Randy McDonald, executive director of Together With Veterans, Minot Chapter, shown in this photo by Master Sgt. Ryan P. Bell, tells members of the Minot Area Chamber EDC’s Military Affairs Committee about the organization including a new text messaging program to help rural veterans, servicemembers and their families. Submitted Photo

Veterans, servicemembers and their family members who live in rural areas can’t always get to help when they need it or might not be comfortable asking for help.

Now help is just a text message away through the Minot Chapter of Together With Veterans organization’s new CoPilot program.

CoPilot is a QR-based text messaging intervention that allows people to text a message and the servicemember, veteran or family member will receive a positive mental health message for free counseling. The service is available 24/7 and is free of charge.

To access the QR-based text messaging code, go to Facebook at Together With Veterans-Minot.

“Since it is a brand-new program, Minot is the pilot program in the nation to do this. We are launching this for the nation,” said Randy McDonald, Together With Veterans, Minot Chapter, executive director, told members of the Minot Area Chamber EDC at a recent meeting in Minot.

Together With Veterans, Minot Chapter, is a nonprofit organization made up of people including many who have struggled. It is a rural veterans suicide prevention program.

“Recently we discovered that access to mental health is a big barrier to veterans,” McDonald said.

He said Together With Veterans is the only branch of the organization in North Dakota and they are figuring out ways to help veterans who are isolated in rural areas.

To launch the Minot chapter’s new CoPilot program, the Minot Minotauros, partnering with DASH Auction, held an event earlier this month to auction off special Together With Veterans’ players’ jerseys. One of the jerseys was signed by Medal of Honor recipient Clint Romesha of Minot. Proceeds went to Together With Veterans, Minot Chapter, to provide mental health services to servicemembers, veterans and family members.

“At any point during that time you are feeling your mental health is compromised, that you are not feeling well, you can simply text that ‘I’m not doing well,'” McDonald said of the CoPilot program. “Immediately, you get put in contact with a licensed mental health counselor. It’s completely free, it’s completely anonymous.”

He said the person could literally be sitting at their table at home talking to a mental health counselor and nobody would know. He said this is intended for the people who don’t want to engage with a mental health counselor downtown.

“Our goal here is that we want to enhance some of the other services that are available in town. We’re speaking to all sorts of agencies to help us find out who the people who are isolating are and how can we reach them,” McDonald said.

The program is free for the service members, family members and veterans. The cost to the organization (Together With Veterans) is $10 a veteran per month. “That is far better than $90 for one hour of mental health services. This is a 24/7 platform. They can text anytime day or night,” he said.

“It’s really meant to enhance our community,” McDonald said.

He said anyone who does not text and are in immediate need of help can call the Minot Vet Center at 852-0177 or North Central Human Services Center at 857-8500.

Ward County veterans

Ward County lost 20 veterans to suicide from 2016-2020, according to the Veterans Affairs’ Fargo office.