Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH Executive Director

Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, opens 6th International Conference on Health and Mental Health. During her address she noted that social workers are the outreach to areas of vulnerability. She used an Irish saying to describe social work — “Two shortens the road.” For many people who are struggling, social workers are companions and navigators on life’s journey.

She spoke about the resilience of social workers and how important that resilency is for these difficult economic and social times. She noted that there is an increased need for problem solvers in society and encouraged participants to use the conference as an opportunity for cross-fertilization of ideas and solutions.

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH Executive Director

The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) released their Policy on Health, and Paul Bywaters, a consultant to IFSW presented “Worldwide Challenges for Practice and for Policy-Making” at the 6th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health in Dublin.

The IFSW Policy on Health includes 7 key points:

1. Health is a key aspect of all social work practice, education, research, and ploicy making and in all settings.

2. Health is not merely the absence of disease, it emcompasses physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing.

3. Health is a central dimension of people’s lives.

4. Health is an issue of fundamental human rights.

5. Health status is primarily determined by social, economic, environmental, and political conditions and is an issue of social equality and justice.

6. Securing and sustaining health depends on local, national and global health and social policies and practices.

7. Securing and sustaining health depends on the concerted actions of intenational institutions, governments, civil society and peoples.

The IFSW policy is a starting point for discussion.  Can we create conditions for action?

The IFSW Policy on Health is available at www.ifsw.org/p38000081.html

At the recent 2010 Joint World Congress on Social Work and Social Development, one of NASW’s presentations focused on successful international collaborations to build social work capacity.  The Congress was held in Hong Kong.  A presentation and poster session were made available to attendees.  The example of the Best Practices in Psychosocial Oncology Exchange between Hungary and the United States of America was used to communicate important foundations and principles for such collaborations.  The Hungary project was undertaken as part of the NASW Foundation’s Social Workers Across Nations (SWAN) initiatives.

At the poster session, social workers from Croatia, Serbia and Thailand expressed interest in the project.  They noted the need for similar projects and resources regarding cancer, palliative and end-of-life care in their countries.  They were  interested in materials that could be made available for translation to help social workers in their communities.

NASW is participating in additional international social work capacity-building collaborations through SWAN, including projects on the continent of Africa.

For more information about NASW’s work in this area, visit http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/intl/default.asp

HHS has announced the availability of $60 million in Affordable Care Act grants to states and communities to help individuals and their caregivers better understand and navigate their health and long-term care options.

These grants will fund approaches that take into account the unique needs of seniors, Americans with disabilities and their caregivers. Some specific areas of focus include assisting older adults and individuals with disabilities live at home or in settings of their choosing with the right supports and assisting people transition from hospitals or nursing homes back into the community. Application deadline is July 30, 2010.

For more information visit this link:

http://www.disability.gov/health/news_%26_events.

Social workers, nurses and other health care personnel manage significant “ethical stress” when caring for ill persons and discharging patients from the nation’s complex health system.

On April 15 at 2:00 p.m., please join Professionals for the Public Interest (PftPI) for an in-depth discussion on professional responses to financial and political pressures within the healthcare system.

XM Satellite radio show host Bob Edwards will moderate an insightful public discussion with ethics experts from the National Association of Social Workers, the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing in New York, and the Prince George’s Hospital Center in Maryland.

The PftPI is an alliance of 20 professional organizations and unions. It kicks off its new public forum series on Thursday, April 15, from 2-4 p.m. at the Washington Court Hotel; Springwood Conference Room; 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington DC.

For more information on the panelists, online registration for the free public forum and profiles of the organizations in the alliance: www.pftpi.org.

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

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Credit Hours: 0 CEU(s)

Click Here to Register Now!

Kyrsten Sinema, MSW, JD is Arizona’s Assistant House Democratic Leader. She will discuss how lessons learned in Arizona apply to health reform nationally. Sinema is one of 32 state legislators nationwide — the only state lawmaker from Arizona — selected for President Obama’s White House Health Reform Task Force. She is providing best practices and lessons learned from Arizona, which will help shape national health reform this year. Join us for this informational session.*

Presenter: Kyrsten Sinema, MSW, JD

Moderator: Rebecca Myers, LSW , NASW

Social workers are reminded to check with their state licensing boards to confirm that distance learning and/or home study education is accepted for continuing education credit.

