News
Generating critical awareness.
Raising awareness to help a profession at risk.
This past April, we learned about a crisis in the veterinarian industry. Three veterinarians had died by suicide within a 10-day period. Ten days. Three lives.
Then we learned that veterinarians are almost THREE TIMES* more likely than the general population to commit suicide. A startling statistic.
As a company that works for and with veterinarians every day, we knew we had to do something. We wanted to bring attention to this issue. We wanted to raise funds. We wanted to make a difference. In June, we helped a small group of concerned veterinarians bring to life the Veterinary Hope Foundation, a nonprofit that will offer resources for members of the animal-care community who are in crisis, while also driving public awareness of the issue. The resources they are developing include small-group programs facilitated by a mental health professional who will give them resources for handling the unique stressors of the profession. It will arm and empower them with tools to cope better. It will give them a community for future support and collaboration.
Simultaneously, we launched #ShareVetLove, a social movement designed to increase awareness of the startlingly high rate of suicide among veterinarians and promote the foundation’s efforts to help veterinarians who are struggling.
Our campaign encourages pet owners to have their pets thank their veterinarians for keeping them healthy. Using a custom-content generator, Instagram Stories Stickers and Facebook Frames, we’ve made it easy to appreciate veterinarians.
In just 90 days, we designed a brand, coordinated PR, activated a robust social media campaign, created content for prospective donors and built a compelling story-rich website. We recently had an activation at Petfood Forum as its charity of choice. Here’s a sneak peek of the wall we created, with the help of forum attendees, to show our appreciation for veterinarians and continue to raise awareness of the issue.
If you’re interested in learning more, our in-house veterinarian shares more on the issue and actionable ways to help:
You also can read more about our mission and donate at veterinaryhope.org.
*Tomasi SE, Fechter-Leggett ED, Edwards NT, Reddish AD, Crosby AE, Nett RJ. Suicide among veterinarians in the United States from 1979 through 2015. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2019;254(1):104-112. https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/10.2460/javma.254.1.104
About the Author
Allison’s career has specialized in food communications, with a focus on food commodities and producer marketing programs. She has created strategic integrated marketing campaigns for high-profile commodity accounts, including The Incredible Edible Egg, The Pork Board, The Mushroom Council and Got Milk?
At Bader Rutter, Allison led the teams that developed breakthrough content for Corteva Corporate Communications, including the millennial moms blog, Platewise, and the popular podcast, “The Growing Debate.” Bringing narratives to life through dimensionalized and differentiated content is what makes her happiest.
After work, you’ll most likely find her on her spin bike or cooking for friends and family.
