INTRODUCTION
The Pittsburgh Critical Incident Stress Management team services Allegheny County and offers mutual to surrounding counties as deemed necessary after approval from the Clinical and Operational Directors.
Our Mission is to reduce stress and prevent PTSD whenever possible through defusing’s, de-briefings and one-on-one interventions as needed for recent traumatic exposures from a critical incident response or event.
Our Goal is to provide free services to public safety personnel, hospital staff and heavy industry as called upon to our hotline at 412-647 2473. Our answering service than contacts the on-call CISM supervisor to arrange the desired or needed intervention/service at no charge. All our services are provided via a non-profit status with peer and professional volunteers.
Our duty is to offer resources, education and emotional support while acknowledging the traumatic event and its effects on responders, hospital staff and scene personnel. Because we keep all interventions confidential are CISM team members keep no notes or documentation of interactions with participants.
Our services and information discussed during a session are not shared with organizational management or any other resources. Confidentiality is our top priority.
Pittsburgh/Allegheny County Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team is composed of local professionals who volunteer their expertise to help and helpers in Public Safety, Medical Professionals, those within the Communications field (911-dispatchers) who have been recently exposed to a critical incident or event. EMS, Fire, Police, medical staff such as Nurses, Doctors, PA’s as well as Industrial events who are healthcare providers are the primary focus of the team’s response. Our service is free, and we respond to Emergency Service Stations, Fire Stations, Police Stations, Hospitals and Clinics or Behavioral health institutions. Our 24-7 hotline is 412-647-CISD (2473). All interactions are confidential, and our team may perform a one-on-one, or an entire group of responders as requested or deemed necessary. Arrangements will be made to secure a CISM team response as deemed necessary or available.
All our CISM team EMS, Police, Fire and 911 Dispatcher peers , behavioral health professionals, councilors, mental health staff and social works are all trained by ICISF with the Mitchell Model for stress reduction and prevention.