About Us
Together we can raise awareness of mental health for suicide prevention in McHenry County.
The McHenry County Suicide Prevention Task Force (MCSPTF) was developed in 2010 in response to a significant increase in deaths by suicide throughout McHenry County. Prior to this time, the county’s annual death by suicide count had been consistently higher than the state of Illinois; however, 2010 saw such an increase that we even surpassed the national average.
The McHenry County Suicide Prevention Task Force began as a community collaboration between the McHenry County Coroner’s office, the McHenry County Crisis Program, Centegra Health System, and a variety of community organizations. Together, these organizations began to examine county suicide statistics to discern patterns and demographic information in search of points of intervention.
The Task Force began to address suicide as a public health issue and developed a Mission Statement to raise awareness of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention by providing education, implementing prevention programs, and providing support to those affected by suicide within McHenry County.
In 2014, the McHenry County Suicide Prevention Task Force collaborated with the McHenry County Mental Health Board to expand suicide prevention, education, and awareness across the county. With the help of the Mental Health Board, the Task Force began investing in QPR as the evidenced-based practice for suicide prevention in McHenry County. QPR is a suicide prevention program which stands for Question, Persuade, Refer. It provides training to recognize signs of suicidal risk, perform interventions and work with suicidal individuals to obtain the help they need.
Since 2015, the McHenry County Mental Health Board has invested in training over 40 QPR instructors in McHenry County who have delivered QPR Gatekeeper trainings to over 30,000 individuals including community members, organizations, schools, law enforcement, businesses, and faith communities across McHenry County.
The McHenry County Suicide Prevention Task Force has joined with NAMI to fight the stigma of mental illness, which too often prevents those in crisis from obtaining the help they need. We participate in putting on an annual conference held in September, and a Memorial Event for the Survivors of Suicide. This day of remembrance is held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to commemorate the lives lost and console those who remain and provide them a platform to speak. We will be putting on an annual walk, Never Walk Alone on September 24, 2022. Please join us for any or all of these important events.
Our mission is to raise awareness of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, provide education, implement prevention programs, and provide support to those affected by suicide within McHenry County. Please contact us if you are interested in becoming part of this mission.
