As America faces a mental health crisis, the need for suicide prevention services is more imperative than ever. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is ranked as the second primary cause of death in young people among the ages of 10 to 34 and the tenth most frequent cause of death in the United States. Since 1999, ... Read More »
Practice and Professional Development
NASW Brings Awareness to the Importance of Mental Health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) wishes to bring attention to the importance of mental health as it affects millions of people in the United States. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), each year 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 youths ages 6-17 deal with mental illness[1]. ... Read More »
Overturning Roe v. Wade will disproportionately affect people of color; Here is what social workers should know
By Mel Wilson, LCSW, MBA The leaked report of a draft Supreme Court ruling to completely overturn the seminal abortion rights opinion Roe v. Wade sent shockwaves throughout the country. While most reproductive health and other social justice advocates expected the conservative-leaning court would “gut” Roe v. Wade, they did not anticipate the absolute evisceration of the law. In that Roe ... Read More »
Reproductive Rights legal cases handled by the NASW Legal Defense Fund
Here is a list of reproductive rights legal cases handled by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) NASW Legal Defense Fund. McRae v. Mathews (U.S. Dist. Ct, E.D.N.Y., 421 F. Supp. 533 (E.D.N.Y. 1976)) Case Desc.: Challenge to Federal Appropriation Act that denied funding to indigent, pregnant women for elective abortions NASW Supported: McRae Outcome: Won/Favorable. Date Brief Filed: ... Read More »
A Worrying Rise in Women’s Drinking: How Social Workers Can Help
By Diana Ling, MA, Program Manager and Leslie Sirrianni, LCSW, Senior Research Project and Training Coordinator; Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin A troubling trend has taken hold over the past two decades: drinking patterns among men and women have converged – and in some cases, young women ... Read More »
April is Alcohol Awareness Month: Resources for Social Workers
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. It highlights the dangers of unsafe alcohol consumption and promote awareness in reducing alcohol use disorder. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 14.5 million people ages 12 and older had an alcohol use disorder (AUD) in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic alcohol use along with mental health challenges have been exacerbated ... Read More »
National Report Addresses Nursing Home Quality & Promotes Value of Social Work
Posted April 22, 2022 On April 6, 2022, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a report entitled The National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality: Honoring Our Commitment to Residents, Families, and Staff. The report represents the culmination of 18 months of work by a study committee that included NASW Social Work Pioneer® and Wisconsin Chapter ... Read More »
New Frequently Asked Questions on the No Surprises Act: Good Faith Estimates
April 18, 2022 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released clarifying information about Part 2 of the No Surprise Act, Good Faith Estimates (GFEs). The frequently asked questions (FAQs) answer many of the questions that social workers asked when the No Surprise Act was implemented in January 2022. Part 2 focuses on services provided to the uninsured ... Read More »
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which recognizes the importance of families, providers, and communities working together to strengthen families to prevent child abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Social workers are play a key role in supporting families and helping them to access resources that help them to mitigate risks and minimize stress, creating a thriving environment where both child ... Read More »
Making Time to Talk About Alcohol Use
By Diana Ling, MA and Leslie Sirrianni, LCSW Four in five adults who reported being asked about their alcohol use at a checkup in the past two years and reported current binge drinking were not counseled to reduce their drinking, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Looking closer at the data, just 14 percent ... Read More »