Dr. Sigmund Receives APEX Award
Cathy Sigmund, Ph.D., CWM, CCTP
Dr. Cathy Sigmund, NSCHC Behavioral Health Director, received a 2022 APEX Innovation Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers.
The PACHC APEX award recognizes an individual whose work results in improved system-wide or health center-wide processes or outcomes; produced measurable impact on the organization’s performance, productivity, quality, or competitiveness; shows potential for wider influence or for replication on a larger scale; and goes beyond the typical.
Dr. Sigmund specializes in developing culturally informed behavioral health and community wellness services within ethnic minority, refugee, immigrant and other underserved communities. She brought multiple partners together to develop an accredited Community Health Worker training, is the primary liaison with Light of Life (a homeless shelter) to embed accessible behavioral health care in its homeless facilities and led development of the “QUIET Care” initiative because lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate information resulted in unnecessary deaths due to COVID-19 in immigrant populations in Pittsburgh. Through the QUIET Care Campaign, Northside Christian Health Center partnered with Welcoming Pittsburgh and several community members to establish a support network of hired and trained immigrant community leaders to provide culturally-informed COVID education and access to resources. The QUIET Care partnership has increased the health center’s productivity and performance in serving ethnic minoritized communities.
“Since the Behavioral Health department launched in January of 2020, Dr. Sigmund has been tireless in reaching out to vulnerable populations and making sure they get all the care they need to be healthy in mind, body and spirit”, said Bethany Blackburn, NSCHC CEO. “Her passion for our patients, and care and compassion for our community, makes her an exceptional partner to the community and leader at North Side Christian Health Center.“
Dr. Sigmund is also a licensed chaplain for Refugee Ministry at Allegheny Center Alliance Church, Pittsburgh, PA; co-chairs the Racial Communal Trauma Action Team of HEAL PA, a statewide trauma informed care initiative; co-chairs the Racial Equity Subcommittee of the Allegheny County Immigrant and International Advisory Council; and chairs RAIN, the Refugee and Immigrant Network of The Alliance. Dr. Sigmund specializes in developing culturally informed behavioral health and community wellness services within ethnic minority, refugee, immigrant and other underserved communities. As an educator and trainer, Dr. Sigmund serves as Adjunct Professor in the Master of Arts in Counseling Program at Crown College and Visiting Professor, Department of Psychology and Counseling, at Bishop Stuart University in Mbarara, Uganda.