May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to break the stigma, initiate conversations, and highlight the efforts being made to support mental wellness in our community. In Kansas City, many organizations are on the front lines, delivering vital mental health services, education, and advocacy to those who need it most.
Here are five United Way Impact 100 partners making a difference in our region:
1. Wyandot Behavioral Health Network
Serving Wyandotte County, Wyandot Behavioral Health Network (BHN) offers a full continuum of behavioral health services for children, adults, and families. From outpatient therapy to crisis stabilization, its person-centered care meets people where they are—and walks with them toward recovery. Wyandot BHN also operates the Rainbow Services, Inc. crisis center, providing 24/7 support to those experiencing a mental health emergency.
2. Swope Health
Swope Health partners with the State of Missouri to provide 988 crisis hotline services, including real-time telephone counseling and a mobile unit to visit callers in urgent need. The organization has had several success stories of 988 callers becoming Swope Health patients, now receiving the care they need to thrive in their daily lives. The trained Swope Health behavioral health team of 260 associates was commended on its recent Joint Commission unannounced site evaluation, as a national model for mental health service delivery.
3. ReDiscover
With more than 50 years of service, ReDiscover helps individuals and families across the Kansas City metro build better lives through comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment. Its mobile crisis teams, outpatient services, housing programs, and suicide prevention efforts are all aimed at empowering recovery and reducing barriers to care.
4. Beacon Mental Health
Formerly known as Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Beacon Mental Health supports those in Eastern Jackson County with psychiatric care, case management, addiction treatment, and community-based support. Its name reflects its mission: to be a guiding light for individuals facing mental health challenges.
5. Mental Health America of the Heartland
Education, advocacy, and prevention are at the core of Mental Health America of the Heartland (MHAH)’s work. As a champion for mental health equity, they offer training programs, peer support, and public education to promote early intervention and reduce stigma. The organization’s free mental health screenings help thousands each year take the first step toward wellness.
Mental health matters—this month and every month. Let’s uplift the organizations working hard to create a more supportive, stigma-free Kansas City.
Need help now? Call 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.