Smartphone apps designed to put suicide and sex-assault prevention information at a soldier's fingertips have rolled out at 15 Army installations, and more are on the way.

The WeCare Fort Benning App is live in the Google Play store and also can be downloaded at the iTunes App Store, the Georgia post base announced in a December news release.

The app includes contact information for local chaplain and medical personnel, dozens of web links for national resources geared toward preventing suicide and combating sex assault, and even a link to the Army Suicide Prevention Manual.

Other installations with similar products include Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.

"We're looking for ways to reach the population," said Ellen Helmerson, deputy chief of staff for personnel and logistics at Headquarters, Army Training and Doctrine Command. "We know one size doesn't fit all. We know face-to-face [education] is not enough. We know going to a website is not enough."

While the one-touch access to help could assist a soldier in a dire situation, Helmerson said the app is designed for wider use, as well:

  • Senior leaders can have easy access to Army regulations and support services regarding sexual assault and suicide, in case they are approached with questions by junior soldiers.
  • Civilian workers and dependents can learn more about programs available to the extended Army family.
  • New transfers to unfamiliar bases can immediately access any needed assistance without navigating an installation website, welcome packet or switchboard.

A pilot application went live in 2012, and the app covering Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee, Virginia, went into app stores in 2013, Helmerson said.

"I think anybody who's seen it has said, 'That's pretty easy, that's pretty quick,'" she said when asked about user feedback. "It provides our soldiers, civilians and family members with another tool to help them with these difficult issues."

TRADOC also has discussed sharing the app's tech with colleges, which could make students aware of on-campus sex-assault prevention resources.

"If it helped one person get in contact with the person they needed in order to get help ... there was value," Helmerson said. "And when I talked to the TRADOC commanders, all of them wanted it."

Expansion plans call for the app to reach Fort Rucker, Alabama, among other installations. Helmerson said there are no immediate plans for an Army-wide app or series of apps, but further expansion could be on the table at February's SHARP summit, when TRADOC commander Gen. David Perkins may offer the technology up to a larger Army audience.

About Kevin Lilley

Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.

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