Pioneer House
Pioneer House
A Crisis Residential Service
812 S. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 666-6897
Mount Sinai Hospital's Pioneer House is a community-based alternative to inpatient psychiatric care. Referrals must meet admission criteria, but do not need a payer source.
Referral Process
Referrals are based on an assessed need for crisis stabilization, and are taken 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Clients must be 18 or older and referred by community agencies in the MetroWest Network. Medical clearance must be faxed prior to acceptance. Pioneer's program supervisor must approve all admissions.
To make a referral:
- Call Pioneer House at (312) 666-6897 to check bed availability.
- Fax medical clearance and clinical paperwork to (312) 666-9701.
- If you do not receive an acceptance or denial within 20 minutes, page the program supervisor at (773) 257-2222, pager 1-9109.
- The referring agency must arrange transportation. The patient should be accompanied to Pioneer House, unless transportation is provided by Medicar.
- All paperwork (assessment, evaluation, etc.) must accompany the patient.
- If a problem is not resolved by the supervisor, contact the program director at (773) 257-5320, or via pager at (773) 257-2222, pager 1-9069.
Admission Criteria
- Client presents psychiatric symptoms consistent with ICD-9CM and DSM IV (Axis I-V) diagnoses that do not require an acute milieu and are likely to exhibit a rapid, positive response to therapeutic intervention.
- Client exhibits acute psychiatric symptoms of sufficient severity that his/her day-to-day social, vocational, and/or educational functioning is significantly impaired.
- The client exhibits adequate control over behavior so that he or she is not considered an immediate danger to self or others.
- The severity of presenting symptoms is such that the success of outpatient treatment alone is doubtful.
- The client has a residence to return to within 3 to 7 days of admission to the program.
- Client is ambulatory, not incontinent, and able to perform ADLs.
- If there is a community provider, they will be available for a clinical staffing (in program or by telephone) within 24 hours of admission.
Specific Exclusion Criteria
- Symptom severity necessitates psychiatric intervention on an inpatient unit.
- Patient requires subacute or acute medical detox.
- Patient has any medical condition requiring acute medical or surgical care.
- Patient has an active homicidal/suicidal plan with mean and methods.
- Patient requires physical restraints.
- Patient is receiving intravenous fluids.
- Patient is in kidney dialysis treatment.
- Referral is from an inpatient psychiatric unit.
Pioneer House is a program of Mount Sinai Hospital's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, and is funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health.
