvard Public Health Magazine.

And she also just recently did a TEDx talk, called Social Prescriptions and the power of prescribing what matters.

And I did watch that and it was very good. And I also connected with her on Instagram and she followed me back, which I thought was so cool. So thanks, Julia. If you happen to listen to this podcast!

Read the book, listen to the book, watch her TEDx talk.

So, anyway. Also, I wanted to identify that we do have some organizations here in America who are innovating Social Prescriptions, and I'm gonna be quick with this because it's about a dozen or so, but I do just want to acknowledge them because it's pretty cool that these organizations and these people have seen the need and have just said, you know what, even though we don't offer this in America, we're gonna offer this in one way or another to the people.

And, and if the people want it, they will continue to create demand for it. And we know how that goes in America, right? Supply and demand.

So, first off, Social Prescribing USA. They work nationally. They are leading the US movement to integrate nonclinical healing into mainstream care.

Next one's in Virginia, Benjamin Goldberg Foundation. They connect patients to purpose through community based Social Prescriptions,

ArtPharmacy.co. By the way, the president of ArtPharmacy.co was on this webinar. I happen to see him. His name is Chris Appleton. He has no idea who I am, but I just thought that was funny. When I was doing the research I was like, oh, I saw him!

Anyway, ArtPharmacy.co is America's leader in healthcare, grade Social Prescribing, connecting members with nonclinical community based activities with protective and therapeutic benefits.

Culture Rx out of Massachusetts is the first statewide model to prescribe arts and culture as medicine.

Health Leads out of Boston, Massachusetts is treating the root causes of poor health with access to essential life resources.

Wholesome Wave, which is a national company. They use food as medicine with fruit and veggie prescriptions to improve nutrition.

Then there's Park Rx, which is a national park service, plus health systems type of, synchrony nationwide where they prescribe nature to reduce stress, improve mood, and promote activity living.

The Art Therapy Project in New York City, a nonprofit Mental Health organization which provides free group art therapy to adults and youth affected by trauma.

And then there's the VAGA, which is Visual Arts and Galleries Association. They bring together artists, clinicians, academic psychologists to foster research, collaboration, and develop new art therapies.

Then there's Stanford University's Art Prescriptions program, which is an initiative where students receive doses of art and cultural activities to enhance Mental Health and wellbeing. The program represents a growing trend in integrating arts in healthcare settings.

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So we do have a little bit of traction happening in America. I do want to just throw in the caveat that the pre-Summit Caucus in January of 2024 and initiation of social isolation being a public Mental Health crisis, both of those things happened prior to our new government leaders taking place.

So, all that said, we're not exactly trying to go through the government to prescribe canines.

But I do really feel like Social Prescribing is clearly a proven factor here, where The Human- Canine Alliance fits in and it is something that we can do without the government. It is something we don't need the government for.

It is something that is app based, community based, the dogs come from rescue organizations, right? The training, paid for through our Sponsor-a-Match program, donors, through various ways.

But the trainers come through the community, not through the government.

And thirdly, The Human-Canine Alliance. We are not government related or oriented, and therefore we are a private organization who gets to create the foundation and the platform for all of that to take place.

And I just find it so exciting that Social Prescriptions already are happening worldwide. I just didn't know about it and I felt like I was in the dark.

I felt like I was coming up with some brand new idea. I wasn't at all, to be honest with you.

Jennifer Neff. Remember I mentioned her? The Elemental Software founder, she said the same thing. She was, you know, connecting the dots between just social therapy and not needing medical therapy for all of the answers.

And she started questioning things and people started saying, you're actually talking about something called Social Prescriptions. Like it's already happening.

When I started, I really felt like I was just like navigating through this small, little tiny hole, small little, um, window of light. And now it's like I'm looking through a big window. I found this huge world of Social Prescriptions and it's exactly where The Human-Canine Alliance fits, and it makes me so excited.

It makes me so excited that i've gotten this far to figure that out and it makes me so excited that I'm currently in the process of finishing up my pitch deck to get to investors. But it's also, we're gonna have a platform in America and maybe worldwide.

I mean, The Human-Canine Alliance app is something that could be a resource for these Link Workers and for these other countries that are using Social Prescriptions.

And just adding, you know, training rescue dogs for specific needs for specific people, to that Social Prescribing concept and aspect, because it totally fits.

Um, and it makes me so excited. Anyway, okay.

I also just wanted to highlight how the government is actually recognizing that this is something that is so necessary in America, not so much Social Prescriptions, but Mental Health being a problem and Mental Health needing an answer or needing some sort of answers. Right.

So one of the things I learned was in November 2024, the Federal Reserve, hosted an event that was surrounding something they call the Missing Market. Okay. And the main focus was to create and improve markets, to deliver investments to under-resourced communities.

Okay, so basically what this means is that the Fed recognizes that our current system is fragmented and under-resourced, which leaves many without access to necessary care. And by identifying what they're calling the missing market, they're highlighting the needs for innovative solutions that bridge the gap between community needs and available resources. The goal is to foster economic equality, better health, and more climate resilient communities.

Okay, the next thing guys, US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivik Murthy, officially declared loneliness and social isolation as a public health crisis in May, 2023, he issued an advisory titled Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, highlighting the profound health impact of social Disconnection and calling for a national strategy to Foster Social Connection.

