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Pittsburgh advances plans for crisis training catered to retail, restaurant workers | TribLIVE.com
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Pittsburgh advances plans for crisis training catered to retail, restaurant workers

Julia Felton
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The Fred Rogers statue on Pittsburgh’s North Shore as seen in October 2020.

Working at the Starbucks in Pittsburgh’s Market Square, Tori Tambellini has faced violent threats, watched angered customers throw things at her manager and twice administered Narcan to people who were overdosing.

Tambellini said she and other baristas “signed up to make lattes,” but often encounter people struggling with crises they’re not equipped to handle.

“We see a lot of customers who are maybe under the influence of substances or they have mental health issues,” she said. “We don’t know how to deal with it.”

Tambellini, 23, of Bloomfield, said she has a psychology degree that gives her some insight in how to address such situations. Many of her coworkers, however, are young people with little to no experience in how to handle the crises that restaurant and retail workers may face when dealing with the public.

Legislation before Pittsburgh City Council looks to offer crisis training for those frontline workers. Introduced last week by Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, the measure would create a training program through the city’s Office of Community Health and Safety.

The program would include training in de-escalation, overdose response, Narcan administration and homeless response.

“We know our small businesses are becoming an informal social safety net, but without the resources,” Gross said.

Tambellini said she’d like to see training and additional resources for workers like herself.

“I’d like training for what we can do immediately in those situations and to make sure we’re safe in that moment,” she said.

She also would like to have social workers or other experts who could be called in to assist when situations get out of hand.

Tambellini said she gets “really nervous” when crises occur and she feels ill-equipped to respond.

“Our people who are working in environments that have low-barrier access — libraries, coffee shops, restaurants — are often very under-supported as it pertains to helping our neighbors in need,” said Laura Drogowski, who heads the city’s Office of Community Health and Safety.

Drogowski said she’d like to see the training initiative for frontline workers include collaborations with nonprofits and other government organizations that already are involved in such initiatives.

The goal, she said, is to coordinate comprehensive training for businesses and employees who would like to learn about safe ways to handle crises they see on the job.

She also highlighted the importance of providing additional mental health resources for people in need, and ensuring the workers who deal with people in need know where to reach out for expert help.

The training could be open to anyone, she said. But it would prioritize people who work in the restaurant and retail industries, where people who need help or are in the midst of drug or mental health crises often go.

“I do want to support these workers who are facing situations and scenarios they may not think they have the training for,” said Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill.

Drogowski said an empty position in the Office of Community Health and Safety could be filled with someone who would coordinate the program. She said most material costs would be low, and the county can offer Narcan for free. Some expert trainers may be willing to participate in the program free of cost, though others may need to be paid, she said.

Drogowski could not immediately provide a total estimate of what the program would cost the city, but Gross has said she would like to see the training be offered for free to workers who want to participate.

Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, abstained in a preliminary vote Wednesday, citing concerns about the unknown costs of the effort. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, also abstained, saying she wanted to look into existing free programs that offer similar training.

All other council members at Wednesday’s meeting voted in favor of the measure, which likely be ready for a final vote next week. Councilman Ricky Burgess, D-North Point Breeze, was not present for the vote.

Julia Felton is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jfelton@triblive.com.

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