National Association of Social Workers Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

NASW Encourages Mental Health Providers to Give an Hour to Serve Veterans

NASW joins the nation in honoring the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through a national day of service. In response to the Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) conflicts, NASW encourages all licensed mental health providers to virtually sign up to volunteer their services through Give An Hour. The organization’s mission is to develop a national network of volunteers with the correct education and experience to meet the mental health needs of the troops and families affected by these engagements. The entire network of volunteers consists of social workers as well as all disciplines within the mental health community who provide treatment for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, sexual health and intimacy concerns, and loss and grieving.

The National Association of Social Workers encourages all licensed mental health providers with the expertise and available time commitment to serve our veterans and their loved ones, who may otherwise silently suffer from mental health challenges. Visit www.giveanhour.org on this important day of service and sign up to volunteer your time.

NASW encourages members to get involved

WASHINGTON DC—In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Haiti this week, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is issuing an alert to its nearly 150,000 members to help support recovery efforts for victims and their families.  In disasters such as this, social workers are uniquely suited to assess the disaster environment in a culturally competent manner and to provide leadership in promoting effective disaster relief and recovery efforts.

“Social workers are often among the first to respond to disasters both nationally and abroad,” says Elizabeth Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, executive director of NASW. “The people of Haiti need our help now more than ever, and we are committed to providing any assistance we can to one of the world’s poorest countries during this terrible tragedy.”

“If you would like to join with your social worker colleagues in the social work response to this disaster, you can donate through the NASW Foundation’s Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund to assist social workers and/or social welfare organizations who can provide help.”

• Click here to donate to The Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund
• Join our Facebook Cause
  

Social workers are already helping through various organizations both nationally and internationally. NASW is a member of InterAction, the largest coalition of U.S-based international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focused on the world’s poor and most vulnerable people.  Many NGO members of this coalition were active in Haiti prior to the earthquake and have been mobilizing immediate aid to survivors in the past few days.  Social workers have a strong presence within these organizations.  Social workers can also make contributions to organizations listed here:

• American Red Cross www.redcross.org
• InterAction member organizations active in Haiti
• United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) –for the delivery of urgent medical care, food, and water to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti through UN agencies such as UNICEF, WHO, the World Food Program, UNDP, UNFPA, IOM.

Social workers can also help by offering disaster recovery services through organizations working in Haiti.  Tragic events of this magnitude often require the expertise of social workers who can immediately provide their crisis management, community organizing and mental health support skills.  Social workers with prior disaster relief experience can register with the Center for International Disaster Information to volunteer their time and expertise to this important cause.  Or for those with more experience and seeking longer-term paid positions, social workers can search for vacancies with NGOs at www.reliefweb.int .

For further information about ways to get involved, visit the InterAction Web site at or the USAID Disaster Assistance page .

NASW recognizes that some of our members and friends have lost loved ones through this tragedy.   Our thoughts are with those affected by this disaster.  To find additional resources on coping with grief and loss, please visit Help Starts Here, the social work consumer Web site .

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About NASW

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.

About the NASW Foundation

The NASW Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization created to enhance the well-being of individuals, families and communities through the enhancement of social work practice. One of the Foundation’s goals is to assist with rapid response to social crises.

Recommendations Include Social Work Training and Mental Health Parity

In November 2009, a panel of experts released a report calling for increased interdisciplinary training on pain care and other systemic reforms to improve treatment of chronic pain throughout the United States. The panel was convened by the Mayday Fund, a family foundation dedicated to reducing human suffering caused by pain.

NASW joined 30 national organizations in endorsing the report, A Call to Revolutionize Chronic Pain Care in America: An Opportunity in Health Care Reform. The report describes chronic pain—that is, pain lasting more than six months—as “a tragically overlooked public health problem” that is frequently underaddressed, including in the current health care reform debate. Chronic pain, the report asserts, leading not only to decreased quality of life but also to unnecessary health care costs. Defining pain as a chronic illness, the report examines the physical, social, and psychological effects of untreated pain. Moreover, the report emphasizes that both adults and children experience chronic pain and highlights disparities in competent pain care related to race, ethnicity, gender, age, and class.

The report calls for multiple measures to improve pain care, including

1. Universal access to primary medical providers who are competent in pain management;
2. Increased access to specialists in pain medicine;
3. Expanded funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for training social workers and other health and mental health professionals in pain assessment and management;
4. Reimbursement reforms, including parity for mental health services, to promote interdisciplinary treatment of pain;
5. Increased federal funding for research addressing pain management;
6. Elimination of disparities in access to pain care; and
7. Increased consumer education about pain management.

