KC Scout participates in Mental Health First Aid

One of KC Scout's core values is teamwork. As a bi-state agency, this quality is especially important for success. The team looks for ways throughout the year to further that sense of teamwork and camaraderie. As part of those efforts, this year the team made mental health a main priority. During the group's 2023 Strategic Planning Meeting, they were asked to rank 12 items that would help increase their happiness at work, and mental health and well-being ranked second in priority. 

"Mental health training helps employees recognize the signs of mental distress in themselves and others," explains KC Scout Manager Randy Johnson. "This helps them not only handle larger crises, but also to intervene before the distress becomes an emergency."

According to Johnson, he has already noticed a change in behavior with an increase in sharing and openness of how they are doing since the training ended. 

"They have gained some knowledge and skills that can help them when they feel they are not doing okay and recognize that fellow team members are there to listen to and support them. I have noticed that we are more open with each other and sharing those parts of our lives that need a more helping hand," said Johnson.

And while mental health awareness is a great asset amongst team members, it's also a great asset to our customers. Many KC Scout team members such as Emergency Response, Motorist Assist, and TMC dispatchers are there for motorists during extremely stressful times such as a crash, stranded on the side of the road, weather incidents, and more. Understanding the signs and symptoms of mental health crises is another way that the organization can help others get home safely every day.

"The team hopes to continue this training annually as it's just as important as the technical training we attend each year," said Johnson.