Attend virtual suicide prevention training

The American Legion has partnered with Columbia University to train and educate Legion Family and community members on how to interact and respond to a veteran in crisis. The training is to support The American Legion's Be the One mission to end veteran suicide.

The training provided is the Columbia Protocol, also known as the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, that supports suicide risk assessment through a series of simple, plain-language questions that anyone can ask. The answers help users identify whether someone is at risk for suicide, assess the severity and immediacy of that risk, and gauge the level of support that the person needs.

The American Legion is hosting a Columbia Protocol training on April 30 at 7 p.m. Eastern for its monthly Training Tuesday session. Register for the training here. 

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Use the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale to determine at-risk individuals.

• Identify risk factors and warning signs

• Outline the types of suicidal ideation and four behaviors that indicate imminent risk.

• Communicate effectively with an individual who may be at risk of hurting themselves.

Members of The American Legion Family are encouraged to take part in this training and share the training with their communities. Visit legion.org/betheone for additional training dates.