Now, Dr. Murthy emphasized that the health risks associated with loneliness are comparable to get this. Maybe you've heard this before. I had not until just recently, or maybe I had and I just completely forgot about it. But it's comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day and linked to increased risks of heart disease, stroke, dementia, depression, anxiety, and premature death.

Oh my God. That's just loneliness and. Who thinks about loneliness in that way? I mean, I, I don't think everyone thinks about loneliness in that way to consider it to be such a chronic illness where it's comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

He also noted that loneliness is significant contributor to the opioid epidemic. Makes sense. social isolation can exasperate substance use disorders and hinder recovery efforts.

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Okay. We've had a heavy episode today of stats. I understand. But I hope, I hope I have at least intrigued you or opened up your mind just a little bit to what the rest of the world is doing when it comes to Social Prescriptions and Mental Health.

I know that my mind was opened and mind blown to a certain extent this week as I was learning all of this information all at once.

I didn't know any of it existed, to be perfectly honest. Maybe that's ignorant of me, maybe. You know, I'm just a dumb American. I don't know.

But, I have to assume that I'm not the only one that doesn't know that this is happening. Doesn't know that Social Prescriptions are a real thing. Didn't know that Social Prescriptions were even an option.

Didn't know that other countries had another answer to Mental Health problems the way that America does not. Um. What we hear about a lot in America, I would say, is about our gun control problems. Right? And if you don't look outside of mainstream media in America, that's about all you'll hear is what the main problems are.

But a lot of us talk about how Mental Health is the real problem, not gun control, right?

And so this has just been such even more of an eyeopener for me to not just believe that Mental Health is probably at the heart of the problem of most gun related problems we have in America, but also, that the rest of the world has already recognized that and or a lot of the rest of the world has already recognized that and has started implementing social therapy, Social Prescriptions into their economies to help people have better lives and help their societies live better lives.

And ultimately, we all will live better lives because of that. Right. So.

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On that note, I am going to end the podcast with a couple of highlights. I really get excited when I see people being innovative and just doing stuff outside the box!

So the first one I wanna highlight is the Pup Park shuttle out of Raleigh. I don't know if you guys have heard about this guy. But Baden Jackson, also known as Dexter Strickland, former UNCs Tar Heels player, so maybe you've heard of him.

He started what's called a pup park shuttle and it's out of Raleigh. You can sign up for your dog to go to like daycare for the day. His hours are from like eight to four. He will pick up your dog on his little pup park shuttle and take them to,

I'm reading from his website now. He has at least three to four parks per day, takes him on adventures like hikes, water play at lakes, scenic trails, dog parks, dog friendly spaces, and he takes 'em all day and then he drops 'em back off at your house by four o'clock or whatever time that you know that you guys have decided on.

Um, there's also a drop off time in the morning if you go to his website. But how cool is that? You should see the pictures. It's seriously like a bus where you would pick up kids. He's picking up dogs. The dogs get on the bus, just they're picked up at their houses. It's the most adorable thing ever.

Highly recommend following his Instagram. It's so cute. Okay. Anyway, also wanted to give a little throwback callback to our friends Eric and Joey. I mentioned them several episodes ago. I highlighted them, they just a few weeks ago, they rang the bell at NASDAQ. You guys in Times Square, on behalf of PetMeds. PetMeds invited them to ring the bell, the opening bell, and guess what? They brought adoptable dogs with them. How awesome is that? I just find that awesome. So cool. They are my heroes. They are in, in my, you know, realm of heroes right now.

They got up on the big screen in Times Square with one of the dogs. I mean they're just bringing so much attention to rescue dogs and to the specific rescue dogs that they put on their Instagram page. Um, and these dogs are finding homes because of them, they're finding homes because of them.

These guys are doing an awesome thing. And, I just wanna mention them again because I just thought that was so cool that they're getting that kind of recognition, from PetMeds and NASDAQ and whoever else is giving them the recognition.

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Oh, okay. Thank you so much for listening to The Human-Canine Alliance podcast.

I am Stacie. I am your host. I am so glad to have been with you here today. I was so excited to share all of this information.

It was so exciting to learn this information for me this week, to know that I was, going through this maze, as I said before, with just a little eye hole of eyesight, and now I feel like there's windows and doors of opportunities for The Human-Canine Alliance and for what we have to offer and for what our mission and our beliefs are here at The Human-Canine Alliance. And it just makes me so excited. It makes me so excited and, I hope you continue to come along with us and be part of it!

So, couple of plugs for you. We are starting a new YouTube channel and so next episode is episode number 10, and I'm gonna do it on video, you guys. I'm gonna do it on video. To be honest with you, I tried to do this one on video and about halfway through, I decided to check it and found out it wasn't videoing. How great is that?

So please comment, please respond. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong, tell me what I'm doing right. Well also, also have other plugs. So Facebook, Instagram, Buy Me a Coffee.

Those are all my plugs for you. Please listen, follow, share, do all the things.

Really appreciate the support and I hope you're as excited about Social Prescribing as I am because here we go guys. Here we go.

All right. We'll see you in episode 10. Literally. We'll see you.

I hope you continue to listen.