Cultural competence is recognized as critical to reducing disparities within human healthcare settings, but it is rarely incorporated into evaluations of companion animal services. We developed and validated an animal welfare-focused cultural competence instrument with client and provider versions. We then used the instrument to assess the relationship between animal welfare providers' cultural competence and services provided to clients in historically underserved communities. 24 providers across 17 sites participated in the provider survey. 422 clients across those sites also participated and had their service utilization data analyzed. We found a significant correlation between the number of client-provider interactions and their level of agreement within the instrument's "competence/confidence" subscale. We also found that these interactions had a significant correlation with veterinarian care and spay/neuter services. This study provides initial evidence that increasing the use of culturally competent engagement strategies has the potential to increase service utilization for pets in historically underserved communities.
Keywords: Cultural competence; access to care; animal welfare; spay/neuter services; veterinary care.