‘Be the One’ mobile app to be part of MDVA suicide prevention

By Tim Engstrom
Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran Community-Based Services Director Rachel Johnson, left, and Suicide Prevention Coordinator Kristi Stites hold up their cellphones showing the Be the One app. The MDVA wants veterans to have the app on their phones.

MINNEAPOLIS — The American Legion, in February, rolled out its “Be the One” mobile app aimed at assisting veterans in crisis in an effort to reduce suicides.

Now, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs plans to join The American Legion in encouraging veterans, their families, post staff such as bartenders and pulltab sellers and anyone remotely connected to their veterans community to download the “Be the One” app.

The app, developed by Columbia University’s Lighthouse Project and tailored to The American Legion’s “Be the One” veteran-suicide-prevention mission, is available via both Apple and Google. The app used the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), the most evidence-supported tool of its kind. It asks a simple series of questions that anyone can use anywhere to help prevent suicide.

Veteran Suicide Prevention Coordinator Kristi Stites and Veteran Community-Based Services Director Rachel Johnson are working with The American Legion Department of Minnesota and National American Legion, as well as the Columbia Lighthouse Project, to modify the app to be Minnesota-specific. This way, resources such as contact information for county veteran service officers, maps to the nearest hospital system and the Veterans Linkage Line (1-888-LinkVet) can be added.

Columbia Lighthouse Project’s Wendy Lakso, who provides “Be the One” training, encouraged Legion Family members to download the app but said it is a work in progress.

“We’re going to refine this a little bit more. We can change these questions,” she said. “We may drill down a little bit more and say, ‘Are you a spouse, are you whatever?’ The issue is we don’t want to ask too many questions. Because if you’re in a situation where you need to get someone help immediately, you’re not going to sit and answer 10 questions. We have to try to streamline as best as we can.”

Lakso said one of the key aspects of the app is its privacy. “I don’t know who you are. I don’t have your phone number. I don’t know any of that on this app,” she said. “That’s important for you to know as a veteran. I can’t track you. All I can know is what location you’re in by ZIP code.”

Johnson and Stites will work with American Legion “Be the One” manager Tony Cross. Cross will be the speaker at the Department Fall Conference in late October.

Minnesota Veteran Suicide Prevention & Awareness Day

The seventh Minnesota Veteran Suicide Prevention & Awareness Day is Oct. 4 at Red Barron Arena in Marshall.

Because the MDVA is backing The American Legion’s suicide-prevention efforts, look for the “Be the One” mission to be part of the event.

The vendor fair and networking starts at 9 a.m. The program is at 10 a.m.  It is followed by an hour for more networking. More details are forthcoming.