Mother of Man Saved From Suicide Attempt Pleas for Continued Mental Health Funding

The mother of the 22-year-old Evanston man saved from a suicide attempt at the Maple Avenue parking garage by an off-duty police detective has called for the state to continue its funding for mental health services in a letter to Evanston Now.

The woman, not identified to protect the privacy of her son, thanked the response of Evanston police officers who handled the situation, including Detective Ken Carter, who was seen on video grabbing ahold of the man as he was threatening to jump.

More here: Video Shows Off-Duty Cop Saving Man From Suicide Attempt

She said her son had been a star athlete and an honor student in high school before falling victim to mental illness two years ago, according to an Evanston Now report on the letter.

She found a successful placement for him in a treatment program at Albany Care, 901 Maple Ave. Residents of the neighborhood there were open minded and she was impressed with the compassion shown inside as well.

“When I got to Albany Care I walked around the surrounding community and was touched by how southeast Evanston embraces Albany Care and its residents,” she said. “My experiences inside Albany Care were equally positive. I saw people successfully making the transition to apartments, and I saw people contentedly living their lives in Albany Care.”

Funding for Albany Care and some two dozen other like facilities was scheduled to be cut off by a budget proposed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, but most has been restored under the budget adopted by the state’s General Assembly.

A funding cutoff would not save the state money, the mother insisted in the letter, but instead would “ruin lives and families, force people into expensive hospitals and into the prison system.”

more via Evanston Now