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Pittsburgh City Council

Health and Safety workers reach out where the police can’t.

Written by Amy Whipple

As the city tries to solve its fleet crisis, the Office of Community Health and Safety (OCHS) solved its own.

Using state and federal grants as well as donations, OCHS has assembled a 13-vehicle fleet to serve marginalized communities.

Assistant Director of Public Safety Camila Alarcon-Chelecki said during the Nov. 18 budget meeting, the fleet helps OCHS employees take people to rehabilitation and non-emergency medical services, assist trauma survivors, provide post-overdose support and law enforcement diversion.

In 2025, OCHS piloted a crime scene cleanup initiative to support families impacted by homicide or suicide. The city can provide up to $5,000 to a contracted specialized cleaning service, which Alarcon-Chelecki said reduces trauma and the financial burden for families without renters’ insurance.

OCHS also reconfigured its co-response team. Under the new mobile crisis model, which aligns with grant and billing structures as well as best practices, social workers ride in pairs without police officers. For now, they’re only available during weekday business hours. Alarcon-Chelecki said the office immediately saw an increase in applicants for the eight vacant social work positions after the change.

As of Nov. 17, crisis teams can be requested through 911. Alarcon-Chelecki said their response time averages 10 minutes, approximately the same as EMS’s.

Additionally, the office partners with fire and EMS to address repeat 911 callers—often elderly residents, some who call as many as six times a day. Fire chief Darryl Jones said the program has reduced non-emergent 911 calls by about 60% this year.

The 2026 preliminary budget sets aside $58,000 for OCHS’s efforts, which supplements the $3.2 million from the Stop the Violence Trust Fund.

Connections to this story

Topics:
Public HealthPublic Safety & EMS
Governments:
Pittsburgh City Council
Public meetings:
City Council · November 24, 2025

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