A press release from the 708 Mental Health Board:
MENTAL HEALTH BOARD AND MCHENRY COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMMIMNG
The McHenry County Mental Health Board in partnership with the McHenry County Community Foundation is bringing QPR Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention to McHenry County.
The 708 Board Building at 620 Dakota Street Crystal Lake.
The McHenry County Suicide Prevention Taskforce reviewed several prevention programs and QPR was identified as an approach reflective of our community’s need.
The QPR
- Question
- Persuade
- Refer
Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention is a brief educational program designed to teach “gatekeepers”–those who are strategically positioned to recognize and refer someone at risk of suicide,e.g.,
- parents
- friends
- neighbors
- teachers
- coaches
- caseworkers
- police officers
- human service
- faith community representatives
–the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond by following three steps:
• Question the individual’s desire or intent regarding suicide
• Persuade the person to seek and accept help
• Refer the person to appropriate resources
The McHenry County implementation plan includes “Certified Gatekeeper Instructor” commitments from approximately 25 local individuals.
Once trained, these QPR Gatekeeper Instructors will seek opportunities to train others throughout the community.
At the community level, both lay citizens and professionals must work together to achieve two common goals:
• A greater sense of shared responsibility for the prevention of suicide
• A greater sense of community competence in learning the skills necessary to prevent suicide attempts and completions
QPR trained, gatekeepers help create a community safety net for suicidal people by identifying them, questioning them, and persuading them to accept a referral for professional evaluation and/or care. Initiating this chain of events is a significant responsibility, not unlike initiating CPR until professional medical help arrives.
For further information contact the Mental Health Board at 815-455-2828.
Here is my only dealing with the crisis hot line…I have removed all names and situations and am only posting this to show the rapid response times…please notice the dates
From: Crisis Program
Subject: RE: Bad situation
To: “Bill Matteson”
Date: Thursday, May 9, 2013, 12:50 PM
I am very sorry about the delay in responding to your email. The crisis program email had some fatal errors and has just been repaired. I wanted to touch base with you and find out if you received any answers to the problem with your friend. Please let me know if you are still in need of guidance.
—–Original Message—–
From: Bill Matteson
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2012 5:21 PM
To: Crisis Program
Subject: Bad situation
Bill Matteson
Harvard IL
Good stuff.
Glad the county is doing something about it regardless of whether or not it’s overdue.
Thanks for posting it.
I’ve worked in the recovery arena for many years and am very interested in being a part of the solution.