The Lunchtime Series teleconferences are open to all NASW members. These hour long live teleconferences highlight the latest social work issues addressed by NASW. Besides a live teleconference, online features include the ability to post a question for the speaker; read teleconference transcripts; listen to an audio/podcast at your convenience; and earn CEU credit.

A major responsibility for the council is to review and make recommendations regarding grant applications.

By Paul R. Pace, NASW News Staff - Vol. 54, No. 9, October 2009

NASW member W. June Simmons, CEO of the Partners in Care Foundation, has been appointed to the National Advisory Council on Aging. The council is among several national research advisory councils reporting to the director of the National Institutes of Health concerning pertinent programs.

“As a social worker, I am honored to represent the field — especially during these challenging times — on this very important advisory council,” Simmons said in a statement.

A major responsibility for the council is to review and make recommendations regarding grant applications to support biomedical research and research training activities.

Simmons will serve on the Advisory Council until December 2012 and will participate in council meetings held at the NIH.

According to the Partners in Care Foundation, Simmons’ career includes numerous activities involving aging issues.

She was a delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. She serves as senior adviser to the Alliance for Children and Families’ National Initiative for Transforming Social Service Geriatric Practice. She is an appointee to the HMO Caregiver Work Group, a national think tank funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to advance managed care models for caring for the aging population.

Simmons is an advisory board member of the Practice Change Fellows Selection Committee and was founding chair of the National Chronic Care Consortium. She initiates and directs the Institute for Advancement of Geriatric Social Work Education, a cooperative venture between major Southern California graduate schools of social work to develop the region as a center of excellence in geriatric social work education.

In addition, Simmons serves on major national and local technical committees, panels and advisory boards.

The October issue of Social Work (Vol. 54, No. 4) covers a wide range of topics important to social work and social workers, from questions surrounding consumer-driven health care to issues involving child welfare worker caseloads. Below is a sampling of what’s inside the issue. Download the table of contents of the October Social Work Journal here.

• New Practice Model for Latinos in Need of Social Work Services
  Kurt C. Organista
  Does your work assist the Latino community?  Learn more about new practices presented in a model that thoroughly describes the four dimensions of culturally competent practice essential to working with U.S. Latino populations.
• The Big Picture: How Social Work Can Effectively Utilize Photographs
  Heather L. Marshall, Sarah W. Craun, and Matthew T. Theriot
  A picture is worth a thousand words….Examine the use of photography as a powerful tool for promoting positive attitudes about social work at an adult day care program.
• Civilian Social Work: Serving the Military and Veteran Populations
  Laura Savitsky, Maria Illingworth, and Megan DuLaney
  Help those that serve our country. Civilian social workers acknowledge their responsibility to competently aid military and veteran clients.

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC), through scholarship and loan repayment programs, helps Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in the U.S. obtain a sufficient number of fully qualified medical, dental, and mental health providers essential to meet their populations’ critical need for safe and fundamental health care.

Purpose of the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP)

The purpose of the NHSC LRP is to ensure that an adequate supply of health professionals are available to provide primary health services to populations located in select Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), identified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. HPSAs can be found in rural and urban communities across the nation. The NHSC LRP recruits fully trained health professionals who agree to provide primary health services in NHSC community sites. In return, the NHSC LRP assists clinicians in their repayment of qualifying educational loans that are still outstanding.

Now accepting applications for Loan Repayment Awards. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act designated $200 million to fund the NHSC LRP. Applications will be accepted continuously until funds are expended or September 30, 2010, whichever comes first.

The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program provides $50,000 (or the outstanding balance of qualifying student loans, if less than $50,000), tax free, to medical, dental, and mental health clinicians in exchange for two years of service at approved sites in Health Professional Shortage Areas. Upon completion of the service commitment, clinicians may be eligible to apply for additional support for extended service. Most applications will be processed within eight weeks of the submission of a complete application (i.e., on-line application, supplemental paper forms, and required documentation).

The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program provides many benefits. Be sure you stay in compliance with the requirements of your in-service contract. Click here for a list of the in-service obligations.

National Health Service Corps loan repayment participants will be working under one of three types of assignments while serving their obligations. For more information about the Practice Assignments, click here.

Below are links to more information about the program and application process: (more…)