Vermont Business Magazine For more than 25 years, the Center for Health and Learning (CHL) in Shelburne has trained thousands of Vermonters to recognize and respond to suicide risk and other public health issues, providing lifesaving, prevention-focused education to schools, first responders, healthcare facilities, workplaces, and community organizations throughout the state and beyond. Today, the nonprofit announced it will dissolve by December 12, 2025, due to significant federal funding cuts and an uncertain economy.
On October 15, CHL’s Board of Directors, facing an insurmountable financial shortfall, voted to dissolve. Previously planned trainings will still take place between now and the closure date.
Since that time, CHL leadership has pursued potential merger opportunities with partners in Vermont to advance our mission and the Umatter® Suicide Prevention Training Program. CHL is very pleased to share that we have reached an agreement with the Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery (VAMHAR), a recognized partner in the Vermont mental health and recovery movement, to carry forward Umatter® trainings and continue our mission in suicide prevention work across the state.
Kirk Postlewaite, CHL’s Co-Executive Director, shared, “I am pleased that the Umatter® trainings have found a new home with VAMHAR. Breaking the stigma around discussing suicide is imperative, and we know that VAMHAR will continue this important work. We want to see communities filled with individuals who can help decrease isolation, listen without judgment, and encourage and support a person at risk to seek appropriate help.”
“VAMHAR is honored to carry on the legacy of some of the pioneers of suicide prevention in Vermont and to bring Umatter® trainings to more providers and helpers along with other effective resources and supports. This is consistent with our work to reduce adverse outcomes of diseases of despair statewide and even beyond our borders,” says Daniel Franklin, Executive Director of VAMHAR. “Now more than ever we need to double-down as a society to address both the root causes and symptoms of mental illness, addictions, poverty, and other challenges and barriers. With this step, we will add another tool to our toolbox to save and transform lives.”
With CHL’s closure, the role they have played in working with Vermont’s Department of Mental Health, Department of Health, and other public and private funders will transition to new partners in the near future. CHL has played an instrumental role throughout our history in improving suicide prevention care in mental health and health care, schools, and across communities. CHL was also a key player in helping to create and implement Vermont’s first Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan and has facilitated the Vermont Suicide Prevention Coalition for many years.
Postlewaite added, “We are proud of the work that CHL has done in Vermont for over two decades, and we are truly appreciative to all our partners and stakeholders throughout the years.”
12.8.2025. 145 Pine Haven Shores Rd., #A5055, Shelburne, VT 05482, www.healthandlearning.org
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