Social Work Advocates Magazine

By Paul R. Pace, News staff Four social workers are among the members of a newly formed Institute of Medicine committee that will examine the state of end-of-life care in the U.S. The Committee on Transforming End-of-Life Care is charged with developing a consensus study and technical report on the current state of end-of-life care. The IOM activity report for ... Read More »

By Rena Malai, News staff North Koreans used solitary confinement as a way to break down U.S. prisoners of war during the Korean War, broadcast journalist Ted Koppel said recently on “Rock Center with Brian Williams.” Koppel’s report highlighted 17-year-old James Stewart, an incarcerated juvenile who committed suicide after being placed in solitary confinement. Isolation was used as psychological torture ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, News staff NASW student member Walter “Allen” Pittinger-Dunham and his husband, Phillip R. Pittinger-Dunham, participated in a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on March 26 to show their support for marriage equality. They joined an enthusiastic crowd as the high court began hearings in two cases that support marriage equality in the U.S. “It was ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, News staff Social workers and others in direct care settings in Massachusetts will be better protected from violence, thanks to the efforts led by the NASW Massachusetts Chapter and the Boston University School of Social Work. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law the NASW Massachusetts Social Work Safety in the Workplace bill in February. It ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, News staff The good news: The Affordable Care Act calls for expanding Medicaid eligibility in 2014 for nearly all U.S. citizens under 65 whose incomes are up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. The not so good news: The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2012 ruling on the ACA allows states to opt out of ... Read More »

By Rena Malai, News staff Gloria Steinem, iconic visionary of the women’s movement, and Tina Tchen, White House chief of staff for the office of the first lady, were among the guest speakers at a recent special NASW presidential forum titled the “Feminization of Poverty Revisited.” More than 100 female leaders and advocates — including health care professionals, policy analysts, ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, News staff Social Work Month 2013 video:  http://youtu.be/rQq_JL1OmkI Kathy Shelton-Riek, associate professor of social work at Livingstone College in North Carolina, takes great pride in being a social worker. For her, National Professional Social Work Month, celebrated every March, means something special. “I think it is critical that we keep the dream of Jane Addams alive,” ... Read More »

NASW News’ “Social Work in the Public Eye” About one in eight women are binge drinkers, according to an article in The Independent Florida Alligator. NASW member Joan Scully, a licensed clinical social worker and a substance abuse coordinator at the University of Florida Counseling & Wellness Center, says in the article that the first step to recognizing binge drinking ... Read More »

NASW News’ “Social Work in the Public Eye” The Herald-Sun, in Durham, N.C., recently published a guest column by NASW member Barbara Smith titled “Early intervention in youth mental health.” “Much too frequently in America, we bear witness to horrific shootings,” Smith wrote, adding that while it’s important to have stricter gun laws, the country also needs “a humane and ... Read More »

By Rena Malai, News staff The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a final set of regulations that address several key areas under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which was passed in 2009, some existing HIPAA requirements were amended as the ... Read More »