Dr. Andy Roark, a renowned veterinarian, recently wrote an eye-opening piece on the tragic topic of suicide amongst veterinary professionals. While suicide is a complex and devastating topic, the number of suicides in this industry are on the rise. In Dr. Roark’s article he outlines some ways to help combat this issue. One technique he recommends, restrict access to lethal drugs by ensuring they are stored in a safe and secure manner.

As noted by Dr. Roark, “A new system I’m excited about is based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. RFID uses electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags attached to cards, wristbands, keyrings, etc. If you’ve ever used a key fob, you’ve used RFID.

RFID is not uncommon in veterinary medicine right now. Dr. Tracy Sands uses RFID in her clinic in Carlisle, Pa., not only to track and control who opens the drug safe and when, but also to control who enters and leaves through the back of the clinic. Many other clinics take the same approach. As someone who has found clients wandering in our storage area after entering the rear of the building, this seems like a nice safety feature.

Now, imagine an RFID lock on your drug safe that requires two different fobs (or wristbands or cards or whatever) to open. Any two people with fobs could quickly swipe the lock and open it, but no single person could access the box. A company called Senseon Secure Access will be releasing an electronic lock with this functionality in the coming months. The standalone system pricing has yet to be announced but is expected to be around $700-$900 (including nine key cards). Additional cards/fobs/wristbands will be approximately $7 each.”

For more information on this important discussion view the full article here.

Additionally, we encourage anyone that is struggling with the issues to text 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor right away or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Source: http://drandyroark.com/what-do-we-do-about-suicide/