The mission of our coalition is to prevent Veteran suicide. We will accomplish this through collaboration and increased communication between Hines VA Hospital, DuPage County Health Department and the Veterans Assistance Commission of DuPage County, along with other key stakeholders in the community. One of our main goals is to provide suicide prevention education and Mental Health services to Veterans and their families.
Hines VA facilitates SAVE training for any organization who would like to learn more about warning signs of suicide, and how to intervene if a Veteran is in crisis. This training is free of charge and can be conducted at the requesting organization’s facility. The Suicide Prevention Team at Hines VA also provides enhanced case management to Veterans who survive a suicide attempt to ensure mental health follow up. They are also available to families of Veterans who die by suicide to provide support and additional resources.
DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) is a member of the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Consortium which ensures offerings of countywide MHFA training. MHFA training is an eight hour course that teaches participants how to help someone experiencing a mental health problem or crisis. DCHD provides Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), which is a two day workshop designed to enhance participant’s skills for intervening in a suicidal crisis. Additionally, DCHD provides Mobile Crisis Response services, and can respond to a mental health crisis within 90 minutes.
The Veterans Assistance Commission works closely with Hines VA Hospital and DuPage County Health Department to raise awareness regarding Veteran suicide.
If you encounter a Veteran who is at imminent risk of suicide call 911. If you know of a Veteran who is contemplating suicide, contact the Veterans Crisis Line: 988 Press 1, or text to 838255. VeteransCrisisLine.net provides a chat feature and resources.
Crisis Line services are also available through the DuPage County Health Department Crisis Line at, 630-627-1700.
Contact Information (non-emergency)
- Health Department
- Kathy Carey
- Phone: 630-221-3613
- Email: Kathleen.Carey@dupagehealth.org
- VAC
- Steve Fixler
- Phone: 630-407-5655
- Email: steven.fixler@dupagecounty.gov
Upcoming Meetings 2024: Current Dates, Possible location changes - More information to follow
- January 18 - 9am -11am, DuPage County Building, Room 3500B, 421 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187 or via WebEx
- April 18 - 9am -11am, DuPage County Building, Room 3500B, 421 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187 or via WebEx
- July 18 - 9am -11am, DuPage County Building, Room 3500B, 421 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187 or via WebEx
- October 17 - 9am -11am, DuPage County Building, Room 3500B, 421 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187 or via WebEx
For more information and if you'd like to join the coalition, contact Steve Fixler.
