The intent and purpose of the Behavioral Health Strike Team (BHST) is to quickly deploy trained individuals from a Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) and the Office of Disaster Services (ODS) and establish communications with the impacted region/county/city/facility to determine the level of trauma and develop a strategy to deliver psychological first aid to survivors and first responders. The ODS and the CMHC form the BHST and develop the most effective way to provide behavioral health support to survivors, responders, and other disaster workers. The BHST works directly with other state agencies to coordinate additional state or federal assistance if needed. The BHST also partners with the MO Disaster Chaplaincy Program to provide spiritual care alongside the BHST.
Training
BHST members receive specialized training on responding to disasters and critical events. During the first year, members are required to take four trainings:
- Psychological First Aid
- Incident Command Systems 100
- Incident Command Systems 700
- National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) basic course.
There-after, members are asked to annually complete two trainings on qualified topics.
If interested in becoming trained for the BHST, please contact DMH-BHST@dmh.mo.gov.
- Deployment Information
BHST members deploy to critical events, which may include mass casualty events, natural disasters or other traumatic events. Some past deployments were:
- Branson Duck Boat
- Amtrak Train Derailment
- St. Louis during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- St. Louis Mardi Gras
- Missouri State Fair
- St. Louis Tornado
- Kansas City FIFA World Cup
- Butler Plane Crash
- Southeastern Missouri Flooding and Reunification
BHST members will be asked to deploy to the impacted area quickly with the expectation that they leave within two hours of notification. Once there they will follow the incident command structure with the DMH Office of Disaster Services acting as the liaison to the incident commander. Deployments can last from one day to two weeks and in shifts lasting from two hours to twelve hours depending on the event.
- Upcoming Deployments
Mardi Gras, St. Louis
February 2027
Washington County Fair, Washington
August 2027
Missouri State Fair, Sedalia
August 2027