Veterinary Wellness

Veterinary Wellness

Veterinary Wellness

Committed to building connections and offering meaningful resources for your health and happiness.

Wellbeing Resources
Suicide Help
If you are thinking of harming yourself,
PLEASE, PAUSE and:

For help with substance abuse, call The Georgia HELPLINE at 1-800-338-6745.

You are not alone.

If you think someone might harm themselves, or take their own life, please take action:
  • Call 911 if you think it appropriate. Error on the side of caution.
  • Call a suicide prevention line (800) 273-8255 or (800) 784-2433.
  • Call your local county crisis line (see website for list of counties and phone numbers).
  • Dedicate to helping in whatever way you can, without sacrificing you own well-being.
Suicide Resources

Prevention

A CDC resource for communities and states that outlines specific, evidence-based suicide prevention strategies for communities to consider as part of their comprehensive approach.

Culture can significantly affect the way people view and respond to suicide and death; therefore, it is important to be sensitive to beliefs and customs regarding suicide.

Read more

Some warning signs may help you determine if a loved one is at risk for suicide, especially if the behavior is new, has increased, or seems related to a painful event, loss, or change.

Know What To Look For

 

Suicide is a public health issue. Media and online coverage of suicide should be informed by using best practices. Some suicide deaths may be newsworthy. However, the way media cover suicide can influence behavior negatively by contributing to contagion or positively by encouraging help-seeking.

Safe Reporting Guidelines

Postvention

This guide provides workplace leaders with clear action steps for suicide postvention, including immediate, short-term, and long-term responses to help employees cope with the aftermath of the traumatic event.

Read the guide

The Framework for Successful Messaging is a research-based resource that outlines four critical issues to consider when messaging to the public about suicide.

From the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

View the guide

All communities and organizations should be prepared to respond to a suicide death, including tribes, towns, senior living facilities, workplaces, and health care providers.

From the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

About the GVMA Wellness Committee

The mission of the GVMA Wellness Committee is to provide wellness support that is inclusive of all who work in the field of veterinary medicine, regardless of role. We work to foster a statewide culture of veterinary wellness.

2023 Committee Members:

Victoria Bender, DVM

Taylor Chastain-Griffin, PhD

Jackie Eisner, DVM

Miranda Knight, DVM

Ellen Lapuck, DVM

Patti LeVan, LVT

Lisa Reno, RVT

Taylor Richter, MS

Jennifer Rough, Regional Manager

Kaori Sakamoto, DVM, DACVP, PhD

Laura Smallwood, DVM, DACVIM-SAIM

Jaime Smoot-Speed, DVM

Jo Smith, DVM

Kathy Strickland, DVM

Ashley Tolleson, PhD