The loss of Vanessa Gutierrez (Veterinary Assistant, VCA Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut) on October 27, 2021 was an avoidable tragedy. Her final testimony of being ignored and belittled by the very people who are entrusted with taking care of veterinary support staff members is a call to action to support those who still suffer under dehumanizing conditions in many corporate veterinary clinics and hospitals.
Working in veterinary medicine is an incredibly stressful and often thankless job. For credentialed Veterinary Technicians, Veterinary Assistants, Customer Service Representatives, and all veterinary support staff there are added issues of low wages and substandard benefits. When these stresses are paired with incompetent and/or uncaring leadership, the result is both tragic and unsurprising. From a study published in 2019 by Dr. Witte, et al. (
https://tinyurl.com/vetstaffsuicide) we know that veterinary support staff members have a 2.3 - 5 times higher risk of suicide when compared to the general population. Vanessa’s situation will occur again and again until something in the veterinary industry changes, and the importance of mental health is paid more than lip service for PR purposes.
We call upon MARS PETCARE, including their wholly owned/controlled North American subsidiaries - VCA, Banfield, BluePearl, and Antech Diagnostics - to immediately:
1. Provide each Associate working in their hospitals, clinics, and other facilities with free, unlimited mental health care separate and independent from any previously announced mental health program administered by MARS;
2. Implement a paid mental health leave program for all Associates experiencing a mental health crisis (as defined by a mental health professional), regardless of full or part time status;
3. Conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the corporate processes and practices that left Vanessa without the support she needed support at every level of hospital leadership, and which continue to leave countless other Associates in the same desperate situation;
4. Require all Hospital Administrators, Practice Managers, Regional Managers, and HR Department personnel, including: Corinne Tarullo, Scott Shaw, Kelly Meechan, Marie Druse, and Todd Lavender to take part in mental health training including: QPR Gatekeeper Training (suicide prevention), crisis aversion, compassion fatigue prevention, burnout prevention, empathy and compassion, and ethical treatment of Associates, and to extend the current diversity and equity education programs to include training on behavioral health diversity.
