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A local app created to identify those at risk of suicide is growing in acceptance across the United States and around the world.
"Just think of how many lives we can save if every parent, police officer, teacher and neighbor downloaded and used this app," said Dr. Kelly Posner, director of the Columbia Lighthouse Project Wednesday.
The free Columbia Protocol App suicide awareness and prevention app was created by PS Solutions, a software development firm headquarters in Altoona. The phone app uses the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, a series of questions successful in helping identify those at risk for suicide.
"We need to get everyone in our communities asking these questions," Posner said.
The app was created at the request of the Blair County Department of Social Services under former director James Hudack and was funded by the Healthy Blair County Coalition.
Sherri Stayer, operations manager and business development specialist, said since that time, the app has been adopted by various entities, including the Department of Homeland Security for use by military personnel and most recently by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
With over 20 years of research to validate its relevance and effectiveness, the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale is seen as the gold standard in assessing suicide risk and is used by governments, schools and communities around the globe, officials said Wednesday.
"For people who have thought about suicide, simply being asked these questions can come as a relief -- one study found that asking the questions reduced distress in depressed respondents," Stayer said.
"We are proud of our involvement in bringing the vision of this app to life and giving help and hope to the app's users," said Joe Merilli, managing partner at PS Solutions.
He said he could never have believed that the impact would be felt nationally and even internationally.
"The best work we do is the stuff that impacts lives, and the Columbia Protocol app is at the top of our list," Merilli said.
He said because of the app, agencies around the country are now looking toward Blair County as a leader in suicide prevention.
Merilli said that's due to Hudack's vision of creating the app.
For his part, Hudack said about four years ago, he asked Merilli if it was possible to make the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale in an phone app to allow more people to have access to it.
The team looked at the possibilities, and several meetings later they came up with a plan to develop the app, with the help of Posner.
Since the app has become a reality, it has continued to grow bigger, Merilli said, with Pennsylvania adopting it across every county.
The app can give information on how many people are using the app and users have the option to submit demographic details if they are willing.
Merilli talks with Posner often, who calls to ask if the app can be made for other states and even other countries.
They have developed a version of the app for the Virginia department of corrections.
"It is really a great thing," Merilli said.
Posner called about a month ago and asked if the company could create another app for Israel and the Department of Defence in the United Kingdom.
"This app has just blown up, and it has the ability to help so many people," Merilli said.
Hudack said the whole intention with this app was based on the Blair County Suicide Prevention Task Force, which adopted the Columbia assessment.
"It just became a labor of love," he said.
Hudack said it has been one of the most worthwhile projects he has ever been involved in.
All the hard work and trouble they went through to make the app is worth it if they can save even just one life, he said.
Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith is at 814-946-7535.