DuPage United Pushes for Expanded Mental Health Resources in DuPage County

On Saturday, November 14th from 3:00 – 4:30 pm, hundreds of representatives from a dozen or more member organizations of DuPage United will gather at Union Church of Hinsdale for a public assembly to address the need for expanding mental health resources in DuPage County.

Invited guests include DuPage States Attorney, Robert Berlin, Hinsdale Chief of Police Bradley Bloom, and Chief Shawana Davis and Major Dawn Malone of the County Sheriff ‘s office.

Key agenda items include expansion of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for police officers throughout the county, and the need for alternatives to hospital emergency departments for people in mental health crisis situations.

The effectiveness of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for police officers is widely acknowledged. Encounters with trained officers result in fewer people with mental illness entering the criminal justice system, where they either receive no treatment or limited treatment at great cost.

However, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, only 60 police officers in DuPage County have been certified in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training. Training is available at no cost to local police departments, but funding for the program is currently frozen due to the ongoing budget impasse in Springfield.

DuPage United members are pushing for the creation of a county-wide partnership among law enforcement, elected county officials, mental health providers, mental health educators, community organizers and others to bring CIT training to police departments in all DuPage County municipalities, beginning with the appointment of a County CIT Coordinator.

CIT training, however, is just one piece of the puzzle. Availability of mental health crisis treatment facilities other than already over-burdened and expensive hospital emergency departments will also be discussed.

The Assembly is open to the public. Union Church is located at 137 S. Garfield Avenue, Hinsdale.

DuPage United is an inclusive, non-profit, non-partisan organization whose members include churches, mosques, synagogues, non-profit agencies, and associations that join forces to form public relationships and to act together to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities in DuPage County.

Formed in 2003, DuPage United is affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the oldest and largest network of community organizations throughout the U.S., England, Germany, Australia, and Canada.

For more information, visit dupageunited.org.