Click here to read the Mayday Fund report.

RELATED RESOURCES

• Use the NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Palliative and End of Life Care .
• Learn about the distinctions between addiction, physical dependence, and tolerance of prescription pain medications.
• Listen to, or read transcripts of, Specialty Practice Section teleconferences addressing pain management:
  • Pain: An Introduction and an Opportunity for Social Work Involvement (Terry Altilio, LCSW)
  • Treating the Psychosocial Aspects of Pain Management (Shirley Otis-Green, ACSW)
• Read the Specialty Practice Section article, Pain: The Fifth Vital Sign.
• Find consumer-friendly information about pain and find resources on NASW’s consumer Web site, Help Starts Here.

Celebrate Social Work Month – March 2010

The 2010 Social Work Month theme is “Social Workers Inspire Community Action”

Since its inception, the social work profession has worked to improve life for millions every day. Social workers operate from values that recognize each person as relevant to society and believe that, when needed, society should help each person achieve his or her fullest potential.

No Limitations. People choose careers in the social work profession because they believe they can make a significant impact in the lives of others through individual and group assistance.  But they also recognize that effective social work practice with individuals, families and communities is affected by institutions, customs and laws that may limit the success of many.

Our Legacy. A commitment to fairness, and an intense interest in seeing others succeed by removing personal and public barriers, distinguishes social workers from other like-minded helping professionals.  These values—coupled with tangible social science skills—have led social workers in history to create essential safety net programs such as unemployment insurance, health insurance, income assistance and child protection services, and to fight for a range of human and civil rights in the United States.

Our Impact. Social workers are close to the critical events that shape the quality of American life. We are on the frontlines, developing, advocating and delivering social programs that are responsive to such human needs as homelessness, poverty, family break-up, mental illness, disability, alcohol and substance abuse, domestic violence and many other issues.  Social workers help people live more rewarding lives.

This year’s Social Work Month celebration showcases the expertise and dedication of professional social workers in helping to improve community life.  We will promote the chosen theme “Social Workers Inspire Community Action” through three core strategies of the ongoing National Social Work Public Education Campaign:

• Consumer Education
• Entertainment Outreach
• Student Recruitment

While social workers are integral parts of all communities, the general public’s understanding of these contributions and services is still limited.  Using this toolkit and related campaign materials you can help ensure that more people are exposed to positive and actionable information about the social work profession.  Every social worker has a role to play, so we hope this online toolkit helps you identify and implement promotional activities that best suit your skills and interests.

SWM 2010 Toolkit Materials:

SWM 2010 Overview

• Key Messages for SWM 2010
• Community Action Hero Nomination Form

Consumer Education Overview

• 10 Things You Can Do to Educate Consumers
• Visitor’s Guide to the HelpStartsHere.org Web Site

Entertainment Outreach Overview

• 10 Things You Can Do to Change Social Work Media Portrayals
• Visitor’s Guide to the SocialWorkersSpeak.org Web Site

Student Recruitment Overview

• 10 Things You Can Do to Introduce Students to Social Work
• Visitor’s Guide to BeASocialWorker.org Web Site

Resources

• History of Social Work Month
• Who Are Social Workers? Handout

If you have any questions about Social Work Month 2010, please contact NASW Communications at 202-336-8212.

January 4th marked a critical moment in social change - the official end of the HIV/AIDS related entry, stay and residence restrictions (more commonly known as the “travel ban” ) in place since 1987. NASW Social Work Speaks policy statements clearly support the removal of the ban, and views this and related restrictions as discriminatory and limiting a client’s right to care and treatment.

Social workers and allied professions have long viewed the ‘travel ban’ as an affront to individual rights. Everyday experiences of clients range from not being able to re-unite with family, friends, or partners because of that persons’ HIV status to limiting equal access to health and behavioral health care services. The ban also resulted in persons with HIV/AIDS denying they were living with a chronic illness. And for untold thousands, the ban limited their ability to apply for citizenship and work visas.

The lifting of the ‘travel ban’ is a necessary next step in the ongoing efforts to address and stop the stigma and discrimination universally experienced by persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS Spectrum Project - www.socialworkers.org/practice/hiv_aids