4th Quarter Articles
- Just Start: Preparing Yourself for the Unexpected
September is National Preparedness Month, a time to think about how ready we are for the unexpected. Tornadoes, severe storms, flooding, winter weather, extended power outages, and other emergencies can happen with little warning. While we cannot prevent every disaster, we can take steps now that make it easier to respond, recover, and care for the people who depend on us.
For many people, however, preparedness can feel overwhelming. Where do you start? Do you need an expensive emergency kit? How much food and water should you store? What documents do you need? What if you have children, older family members, pets, or someone with additional needs?
The good news is that you don’t have to do everything at once. Preparedness is a journey, and the best place to begin is simply by making a plan.
Your Starting Point: Have a 10-Minute Family Conversation
Before buying supplies, take ten minutes and talk with the people in your household. Ask a few simple questions:
- How will we receive emergency alerts?
- Where will we go if we need to evacuate?
- Where will we go if we need to shelter in place?
- Where will we meet if we become separated?
- Who is our out-of-area contact?
- What would we need if the power, water, or cell service were unavailable?
- Does anyone in our household have medications, medical equipment, mobility needs, or other considerations we need to plan for?
- What is our plan for our pets or other animals?
You don’t have to have every answer during that first conversation. Identifying what you don’t know is part of becoming better prepared.
Build Your Preparedness One Step at a Time
Once you have talked about your plan, choose one small preparedness task each week.
Week 1: Know your risks.
Think about the emergencies most likely to affect your community and learn what you should do when they occur.Week 2: Make your communication and evacuation plan.
Choose meeting locations, identify emergency contacts, and make sure everyone knows how to reconnect if normal communication methods aren’t available.Week 3: Gather essential supplies.
Start with items you already have at home. Water, nonperishable food, flashlights, batteries, medications, first-aid supplies, chargers, hygiene items, and supplies for children or pets are a great beginning. Add to your supplies over time rather than feeling like you need to purchase everything at once.Week 4: Protect what matters.
Gather copies of important identification, insurance information, medical information, emergency contacts, and other essential documents. Store them somewhere secure and accessible.Preparedness Is More Than a Kit
An emergency supply kit is valuable, but true preparedness is about more than what is stored in a container. It is knowing what to do, how to communicate, where to go, and how to adapt when circumstances change.
Preparedness also means knowing your neighbors and your community. During disasters, people often rely on one another before additional help can arrive. Knowing who nearby may need assistance, and who might be able to help you, can strengthen the resilience of the entire community.
And don’t forget emotional preparedness. Disasters can be stressful, frightening, and disruptive. Talking with children about emergencies in an age-appropriate way, identifying trusted support systems, and understanding that stress reactions are common after difficult events can help families navigate both the immediate emergency and the recovery that follows.
Just. Start.
- Behavioral Health Strike Team at the FIFA World Cup
When the FIFA World Cup came to Kansas City, the world was watching. Behind the excitement, crowds, long days, and complex operations was an extraordinary network of professionals and volunteers working to make the event safe and successful. Among them was the Missouri Behavioral Health Strike Team (BHST).
The World Cup presented a unique opportunity for the BHST to demonstrate what disaster behavioral health looks like when it is integrated into a large-scale, planned event. Rather than waiting for a crisis to occur, team members were present, visible, and available to support the fans and people working behind the scenes.
Throughout the deployment, BHST members provided Psychological First Aid, emotional support, resource navigation, stress management, and a compassionate presence for responders, staff, volunteers, fans, and others involved in World Cup operations. Sometimes that meant having a conversation with someone after a difficult shift. Other times, it meant simply providing a quiet moment, a listening ear, or a reminder that taking care of yourself is an important part of taking care of others.
The work also highlighted one of the BHST's greatest strengths: relationships.
Successful disaster behavioral health response does not begin when something goes wrong. It begins long before an incident through planning, training, partnerships, and trust. The World Cup allowed BHST members to work alongside public safety, emergency management, healthcare, behavioral health, volunteers, and numerous other partners while strengthening relationships that will continue well beyond this event.
More Than a Deployment
The impact of this deployment cannot be measured only by the number of contacts made or services provided. Success can also be found in the responder who realized it was okay to ask for support, the person who knew someone was available if they needed to talk, and the relationships built between organizations that may one day work together during Missouri's most difficult moments.
The BHST's presence reinforced an important message:
Behavioral health belongs at the table—from preparedness and planning through response and recovery.
Thank You, BHST!
Thank you for the long hours, flexibility, professionalism, compassion, and willingness to serve. Thank you for representing the BHST and disaster behavioral health with such dedication. Whether you provided direct support, helped with coordination and logistics, covered shifts, answered questions, or solved problems behind the scenes, you contributed to the success of this mission.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who supported the BHST throughout the World Cup. Deployments of this size are never the work of one team. Supervisors, agencies, community partners, emergency management and public safety personnel, behavioral health organizations, volunteers, planners, logistical support staff, and countless others helped make it possible for BHST members to do their jobs.
Kansas City had an opportunity to welcome the world, and the Missouri BHST had an opportunity to demonstrate something we have long believed: taking care of the people who take care of others is an essential part of preparedness and response.
We could not be prouder of the team, the partnerships strengthened during this historic event, and the positive impact made along the way.
If you're interested in joining the team, visit the Behavioral Health Strike Team page to learn more.
