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 »
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 »
The American Psychiatric Association has announced revisions to the DSM 5 which will be released in March 2022. The revised manual, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) is used by clinical social workers and other health care professionals in the United States as the authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders. Last updated ... Read More »
By Mel Wilson, LCSW, MBA When the National 988 Suicide Prevention Crisis Hotline goes into effect July 16, 2022, it will probably be the most significant public policy initiative impacting behavioral healthcare since the Medicaid expansion. While 988, the new congressionally mandated three-digit calling code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, was originally conceptualized as a national standardized system for ... Read More »
See the “No Surprises Act Regulations 2022” page on Socialworkers.org January 5, 2022 This blog post updates information from our post of December 21, 2021. It provides updated clarifying information that was not available until now regarding Part II of a federal rule that pertains to the provision of Good Faith Estimates (GFEs). And it provides new information on Part ... Read More »
See the “No Surprises Act Regulations 2022” page on Socialworkers.org Alert: Information in this blog post was updated on January 5, 2022 NASW will continue to monitor policy developments pertaining to surprise billing and update members as new information is made available. See January 5, 2022 update. Application to Clinical Social Work Services December 21, 2021 Under a new federal ... Read More »
By Cynthia Henderson, PhD, LICSW, LCSW-C NASW Senior Practice Associate, School Social Work and Child Welfare November 23rd marks National Adoption Day. In 1976, Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts decided to celebrate adoption for seven days in his state. Eight years later, President Ronald Regan expanding the observance to becoming National Adoption Week. It was during the Clinton Administration ... Read More »
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed CY 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) issued on July 16 includes a variety of provisions that are relevant to clinical social workers (CSWs) who are participating providers in Medicare. These provisions are outlined below and cover a number of areas, including but not limited to telehealth, the Quality Payment Program (QPP) ... Read More »
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and University of Michigan have released a paper, The White House as a Field Placement Reflections on the Past and a Future for Policy and Political Practice, that features a speech by social worker and White House Fellow Harold Richman. The paper explores macro policy field placements, political social work, and policy practice ... Read More »
Alcohol-exposed pregnancies (AEPs) are more common than you might think: according to a new study, an estimated 54 percent of children in the United States are exposed to alcohol before they’re born. The high prevalence of AEPs surprised even the study’s authors, who looked for what might be driving the trend. The answer? Unintended pregnancies—from when women drank without knowing ... Read More »
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