It’s the topic in veterinary science that we wish we didn’t have to talk about. Every time we hear about another veterinary suicide, we feel sad, angry, and frustratingly powerless. But in this conversation with Dr. Kat Williams and Dr. Alena Gadoury, you’ll be inspired to take back the power to act against this curse of our profession. Drs. Kat and Alena are the founders of VetHerd, an industry-based suicide prevention program for the veterinary profession. VetHerd utilizes the collective power of our community to create a robust safety net to combat the alarming rates of veterinary suicide through collaboration, awareness, and education. You’ll learn about 'Mates in Construction,' the inspiration for the program, the parallels between ‘herd immunity’ and mental health, why it’s essential for all of us to learn how to talk openly and bravely about suicide, and how to get better at it. Register for VetHerd’s upcoming two-day ASIST suicide prevention workshop, sponsored by Flynn’s Walk, here, or contact Kat and Alena at [email protected] or [email protected] to find out how you can get involved. Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up-to-date, easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get help with your tricky cases in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Specialist Support Space.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ V⁠⁠isit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevetvault.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for show notes and resources related to this episode. ⁠Subscribe to our weekly newsletter⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for Hubert's favourite clinical and non-clinical learnings from the week. Episode Topics and Timestamps 00:00 Introducing VetHerd: A Vision for Community and Protection 06:19 Drawing Inspiration from Mates in Construction 08:32 Addressing the Mental Health Crisis in the Veterinary Industry 11:51 Exploring the Complex Causes of High Suicide Rates Among Veterinarians 20:44 The ASIST Model: A Framework for Suicide Prevention 28:41 Exploring the Model for Safety Planning 29:22 Community Involvement and Support 29:40 Addressing Responsibility and Training Needs 30:32 Practical Training and Its Importance 32:08 Overcoming the Fear of Discussing Suicide 33:46 The Power of Asking, and Community Support 34:48 Training Opportunities and Industry Support 42:37 Personal Insights and Podcast Recommendations 45:14 Funding Challenges and Industry Contributions 50:36 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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