June 19, 2026
A Look Back | Be Connected Roadshow 2019
The news clip from 2019 offers a look back at an early Be Connected Roadshow stop in Phoenix, where state leaders, community organizations, and nonprofit partners came together to raise awareness about veteran suicide prevention and the resources available to Arizona’s military and veteran community. The segment highlights the purpose of Be Connected: helping service members, veterans, families, and helpers understand the support network available across the state and connect to resources before challenges become crises. That message continues to guide Be Connected today as the program works to make support easier to find, easier to use, and available when people need it.
Arizona takes suicide prevention program on the road in hopes of saving veterans
August 20, 2019 by Mark Phillips, ABC 15
PHOENIX — Find and save: it could become the motto for Arizona’s “Be Connected” program.
Be Connected is a military and veteran suicide prevention initiative. It’s designed to get help to veterans when they need it most.
“I always believe if you can understand the net that is available to you, then you can use the net to support you,” said Wanda Wright, Director of Arizona’s Department of Veteran Services.
On Monday, Wright was joined by dozens of community and non-profit organizations at the kickoff to the “Be Connected” roadshow. Their first stop was the Papago Military Reservation in Phoenix.
The roadshow will make 13 stops across the state. It’s made up of a collection of social service agencies and non-profits designed to help veterans transition back to civilian life.
It has expanded the outreach to include Vietnam-era veterans.
“We don’t want to get them in crisis,” Wright said. “We want to get them well before that.”
According to the Veterans Administration, Arizona veterans commit suicide at nearly double the rate of the general population. A study conducted by Arizona State University has the number much higher at nearly four times the rate of the general population.
Be Connected lets vets, their families, and people who assist them know where to go for help. So far, it has connected more than 20,000 Arizonans to resources by phone, in person, and online.
“What we wanted to do is provide dollars for resources and the Arizona Be Connected program so we can help out our veterans,” says Governor Ducey. “In Arizona, we want to lead on the issue and I think it is something across society we can be better engaged in.”
This year, the state budget includes a million dollars for the program. It will help finance outreach events across the state, so veterans and their families know where to go if and when they need help.
ABC 15 News Clip