3rd Quarter Articles
- Bridging Cultures, Building Trust: The Power of Psychological First Aid in Diverse Communities
When people are shaken by disaster, the instinct to help can be immediate and generous. Yet how that help is offered often matters as much as the help itself. Psychological First Aid (PFA), grounded in practical support, asks responders to meet survivors where they are—emotionally, physically, and culturally. In diverse communities, this last dimension is not an added layer; it is the ground on which trust is built or lost.
Culture shapes how distress is expressed, how help is sought, and what healing looks like. In some communities, emotional pain may be voiced through physical symptoms—fatigue, headaches, or stomach discomfort—rather than spoken as anxiety or grief. In others, sharing personal struggles outside the family may feel inappropriate or even unsafe. A responder who assumes a single “correct” way of coping risks misunderstanding what is being communicated. Cultural awareness, then, is not about mastering a list of customs; it is about approaching each interaction with humility, curiosity, and restraint.
Language is often the first and most visible bridge—or barrier. Offering interpretation services, using plain and respectful language, and avoiding jargon can make an immediate difference. But communication extends beyond words. Tone, eye contact, personal space, and gestures carry different meanings across cultures. A steady presence, attentive listening, and a willingness to adapt one’s approach can convey respect more clearly than any perfectly chosen phrase.
Trust is rarely automatic in disaster settings. Historical experiences, including discrimination or inequitable access to services, may shape how individuals and communities perceive responders. Some may be wary of authority figures or reluctant to share information. A culturally responsive approach recognizes this context without judgment. It favors transparency—explaining who you are, what your role is, and what you can and cannot do—and it honors choice, allowing survivors to decide what support feels acceptable.
Family and community structures are also central. Decisions may not be made individually, and support may be sought collectively. Faith leaders, elders, and community advocates often hold trusted roles that formal responders do not. Partnering with these figures can extend the reach and credibility of care. It can also ensure that assistance aligns with community values, including practices related to mourning, caregiving, and recovery.
Importantly, cultural consideration does not mean avoiding difficult situations or withholding care out of uncertainty. It means proceeding with respect and a willingness to learn in real time. Simple practices—asking open-ended questions, inviting individuals to share what would be most helpful, and acknowledging when you do not know something—can prevent missteps and deepen connection. Phrases such as “How can I best support you right now?” or “Is there anything I should know about what would feel respectful or helpful?” create space for the survivor’s voice to guide the interaction.
Responders themselves bring their own cultural perspectives, shaped by training, background, and experience. Awareness of these influences, especially in moments of stress or urgency helps prevent assumptions from narrowing one’s view. Cultural humility is an ongoing discipline, not a one-time achievement. It is sustained through reflection, listening, and a commitment to seeing each person as the expert of their own experience.
In disaster response, the goal of PFA is not to solve every problem or erase distress. It is to reduce immediate suffering, support adaptive coping, and connect people with resources and one another. When this work is grounded in cultural respect, it does more than meet basic needs, it affirms dignity.
You can learn more about Psychological First Aid on their website. This is a free course and provides valuable insights on how to help those around you after a disaster.
- Strengthening Readiness: Behavioral Health Strike Team to Utilize Show-Me Response Emergency Notification System for Deployment Requests
Missouri continues to strengthen its emergency response capabilities through enhanced coordination and communication tools. One key advancement is the use of the Show Me Response (SMR) Emergency Notification System (ENS)—a secure, statewide alerting platform designed to notify and mobilize personnel during emergencies.
The Behavioral Health Strike Team (BHST) will be incorporating SMR into its deployment process to improve response speed, streamline communication, and ensure the right personnel are activated at the right time.
What is Show Me Response?
SMR is a mass notification system that allows emergency management and partner agencies to send real-time alerts via text message, email, and phone calls. It is used across Missouri to coordinate response efforts for incidents ranging from natural disasters to mass casualty events.
The system ensures that critical information reaches responders quickly, including:
- Deployment requests
- Incident details and situational updates
- Reporting instructions and timelines
- Safety and logistical information
How BHST Will Use SMR for Deployments
Moving forward, the BHST will rely on SMR as a primary method for notifying team members of potential and active deployments. This approach enhances both efficiency and accountability in the activation process.
When a deployment is initiated, BHST members can expect to receive:
- Immediate alerts outlining the nature of the incident
- Clear instructions on availability confirmation
- Deployment details: location, expected duration, and reporting structure
- Follow-up communications as the situation evolves
Team members will be asked to respond promptly to indicate their availability, so coordinators can appropriately staff teams. This process will be used for the upcoming Fair deployments. For help with the sign up process, please contact Tamara Fish at tamara.fish@dmh.mo.gov.
Why This Matters
Timely behavioral health support is a critical component of disaster response. By leveraging SMR, BHST can:
- Reduce delays in mobilization
- Improve situational awareness among responders
- Enhance coordination with partner agencies
- Ensure a more organized and effective response for impacted communities
What Team Members Should Do
To ensure readiness, all BHST personnel are encouraged to:
- Verify that their contact information is current within the system
- Save SMR notification numbers in their phone to avoid missed alerts
- Respond to alerts as quickly as possible
- Reach out to coordinators with any questions about the process
Looking Ahead
The integration of SMR marks an important step forward in modernizing Missouri’s behavioral health emergency response. As BHST continues to evolve and adapt, tools like SMR will play a vital role in ensuring that support reaches individuals and communities when they need it most. If you are a member of the BHST please verify your information in SMR by visiting Show-Me Response.