JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan — Through shared experiences revolving around mental health and disabilities, a group of drivers in Johnson County, Kansas are changing the lives of hundreds of people by providing a reliable and safe lift.
"There's been a lot of struggles with mental health, and it's still a battle every day, it's never going to be a perfect thing, but helping others is a way to help understand more of my struggles," said Austin Kmak.
Kmak is part of the Corey M. Stoltz Transportation programfor years and part of his job with the program is to help passengers steer their own mental health journey-through mutual support.
"Everyone goes through something, so if someone knows that somebody else has gone through it, then they're more likely bounce off how to heal with each other," explained Kmak.
Rooted in it's motto offering more than just a ride, the program has been in the works for years- training drivers like Kmak on one-on-one peer support in helping people battling mental health or intellectual disabilities. The goal is to build community relationships and develop trust as people get a lift to work, school, or medical appointments.
"When someone is having a mental health crisis, or maybe they're just even having a bad day, the person driving the vehicle has been there. They've experienced that, so they can have that dialog, they can provide that peer support and that is the key," said Tim DeWeese, Director, Johnson County Mental Health Center,
To benefit from the program, people must be qualified clients of the Johnson County Mental Health Center or part of United Health Care Community Plan of Kansas.
Some fees are associated, but rides are available seven days a week. Last year over 900 clients were served and nearly 96% of all rides arrived on time.
"In a county of more than 600,000 people, we have our struggles and we have our social issues, and I think what this does is it provides an opportunity for us to talk about things," added DeWeese," one of the things that we know is that helping people get to work or school is some of the best medicine. It helps people develop that identity of self... and so transportation services are a way for us to do that."
The program is funded through a variety of sources including rider fees, county tax support and contracts with insurance companies like United Healthcare. Currently, 50 drivers are ready and available to offer peer support, with demand expected grow.
"We have been extremely busy with clients lately, and hopefully that means that more people are following their mental health journey," said Kmak.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health you can always call 988.
KSHB 41 Traffic anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers all sorts of transportation topics across Kansas City. Have a story idea to share or a question about something in your neighborhood? Send Daniela a news tip.
