Pittsburgh’s Office of Community Health and Safety has hired three community social workers to aid in efforts to address issues surrounding health, safety and community access to care.
These first three community social workers will be focused on crisis co-response, meaning they will assist other first responders in answering emergency calls. They will also connect people with mental and behavioral health resources, engage in pre-charge diversion referrals for youth and adults and provide support for survivors of crime.
The social workers — Anmol Baxi, Elizabeth Curtis and Nathaniel Morley — will join the OCH&S team in early January.
Baxi was previously a clinical social worker at UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside. In that role, Baxi worked closely with outpatient clients, conducting psychosocial assessments and responding to mental and behavioral health crises. Baxi previously served as an emergency department social worker and a behavioral health therapist for UPMC, linking patients with housing, domestic violence resources and other services.
Curtis, a licensed social worker with experience in casework, service coordination and mental health therapy for students, has worked with Family Links Inc., Family Resources and Allegheny County Child Youth and Family Services. She also recently worked with Primary Care Health Services, where she supported the county health department’s efforts to combat covid-19.
Morley has spent the past 17 years as a social worker with KidsVoice, a group that advocates for abused, neglected and at-risk children in court and in the greater community. He also worked on the FamilyLinks Mobile Crisis Team, where he responded to community crisis calls. He has certifications in Comprehensive Crisis Management, Non-Violent Physical Crisis Prevention and Intervention, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and Psychological First-Aid.
