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Robyn Burningham looks at the SafeUT app in West Jordan on Thursday, June 9, 2016. The SafeUT Mobile App provides students confidential and anonymous two-way communication with SafeUT crisis counselors or school staff via one-touch options to “Call Crisisline,” “Chat Crisisline” or “Submit a Tip.” Students using the mobile app will connect directly to a UNI crisis counselor at the UNI CrisisLine and those calling will be routed to the same.

Laura Seitz, Deseret News via AP

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The new Safe UT Crisis & Safety Tipline for Utah students was unveiled on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, during a press conference held at Clayton Elementary School, in Salt Lake City.

Becky Wright, Standard-Examiner

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More people are taking advantage of a crisis prevention app in Utah.

The number of schools in the state using the SafeUT Crisis & Safety Tipline has doubled since September, climbing to more than 300 as of January, Crisis Services Manager Barry Rose said.

The app allows users to text licensed clinicians about any type of crisis including emotional problems, mental health issues and suicide. 

The number of contacts made through the app to the University of Utah’s University Neuropsychiatric Institute has also increased from about 800 in September to about 1,500 in January, according to SafeUT Supervisor Tori Yeates.

She said those 1,500 points of contact turned into about 2,700 individual back-and-forth interactions.

RELATED: Weber, Davis school districts implement new app for students in crisis

While these numbers have climbed as more schools have implemented the app, Rose said they wouldn’t necessarily correlate with a decreased suicide rate.

“We’re hopeful we’re making an impact, that certainly is our long-term goal and plan, but I don’t think there’s any way of directly correlating that,” he said.

The app was unveiled in January 2016 and the center received only 160 tips each month to begin with, according to Standard-Examiner archives.

The monthly average decreased to about 100 tips every month throughout the summer and then climbed as schools began publicizing the use of SafeUT at the start of the school year. The Weber School District and Davis School District started implementing SafeUT this fall and the Ogden School District was slated to follow suit.

Two youth are treated for suicide attempts every day in Utah according to 2014 Utah Department of Health data. That year, suicide was the leading cause of death for those in Utah ages 10 to 17.

Contact education reporter Anna Burleson at aburleson@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @AnnagatorB or like her on Facebook at Facebook.com/BurlesonReports.