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Chester County proclaims Suicide Prevention, Recovery and National Preparedness months for September
Summary
Chester County commissioners issued proclamations recognizing September 2025 as Suicide Prevention Month, Recovery Month and National Preparedness Month, and invited partner organizations to accept the declarations and outline services and events.
Chester County commissioners on Sept. 10 proclaimed September 2025 as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, recognized Recovery Month and named September National Preparedness Month.
The proclamations were read and accepted by representatives of county partner organizations who described local services and upcoming events. Kate Zialek, executive director of the Chester County Suicide Prevention Partnership, accepted the suicide-prevention proclamation and noted county mental-health and veterans resources; Jamie Johnson, executive director of the Chester County Department of Drugs and Alcohol Services, and recovery advocates accepted the Recovery Month proclamation; Kelly Tinsman, deputy director for emergency management, and Kennett Square Emergency Management Coordinator Sonny Greco accepted the preparedness proclamation and urged residents to enroll in the county’s ReadyChesco alert system.
Why it matters: the proclamations highlight county efforts and partner services on behavioral-health prevention and response, recovery supports for people with substance-use disorder, and resident preparedness for emergencies. County officials and community partners emphasized local hotlines, recovery services, community outreach and the ReadyChesco notification system as tools residents can use.
County remarks and partner remarks Kate Zialek thanked the commissioners for recognizing suicide prevention and noted county resources and partnerships including the Chester County Department of Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities and the Department of Human Services. Jake Elks and Howard Crawford, representing veterans’ advisory boards, described veterans’ experiences with mental-health crises and urged community compassion and use of county services. Zialek, Elks and Crawford said veterans and others in crisis should use available supports.
Jamie Johnson and guests from recovery programs described local recovery supports, including certified recovery specialists and a warm-handoff program called COPE (Community Outreach Prevention and Education). Jennifer King of the Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Jacqueline Donahue, who supervises COPE’s warm-handoff program at a behavioral-health provider, described how county-funded recovery supports operate, including bedside outreach and transitional housing assistance.
On preparedness, Kelly Tinsman outlined county preparedness resources and ReadyChesco, the county notification system, and Sonny Greco described municipal preparedness steps taken in Kennett Square, including emergency-operation-plan updates and partnerships used to assist nine residents displaced by a fire.
What officials said about local services Officials repeatedly urged residents to use available resources. The suicide-prevention proclamation text referenced the 988 Human Needs Network and statistics cited in the proclamation on Pennsylvania and Chester County suicide counts for 2024. Speakers urged veterans and residents in crisis to seek help and pointed to local hospitals, the VA and county hotlines. Recovery-month speakers described how county-funded recovery supports—including transitional housing, workforce-related supports and certified recovery specialists—help individuals in long-term recovery.
Looking ahead: the Recovery Walk in Philadelphia and other regional events were highlighted, and county officials encouraged residents to sign up for ReadyChesco and participate in local preparedness and recovery activities.
