The August issue of Health & Social Work (Vol. 34, No. 3) covers a wide range of topics important to social work and social workers, with the “Viewpoint” feature article by Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1) on posttraumatic stress disorder. Below is a sampling of what’s inside the issue. Download the table of contents of the August Health & Social Work Journal here.

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Government Initiatives to Relieve It
Carol Shea-Porter
The stressors inherent in military service in the current Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, compounded by multiple tours of duty and shrinking times between deployments, have created a mental health crisis among our military men and women—one that can be just as profound for veterans as it can be for active-duty troops. This article by Rep. Carol Shea-Porter(NH-1), member of the House Armed Services Committee, addresses what the armed services and U.S. government are doing to address this crisis—in particular the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder—and looks ahead to what more needs to be done.

• Parent Mentoring and Child Anticipatory Guidance with Latino and African American Families
Michaela L. Z. Farber
Poor child health and developmental outcomes are linked to scarcity of economic resources, barriers to health service delivery, and inadequate parenting. A preventive two-year parent mentoring project, theoretically anchored in the transactional model of child development, resulted in statistically-significant positive changes in parent and child outcomes for families receiving well-baby care at an urban primary health care center. In addition to numerous practical benefits, the intervention had implications for collaborative multidisciplinary practice.

• Sexuality and Life-Threatening Illness: Implications for Social Work and Palliative Care
John G. Cagle and Sage Bolte
Addressing sexuality with terminally ill patients and their families is frequently a social worker’s responsibility, yet little direction exists regarding how to approach this difficult subject in the context of palliative care. On the basis of a critical analysis of the literature on sexuality and terminal illness, this article addresses systemic barriers to the expression of sexuality in palliative care settings and provides numerous practical recommendations for social workers serving clients in such settings.

BusinessWeek Magazine’s health care-themed August 17th issue includes an article on eldercare, titled “A Pro in Your Corner.” Focusing on the role and expertise of geriatric care managers among the vast network of caregivers, the article’s sidebar, “Decoding the Credentials,” specifically included NASW’s Case Management credentials. The master’s level Certified Advanced Social Worker in Case Management (C-ASWCM), and the baccalaureate degree Certified Social Work Case Manager (C-SWCM) distinguish the professional social work case manager from those not specifically trained and accomplished in the case management practice model. Visit the NASW Credential Center Web page to learn more.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is deeply saddened by the death of United States Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), who after a year-long battle with brain cancer, died this week. Sen. Kennedy has been a champion for many social policies of significance to social workers and their clients throughout his tenure in the Senate of more than 40 years.

Two of the cornerstones of the social work profession are social justice and advocacy on behalf of individuals and families whose voices otherwise would not have been heard. Sen. Kennedy’s commitment to social justice mirrored the core values of social work and will be greatly missed.  NASW extends condolences to Sen. Kennedy’s family, friends and all who will feel the void from his absence including the millions of individuals who have benefited from his decades of service.

Sen. Kennedy’s influence can be found in some of the most important legislation of our time, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Ryan White CARE Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and most recently the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, Wellstone/Domenici Mental Health and Addiction Parity Act of 2008 and the Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009. Even while dealing with his own cancer struggle, Sen. Kennedy introduced a bipartisan cancer reform bill, the 21st Century Cancer ALERT (Access to Life-Saving Early detection, Research and Treatment) Act to address cancer research, treatment and preventative services.  Sen. Kennedy has fought unrelentingly for policies that affect social workers in their work with individuals and families every day. His tenacity and passion to bring a better healthcare system to America never wavered, even in the face of partisan opposition and political backlash.

As our government works to reform our health care system, let us remember the great lengths that Sen. Kennedy and others have gone to fight for equal opportunity and fairness for all. Sen. Kennedy has called universal healthcare the “cause of his life” and he will certainly be remembered in the social work community for his tireless work to bring our country a step closer to reaching this goal. NASW will continue to support Sen. Kennedy’s ideal that all individuals have the right to affordable, accessible, and high-quality health care and as a fitting tribute asks all NASW members to contact their members of Congress in support of universal healthcare.

Contact: Elizabeth Franklin
(202) 408-8600 x537
efranklin@naswdc.org

NASW has been contacted by CDC because they would like the viewpoint of social workers to be included in an upcoming dialogue on the H1N1 Vaccination Program.

H1N1 Public Engagement WebDialogues: Aug 26-27 or Aug 31-Sept 1

The CDC invites the public to discuss, deliberate, and offer input as it considers whether to take a “full-throttle” or a “go-easy” approach to mass vaccination, or a moderate approach somewhere in-between.

Make your voice heard on a decision facing Americans about the H1N1 vaccine: Register to participate in an upcoming WebDialogue at: www.webdialogues.net/H1N1

There are uncertainties which remain and will remain about how widespread and severe H1N1 influenza will be in the US next fall, and about how much public demand there will be at the time for vaccine. Also, because of the complexities and resources required to plan for mass vaccination well in advance of the epidemic, these uncertainties and complexities pose a difficult dilemma— whether to take a “full throttle” or a “go-slow” approach to mass vaccination, or something in-between?

Each option has pros and cons and a difficult choice must be made in advance. Scaling up or scaling down during the epidemic itself will be “too little too late” to avoid cases that might otherwise have been prevented, or “too much too late” to avoid a loss of credibility for overreacting and an unnecessary use of limited resources in a period of economic hardship.

On behalf of the CDC, The Keystone Center and WestEd are engaging the public throughout August about this policy dilemma. To learn more about opportunities to offer your input visit: www.webdialogues.net/H1N1

The Prevention Fellowship Program is a two-year program. Fellows receive a yearly stipend of up to $35,000, with a one-year option for renewal based on the previous year’s performance. Currently, there are 45 Fellows located in state, community, and local agencies throughout the U.S. and the Territories.

