News Events

KDADS Grant Funding to Support Mobile Crisis Program Expansion

When an individual is experiencing a mental health crisis, being able to provide crisis intervention services in the community is key. Wyandot BHN is currently working to expand its mobile crisis response program and recent grant funding from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) will allow us to move toward expansion to a 24/7 mobile crisis response model.

Nobody Should Be Discharged into Homelessness

When a person is discharged from a hospital, the idea is to transition their care from the hospital back into the community. This idea holds true for mental and behavioral health treatment. But what happens if the person being discharged does not have a permanent home or address? What happens to them? And how does that affect their recovery?

Alive & Thrive Says Goodbye (for now)

After four years of addressing individual and community trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and helping to promote resiliency in Wyandotte County, Alive & Thrive is saying goodbye – for now. At this time, funding for Alive & Thrive cannot be sustained.

­­Michael Oher Announced as Keynote Speaker for Game Changer Gala

Wyandot Behavioral Health Network (BHN) is pleased to announce that Michael Oher will headline Wyandot BHN’s inaugural Game Changer Gala on Tuesday, November 14, at Children’s Mercy Park.  

A Celebration of Recovery

Last month, we had the unique opportunity to celebrate the recovery journeys of dozens of Wyandot BHN clients, staff and community members at the stART the conversation art exhibition. It’s not every day that we get a chance to see, hear and celebrate stories of recovery from our friends and neighbors. But that is what makes stART the conversation such a special event. It brings together Kansas Citians with varying levels of experience with art without any sort of “acceptance process.” The exhibition is about providing a platform for anyone who has a message to share about mental health. And the messages that were shared this year were powerful and started important conversations about mental health and recovery.

Improved Mental Health Care Benefits All of Us

Mental Health Month is a time to educate ourselves about the realities of mental health. And I was encouraged to see nearly 700 Kansas Citians doing just that at the Mental Health KC Conference earlier this month. While the conference primarily attracts mental health professionals, it is also starting to reach more corporate and business community members, as well as parents and others in the community who just want to deepen their understanding of mental health.

Letting Art Do the Talking

A brave group of artists from across Kansas City used their talents to get people talking during Mental Health Awareness Month.

Improving the Mental Health System in Kansas

The COVID-19 National Emergency has now come to an end. And while that doesn’t mean that we’re living in a “post-COVID” world, I think many of us would agree that we can finally breathe a collective sigh of relief. But if you ask me, there has been a silver lining to come from the pandemic. It helped us normalize mental health and the need for support.

Wyandot BHN Receives 3-Year CARF Accreditation

This week, Wyandot Behavioral Health Network learned it has received a 3-year reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). CARF is an international organization that sets standards for mental health and other rehabilitation services. Wyandot BHN received its initial 3-year accreditation in March 2020. 

Wyandot Behavioral Health Network Celebrates 70th Anniversary

Wyandot Behavioral Health Network (BHN), a nonprofit providing comprehensive behavioral health and housing services to children, adults and families in Wyandotte County, is celebrating 70 years of service to the community on Thursday, April 6.

The Intersection of Justice & Mental Health

For years, Wyandot BHN has closely partnered with law enforcement and the local judicial system to ensure that individuals involved in the justice system have access to quality behavioral health services. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that 44 percent of those in jail and 37 percent of those in prison have a mental illness. Those numbers are even higher for individuals experiencing substance use disorders. And incarceration can make existing mental health or substance use challenges even worse.

Taking a Grassroots Approach to Healing Trauma

In addition to the individual, group and family services we provide, Wyandot BHN also oversees a program dedicated to building a trauma-informed and resilient community. Called Alive & Thrive, the program works to raise awareness about trauma and what communities can do to help heal from it. Their work is critical, especially in Wyandotte County, where poverty, systemic racism, and relatively high rates of crime expose many people, especially children, to chronic stress—a key contributor to the county’s poor health and behavioral health outcomes.