The second “must-have” human help number also has 3 digits:
988
Animal welfare work is often tough-for staff, clients, and community members. 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, is a free, confidential, 24/7 support service run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
How 988 Can Help:
• For Clients: Pet loss, financial hardship, or crisis situations can be overwhelming. If someone is struggling, you can call 988, put them on speaker, and have a trained crisis counselor provide live support.
• For Colleagues: Burnout and compassion fatigue are real. 988 is there for staff who need mental health support.
• For You: This work takes a toll. If you need someone to talk to, help is just a call or text away.
More Than Crisis Support
988 also helps connect people to non-crisis mental health services, providing guidance on finding ongoing care.
988 Is Confidential
Calls, texts, and chats are private and secure-information is only shared if there's an immediate safety concern.
How to Use 988:
• Call or text 988 anytime.
• Visit 988lifeline.org for chat and resources.
For mental health crises, 988 offers real-time expertise-helping people get support without immediately involving emergency services. You don't have to handle these situations alone.
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Janet Hoy-Gerlach
Director of Veterinary Social Work
Open Door Veterinary Collective
OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-25-2025 10:17 AM
From: Janet Hoy-Gerlach
Subject: Engaging with Human Healthcare and Social Service Providers to Increase Access to Care for Animals and People
Introducing... 211!!
One of my very favorite resources to help connect people with needed supports is "211". 211 is a database that you can call on your phone (type in 211), or look up and search for all sorts of resources. To be clear, the operator on the phone can search for you, or, you can search yourself via their online database: https://www.211.org/ This takes you to the national site, but there is a place to select and search local resources. Listings are continually updated, and no charge to post or use!!
They don't provide crisis mental health services, but can link to them, and can help with everything from clothes/shoes/coats to shut off notices to hot meals nearby. One of two numbers I tell all my social work students to have handy in their phones!
Stay tuned for the other must-have number!!
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Janet Hoy-Gerlach
Director of Veterinary Social Work
Open Door Veterinary Collective
OH
Original Message:
Sent: 02-21-2025 10:45 AM
From: Janet Hoy-Gerlach
Subject: Engaging with Human Healthcare and Social Service Providers to Increase Access to Care for Animals and People
Hello all,
My name is Janet Hoy-Gerlach, I'm the Director of Veterinary Social Work for Open Door Veterinary Collective (ODVC). As part of our Doors Wide Open webinar series https://forum.maddiesfund.org/opendoorwebcasts, it is my pleasure to invite you to our March 18 webinar on working with human healthcare and social service providers to increase care access for animals and their people!
The session will address:
1. Types of human services typically encountered in animal welfare work
2. How to quickly awareness of common ground and shared goals for collaboration around human and animal welfare
3. Simple strategies to engage in ongoing relationships with key human service providers
I will also be sharing some specific resources with attendees and of course be posting them here. You can register for the webcast at: https://maddies.fund/DoorsWideOpenWebcastSeriesRegister
I would love to hear your thoughts about and experiences with human healthcare and social service providers, and what would be most helpful for you to address!!
#AccesstoCare
#Conferences,WorkshopsandWebcasts
#EducationandTraining
#PetSupportServices*
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Janet Hoy-Gerlach
Director of Veterinary Social Work
Open Door Veterinary Collective
OH
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