The signs are there: Suicide prevention awareness is gaining ground in Kane County.
In fact, over 700 red, white and blue placards have been planted throughout our communities, all touting three easy-to-memorize digits – 988.
That’s the number for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, shortened a few years ago from its lengthier version to make it as easy to remember as 911.
We aren’t there yet, say officials from the Kane County Health Department, which conducted a survey in January of 2025 that indicates 71% of respondents were unaware of the 988 number to call or text when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, feeling suicidal or in need of emotional support.
A campaign by the Health Department – along with 57 community partners that include schools, police and fire departments, civic groups and nonprofits – wants to change all that.
Starting in May – Mental Health Awareness Month – and going through September – Suicide Prevention Month – these yard signs featuring 988 will be on public display throughout the county touting this confidential 24/7 crisis line that will immediately connect the caller with a trained counselor from Suicide Prevention Services in Batavia, who can offer immediate support and resources, and if needed, a mobile crisis response team from Association for Individual Development, Ecker Center for Behavioral Health and Family Services Associates of Greater Elgin.
The goal is to provide support and assistance without involving law enforcement unless there is an immediate safety concern, says Kane County Health Department promotions manager Tina Koral, noting that 988 is not a substitute for 911 when there is a medical emergency or a need for help from the police or fire department.
This campaign is funded through part of the nearly $10 million the county received from the American Rescue Plan Act for behavioral health issues, and was developed in response to a Kane County Health Department survey which identified behavioral health as one of its four priority areas of focus.
Now in its second year, the campaign is gaining momentum, said Koral, as more residents and businesses are requesting signs, and just as importantly, are posting photos on social media to help spread awareness.
Larkin High School in Elgin, for example, placed a 988 awareness sign in front of the school, and a social media post about it has become “one of the most-engaged” posts shared by “the Kane County Health Department in recent years,” she noted.
Social media is the other critical half of this 988 campaign. While it’s important that “people see these signs in the real world,” Koral said, it’s just as important for the information to be shared online “where people spend much of their time” so it reaches a larger audience.
The hope behind this awareness campaign, said Megghun Redmon, Suicide Prevention Services associate executive director, is that when someone is in a crisis, “it does not end in a 911 call.”
The pandemic brought mental health into mainstream conversations in a way that hadn’t happened before, and people seem more willing to acknowledge their struggles openly, she told me. “But suicide is still heavily stigmatized,” as too many people continue to see it “as a weakness.”
Making 988 as familiar as 911, experts say, can shift the culture from judgment, discomfort or silence to care and prevention.
You may have already seen these yard signs popping up across the county. But it’s not too late to get involved. There are 700 signs already displayed but the goal is to hit 1,100. Free signs are available at the Kane County Health Department’s offices in Aurora and Elgin Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Plant one in the ground, take a photo with it and then share it on Facebook and Instagram using #988kanecounty.
And don’t forget to talk about those three numbers with family and friends, reminding them them to call 988 when in emotional distress. The idea is to cover Kane County with awareness – one conversation, one social media post, one yard sign at a time.
dcrosby@tribpub.com
