ImageboxPittsburgh MercyLeft ArrowRight ArrowArrow RightCloseContactContactMenuPhone IconSearchFacebookGoogle +InstagramLinkedInPinterestTwitterYouTube
Skip to Main Content
close
Language:
Font Size:
- + Reset
Menu Contact
Close
  • Our Services
    • Behavioral Health
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy Behavioral Health
      • Services for Adults
      • Services for Children & Adolescents
      • Mental Health Rehabilitation & Recovery Services
      • Mental Health Residential Services
    • Addiction Services
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy Addiction Services
      • Services for Adults
      • Services for Children & Adolescents
    • Intellectual Disabilities
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy Intellectual Disabilities Services
      • Day Support & Community Participation Services
      • Residential Services for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
      • Unlicensed Home & Community Services
      • Employment Services
      • Contact
    • Physical Health
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy Family Health Center
      • Our Services
      • Location & Hours
      • Getting Here
      • Insurances
      • Your Care Team
      • Pharmacy Services
    • Intervention Services
    • Homeless Services
      • Second Avenue Commons
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net
      • Street Outreach
      • Housing & Care Management
      • Physical Health
      • Project HELP
      • Student Placement Opportunities & Street Medicine Fellowship
      • Awards & Accolades
      • How You Can Help
      • Bethlehem Haven
    • Veterans Services
    • Faith Communities
      • About the Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program
      • About Faith Community Nursing & Health Ministry
      • Education for Faith Communities
      • Resources for Faith Communities
  • Your Care
  • Engage
  • Give
  • Our Organization
    • Home
    • About
    • Careers
      • Administration
      • Behavioral Health Services
      • Medical
      • Nursing
      • Professional & Management
    • Training
    • Events
    • News
      • Stories Of Hope
    • Contact Us
Close
  • Need Help? Call us.
  • Send us a Message

Pittsburgh Mercy
1200 Reedsdale Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15233-2109 USA

Call 1-877-637-2924

Email info@pittsburghmercy.org

Pittsburgh Mercy

Need Help? Call us.

1-877-637-2924

Send us a Message

  • Home
  • About
  • Careers
    • Administration
    • Behavioral Health Services
    • Medical
    • Nursing
    • Professional & Management
  • Training
  • Events
  • News
    • Stories Of Hope
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Your Care
  • Engage
  • Give
  • Behavioral Health
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy Behavioral Health
    • Services for Adults
    • Services for Children & Adolescents
    • Mental Health Rehabilitation & Recovery Services
    • Mental Health Residential Services
  • Addiction Services
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy Addiction Services
    • Services for Adults
    • Services for Children & Adolescents
  • Intellectual Disabilities
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy Intellectual Disabilities Services
    • Day Support & Community Participation Services
    • Residential Services for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
    • Unlicensed Home & Community Services
    • Employment Services
    • Contact
  • Physical Health
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy Family Health Center
    • Our Services
    • Location & Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Insurances
    • Your Care Team
    • Pharmacy Services
  • Intervention Services
  • Homeless Services
    • Second Avenue Commons
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net
    • Street Outreach
    • Housing & Care Management
    • Physical Health
    • Project HELP
    • Student Placement Opportunities & Street Medicine Fellowship
    • Awards & Accolades
    • How You Can Help
    • Bethlehem Haven
  • Veterans Services
  • Faith Communities
    • About the Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program
    • About Faith Community Nursing & Health Ministry
    • Education for Faith Communities
    • Resources for Faith Communities
Stories Of Hope

February 2022 Colleague of the Month: Danielle Washington

Woman posing for headshot
Posted on April 7, 2022 by Zandy Dudiak

Danielle Washington has climbed the career ladder at the Residential Treatment Facility for Adults (RTFA), located on the South 9th Street campus—from intern, clinician, and team lead to supervisor, a position she has served in for the last seven months.

Collectively, her colleagues say that Washington exemplifies all the Pittsburgh Mercy values—Reverence, Commitment to the Poor, Safety, Justice, Stewardship, Integrity, Community, and Courage. For her hard work through a COVID quarantine, dealing with short staffing, and a maternity leave of the RTFA’s co-supervisor, Danielle has been named Pittsburgh Mercy’s February Colleague of the Month.

