Just over one in 10 Utah residents speak Spanish at home, making it the second-most common language in the state, according to data from the Institutional Review Board.
That’s why District 22 Republican Sen. Heidi Balderree submitted a $10,000 budget request last month to add Spanish as a language option to the SafeUT app. She said the app has saved an estimated 2,760 lives over the past decade.
“I don't know that you can put a price on the cost of one single, human, individual life,” Balderree said.
Which is why she wants the SafeUT app to be accessible to everyone. Launched in 2014, the app provides confidential mental health counseling and acts as a tip line for potential emergency situations in schools across the state.
Two years later, the app was redeveloped by the University of Utah to include mental health counseling resources. But Balderree said something was still missing.
“I thought, ‘How does this work when a Spanish speaker goes on the app and … needs to speak with someone in Spanish?’” Balderree asked.
And so, she collaborated with SafeUT and University of Utah staff to create their current plan: a multilingual texting translation service.
“Not only will it help the Latino community and our Spanish speakers," Balderree said, "it will help those who speak any language.”
SafeUT Commission Chair Ric Cantrell agreed.
"The first responsibility of government is to preserve life," Cantrell said. "I don't care what language we use to save somebody's life, as long as their lives get saved and they can continue to contribute to Utah's community and culture.”
Balderree’s request has been heard by the Higher Education Committee, and she’s hopeful it will move forward.
“It's future proof," Balderree said. "Hopefully … we can keep Utah healthier, safer, and happier.”
