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

Inspiration fills Central Recovery Center wall with puppy love – and kitties, too!

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Zandy Dudiak

Two years ago, the Central Recovery Center* (CRC) on the South 9th Street campus had empty wall space crying for some decoration. In the words of Jessica Ambrose, team lead at the CRC and Walk-In Unit, “it can get a little bland here.”

Instead of filling it with art, Brenda Arms, former CRC clinician now team lead for Adult Diversion and Stabilization (ADAS), turned the emptiness into an inspirational wall filled with quotes.

“It quickly became a wall of employees’ dogs,” Ambrose says.

The first pet Ambrose posted was from a running joke among CRC colleagues about Scout, the CRC’s “adopted” therapy dog (whose real name is Cricket and belongs to former senior manager Matt Cotter). The wall quickly spiraled as other colleagues began adding their pets to the collage. The wall art grew to include cats and even a chicken. Tony Beltran, Pittsburgh Mercy’s president and CEO, contributed a photo of his cat to the collage.

“I’d rather have too many animals than not enough,” Ambrose says.

Ambrose recently revamped the wall to focus on each individual pet. Each animal has an inspirational quote posted beside its photo, along with its name, but the owners are not identified for a reason.

“The persons served like to guess who belongs to each staff member,” Ambrose explains.

She says one man who received services at the CRC told her, “I just love these quotes. I really, really like this board.”

At the center of the collage is “The Starfish Story,” the tale of a man who walked along the beach and encountered a young boy picking up starfish that had washed ashore and throwing them back in the ocean. When asked why he bothered when he could not save them all, he replied that he could save that one.

Ambrose has not given up on her attempts to have a therapy dog visit with her colleagues. And she points out why she believes persons served relate so well to the animals on the wall.

“They are innocent and give unconditional love,” she says. “They don’t know your past. They just want to be loved. And they are so soft and cuddly and cute!”

*Our Central Recovery Center (CRC) is a 12-person program which is designed as an alternative to jail for people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. To learn more, visit https://www.pittsburghmercy.org/behavioral-health/services-for-adults/#crc.

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