Clinic Worker Hits the Street to Find People in Need of Help

By Stan Kapelewski

Congratulations to Lisa Ciccone, outreach coordinator at the Riverwood Mental Health Clinic and this month’s recipient of the Street Sights Rainbow Award.

The clinic, within St. Joseph’s Hospital, has been functioning for four years. In the one and a half years since Ciccone joined the staff she has earned the trust and respect of all the people she deals with.

Ciccone goes to the shelters, meal sites, and other places that homeless people gather to offer her help in many ways. She enjoys being around people and building a supportive relationship with them. Distributing clothes, cosmetics, and food keeps her busy most of the time.

Ciccone often goes out of her way to connect people in need to the services that are available.
She is in good standing with the management of most of the shelters, and if any clients are banned she speaks up on the client’s behalf to remedy the situation.

Ciccone is trying to establish a pattern of being at certain places at certain times so that everyone will know how to find her and seek her help.

“I’m a people person,” Ciccone said. “It doesn’t matter who they are, all I know is that they need help. I treat everyone the same, and offer the best assistance that I can.”

Ciccone can be reched at St. Joseph’s Hospital, 21 Peace Street, 401- 272-3018.