International Humanitarian, Professor at Florida Atlantic University

Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is pleased to name Cecilia Campoverde, PhD, MSW the 2007 Social Worker of the Year. As a social worker, Dr. Campoverde works primarily with immigrant farmers, observing their truths in the context of the government infrastructure and regulations. In 1992, she established the Guatemalan Project, whose mission is to assist in the development of sustainable micro-enterprise activities for low-income women in Guatemala.

The controversial issue of immigration has been in the headlines and continues to be a social justice and public policy issue of great national concern. Dr. Campoverde is a social worker who is actively dealing with the immigration problem through her research efforts, public education campaigns and organizational development in the United States and in Guatemala.

“Dr. Campoverde’s social work education and training allow for a comprehensive understanding of underserved people in Guatemala,” says Dr. Elizabeth Clark, NASW executive director. “Her work to empower and sustain impoverished communities is a testament to her dedication to social justice.”

The Guatemala Project has helped many families build homes and schools for their villages. Dr. Campoverde travels to Guatemala frequently to organize and direct these programs. After nearly being swept away by Hurricane Mitch, the little town of El Triunfo found most of its families homeless and devastated. Through the Guatemala Project and Dr. Campoverde’s efforts, El Triunfo has wells for potable water, schools for their children, a medical clinic facility, and a vocational and technical school where adults can learn employable skills.

“Dr. Campoverde has brought hope to thousands of people who thought they could never get ahead in life by providing them an opportunity to provide a home and income to their families,” says Jannette Porta-Avalos, dean of academic affairs at Keiser University.

As a professor in the Department of Social Work at Florida Atlantic University, Dr. Campoverde inspires her students to look beyond the United States boarders for areas in which they can provide assistance and expertise. Many of her students have traveled with her to Guatemala and have employed their social work skills with the locals. Dr. