Psychiatric Intake Response Center
The Psychiatric Intake Response Center (PIRC), located within Cincinnati Children’s, is the admission and evaluation center for all psychiatric services.
PIRC is dedicated to providing high-quality evaluations and access to mental health services across the entire continuum of care. The service provides the community with reliable, professional triage and assessment by licensed independent behavioral health clinicians with more than 150 years of combined experience
Services provided by the PIRC include:
- Admission and evaluation center for children and adolescents in acute crisis at both Burnet and Liberty campuses
- Expert assessment and recommendation to help you determine the next steps in dealing with your child
- Clinical telephone triage and response
- Inquiries about inpatient care, outpatient care, community services
- Mental health link to the community, including outpatient referrals
- Psychiatric consultation for patients admitted to the medical center
- Insurance pre-certification and authorization of mental health services at Cincinnati Children’s
- Intake services
The PIRC staff members are available 24 hours a day, year round. Anyone with mental health questions is encouraged to call 513-636-4124. The center can also be reached via email at psychiatryresponse@cchmc.org.
What to expect if you come to the Emergency Department
The mental health evaluations in the Emergency Department (ED) are completed by psychiatric social workers from the Psychiatric Intake Response Center (PIRC). The goal is to assess patients with an immediate crisis and recommend an appropriate level of care. When arriving at the Emergency Department, families need to register for a psychiatric evaluation.
Evaluations are generally first come, first served, based on treatment room placement. Please remember that you and your child may encounter a significant wait. However, your child will be monitored by the ED staff in a safe environment. Rest assured that everything will be done by the PIRC and ED staff to try to expedite the experience.