Fellows are placed in state offices or other designated locations and assigned to a mentor representative, who is usually the director of the agency. Together, these two develop a Fellows Accomplishment Plan that defines a core set of well-defined assignments with associated milestones, objectives, and outcomes.

Working closely with their mentor and other leading professionals in the prevention field, Fellows undertake projects that promote skills development and knowledge of state-of-the-art prevention practices. This direct, hands-on experience is reinforced by intensive online and in-person training that focuses on the following areas:

• Substance abuse prevention across the life span
• Community prevention planning and service delivery at the State and community level, including coalition building
• Data, evaluation, and alcohol, and drug epidemiology
• Environment prevention strategies, systems change, and service delivery
• Social marketing and substance abuse prevention

In addition to becoming aware of and building competencies in diverse areas of public health practice, Fellows have the opportunity to develop critical research, writing, evaluation, and presentation skills under a structured training program. Through participation in activities, field work, and training, Fellows forge a strong network of peers and public health and behavioral health professionals who can sustain their professional growth.

The Prevention Fellowship Program was created by SAMHSA in 2006 to build a workforce of highly competent prevention professionals who meet International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) standards. Certification indicates that individuals in the prevention field meet the highest standards of performance for the delivery of prevention services. To date, all Fellows who sat for the IC&RC exam have passed.

The Fellowship Program emphasizes SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework, a national strategy for prevention planning, program development, and prevention service delivery. Fellows also are exposed to other public health models in prevention service delivery, including the “Continuum of Care.”

Applications for this class of Fellows are due September 11, 2009, 5:00 PM (EST). Before applying, please refer to the eligibility requirements. Then, fill out the online application, include a one-page personal essay, and provide two letters of reference electronically by September 11, 2009, 5:00 PM (EST).

Legislation

The Energy and Commerce Committee reached a deal on America’s Affordable Health Choice Act of 2009, H.R. 3200. The Ways and Means Committee and Education and Labor Committee had already reported the bill out of committee. On the Senate side, the Senate Finance Committee has six members meeting to reconcile differences.

Legislative Climate

With the House in recess and the Senate headed out on Aug. 7, the nature of the health care reform discussion has shifted.  Rather than worrying about legislative minutiae that can’t be resolved until September, both parties are now focused on how to explain the issue once they’re back home in their respective districts and states.  On one hand, both Democrats and Republicans need a narrative that is simple enough to understand, but not so simple that it insults voters’ intelligence and oversimplifies a complex issue.

President Obama has travel plans throughout the West to sell his understanding of recent developments.  Meanwhile, Democrats of every stripe (progressive, conservative Blue Dogs, and others) will be sharing their experiences with voters, while Republicans face the challenge of explaining to voters why Democrat-driven reform constitutes a needless and expensive government takeover.

Meetings Attended

NASW has attended several meetings on health care reform over the past week, including:

• Alliance for Health Reform briefing on Financing Health Care Reform.
• Families USA field organizing meetings.
• Meeting with representatives of non-medical professions concerned with coverage requirements in health care reform.

· Conference call with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sibelius and Mary Wakefield, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) regarding new funding for health care professions training.  See http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/07/20090728c.html for the press release.

Conference call with Tina Tchen, White House Office of Public Engagement and with Christina Romer, Chair, Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) regarding  small business and health care reform.  See http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Weekly-Address-Health-Insurance-Reform-Small-Business-and-Your-Questions/ for a video by the President, as well as links to the findings in the report.

• Meeting with Dr. Mary Wakefield, Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and additional HRSA staff on areas of mutual interest regarding the health care professions.  Dr. Wakefield expressed support for the importance of social workers in health care.

Letters

• NASW sent a letter of support for H.R. 3200 to Speaker Pelosi, Chairmen Waxman, Miller and Rangel.

Resources

Families USA has an August Recess Tool Kit available on their Web site for outreach efforts to members of Congress during the August recess. It’s a one-stop shop of tools and resources to help you galvanize your communities around the message that health reform cannot wait.

For ongoing information, please visit our health care page.

Keep up with the latest from NASW on Facebook, Twitter, and the NASW Advocacy Blog.  We want your feedback:  post to the Wall and leave your comments on the blog.

The White House has posted eight benefits of Health Insurance Reform and asked people to comment on them.  You can go to the Slide Share Web page and comment on them.

The White House Council of Economic Advisors released a report about the Economic Effects of Health Care Reform on Small Businesses and their Employees.

Ken Lewis, author of Child Custody Evaluations: Understanding the Five Stages of Custody (NASW Press) is quoted in a recent article on the Michael Jackson Custody Case on www.lifescript.com.

From: Michael Jackson Custody Case: Who Gets the Kids?
By Fran Golden, Special to Lifescript |July 15, 2009

Honesty Is Best
Social workers are often appointed by family court judges to do custody evaluations, especially in the case of a difficult divorce or death of a sole parent. In some custody cases, the court may ask kids who they prefer to live with.

It’s a tough decision to choose between Mom and Dad, but honesty is the best policy, says Ken Lewis, author of Child Custody Evaluations: Understanding the Five Stages of Custody, (National Association of Social Workers).

Kids should be assured by their parents that the evaluator is a friend, not a foe, Lewis says.

Some parents or guardians try to cheat the system, he adds, by telling their kids what to say. That can do more emotional harm than good.

Therapist Kendrick agrees.

“Now you have people saying, ‘Come with me,’ and children don’t ever want to be put in that position,” he says, “because they can’t win.”

Whoever tries for custody in a divorce or in the Jackson case – the grandparents, biological mother or the nanny credited with raising the children – the job of an evaluator is to listen to the kids and be the impartial ears and eyes of a judge.