A young veteran whom Mary Beth had met once, while he was an inpatient, had called her. The veteran was experiencing significant pain and requested to be placed in hospice care. Mary Beth spoke to him with compassion and understanding, explaining that he did not have a qualifying condition while trying to defuse his hostile behavior. The veteran was filled with anger and blamed the VA for not identifying the source of his pain.

During the conversation, he threatened suicide. Given his increasing hostility and his aggressive pursuit of care, she took this threat seriously, but unfortunately, he hung up the phone on her. Immediately, she contacted the police in his area to conduct a wellness check. For the next two hours, she remained on the phone with social workers from suicide prevention and made various calls to local police.

Due to an incident that occurred earlier that day, the police were aware of the situation and felt they had handled it effectively. However, Mary Beth was adamant about ensuring he received additional attention due to this new threat. She was able to convince the police to go back to his home, and ultimately, the veteran received the care he needed.