In a nutshell, Washington’s duties consist of meeting with hospital personnel regarding potential RTFA clients; monitoring symptoms of persons served; meeting with licensed clinicians to discuss schedules, themes, and ideas; assuring that clinicians feel comfortable and confident in their decisions; holding discharge planning meetings; and arranging for wraparound services before persons served re-enter the community.

Washington had been in the supervisor role just a few months when her co-supervisor went on maternity leave.

“During that time in December and January, we were pretty much on quarantine,” she says. “It was all hands on deck. There’s only so much one person can do. ”

Because she had served as a clinician, Washington says she experienced firsthand what is difficult for them and what causes friction. To be fair, she looked at tasks and delegated the work.

“As a supervisor, I could do more about it,” she says. “I’m always open to talk. They see it as a positive.”

COVID-19 created a lot of anxiety on the unit. Washington says she tried to be “a supportive and stable figure.” With games and movies for entertainment, colleagues tried to make it “as fun and safe as possible.” The surge in late 2021/early 2022 resulted in colleagues getting sick, so Washington says the staff did what they could to keep persons served and each other as safe as possible.

“We tried to make it as fun as we could, given the circumstances,” she says. “We tried to make the small moments count.”

Because persons served at the RTFA can leave the site on independent passes, they are once again participating in 12-step programs and other therapeutic activities in the community, now that COVID positivity rates are down.

“The goal of our program is community integration,” Washington says. “I’m very, very glad that they are able to do that again.”

How does she unwind at the end of the workday? Washington says she watches “trash reality TV” and relies on family and friends for perspective. Although Washington knew she was being nominated for the Colleague of the Month Award, she was surprised to receive it.

“It was really nice to see what everyone said about me,” Washington adds.

Here’s what Washington’s colleagues wrote in their nominations:

Heather Birch, clinician: “Danielle is a rock star boss. She is constantly on-call and always professional. Danielle has an open door policy and she doesn’t micromanage. Danielle is willing to help and goes above and beyond the call of duty.”

Denise Schwartz, clinician: “Danielle has stepped into this role as a capable and willing hard worker who leads by example and with consistency. She upholds the mission of Pittsburgh Mercy as she advocates for the mental health community in crisis and as she directs and supports the RTFA employees to work together to give excellent care and guidance to our residents.”

Jennifer DeArmond, registered nurse: “RTFA has two supervisors and when Danielle became the supervisor, the other supervisor went on maternity leave. Danielle has showed great leadership and grace in her new position.”

Nicolas Bozzo-Duarte, clinician: “Danielle has done very well as our new supervisor especially during our other supervisor’s maternity leave, continual short staffing, and quarantine periods w/residents. Danielle continues to maintain her qualities regardless of promotion.”

Arianna Iliff, clinician: “In short, my supervisor Danielle is carrying this entire unit on her shoulders right now, and she deserves to be recognized. Every day I see her making tough decisions about persons served in the name of getting them top quality care. She shows up every day wearing about five different hats, ensuring safety on our unit by keeping it well-staffed, facilitating admissions and discharges, and guiding her staff to be better clinicians every day. In the context of COVID-19, including a month-long lockdown, or when shifts were difficult to staff due to individuals resigning, there have been times where she was the only available supervisor on-call. Danielle shows up day after day after day, and I look up to her for that.”

Share on:
  • In the News
  • News Releases
  • Social Media
  • Media Relations
  • Stories Of Hope
  • Annual Report
  • Credits

Categories

  • Art In Therapy
  • Employment
  • Family
  • Gratitude
  • Health & Well-Being
  • History
  • Independence
  • Lifesharing
  • Mindfulness
  • Mission
  • Recovery
  • Street Outreach
  • Therapeutic Gardening
  • Uncategorized
  • Veterans Services

Archives

Back to Top
Pittsburgh Mercy

A member of Trinity Health, serving
in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy

A Member of Trinity Health

Pittsburgh Mercy
1200 Reedsdale Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15233-2109
USA

Call 1-877-637-2924

Email info@pittsburghmercy.org

Contact Us Feedback

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Notice of Nondiscrimination & Accessibility Requirements
  • Notice of Privacy Practices
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • http://CARF%20Accredited

© 2023 Pittsburgh Mercy

Website by Imagebox