Press Release, Franciscan Health:
Organizer reflects on her own suicide attempt in hopes of helping others know assistance is available
DYER, Ind. – Hangie Hawkins was 19 when she took an overdose of prescription medications, hoping she wouldn’t wake up.
She was living in Chicago’s Northwest suburbs and trying to manage 16-hour days that started with 4 a.m. workouts, carrying a full college course load, working 40 hours a week and a relationship when she lost her means of transportation to work and school after a car accident.
“I hit rock bottom,” Hawkins said. “I was devastated. I couldn’t be independent. I had expenses … I needed resources.”
After an argument with her boyfriend, Hawkins decided she wanted to take her own life.
“I texted my friend exactly what I was going to do, that I was going to take pills to go to sleep,” Hawkins said. “She didn’t reply. I thought no one cared about me … If anybody had known the signs to look for, it could have been different.”
Gary Adzia MSW, LCSW, is the manager of the St. Francis Center and Journey Unit, the behavioral health treatment center for youth at Franciscan Health Dyer. He said people need to seek immediate help if they hear of someone in need.
“Find the resources,” Adzia said. “Say, ‘Hey, I’m going to pick you up and we’re going to get some help.’ The easier and more available those resources, the better. We need to have more people know that resources are available. You don’t have to have all the answers. You just need to know who to call.”
Hawkins is now 32 and serves as Franciscan Health’s Community Education Coordinator for Behavioral Health Services. She said her own experience with a suicide attempt taught her what resources are needed to support those who are struggling and inspired her to create an upcoming event during National Suicide Prevention Month.
In an effort to help increase awareness of resources, Franciscan’s Behavioral Health Services is hosting a free Suicide Prevention and Community Resources event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20 in the employee parking lot at Franciscan Health Dyer, 24 Joliet St. The event will include live testimonials from survivors and family members, mental health resources, community resources, food and more. A 1:45 p.m. moment of silence and prayer will be observed for those lost to suicide.
The event was going to focus on suicide prevention only, but Hawkins added additional community resources, knowing they can be key to maintaining mental health.
“Parents think by dropping their kid off at a hospital, they are going to fix everything for them but there are often underlying factors,” Hawkins said. “It might be food assistance or utilities. For me, it was how am I going to pay for food without a car to get to my job? It’s easy to say there are no resources, to use that as an excuse for not getting help, but the truth is there are. All of our resources (at the event) are those that work well together in the community.”
Franciscan Health Dyer announced last year it will transition in late 2027 to a campus dedicated to treating behavioral health patients to meet the growing need for behavioral healthcare. The campus transformation will allow for the expansion of the current 92-bed inpatient behavioral health unit and the addition of behavioral health services.
The existing Dyer emergency room will be transformed as well, with the addition of an emergency intake department specifically dedicated to behavioral health.
“It is not uncommon for someone to feel overwhelmed by daily stressors and the pressures of those expectations we feel are put on us by society, others or even ourselves,” Adzia said. “Franciscan wants anyone in need of help or who may be seeking mental health services to know they are not alone. Resources and assistance are available throughout the community and Franciscan is eager to assist those who reach out.”
Anyone in need may contact Franciscan through the emergency help line number, 1-800-STEP ONE, or walk into the Franciscan Health Dyer Emergency Department to talk to a Behavioral Health Access Team member. Both resources are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.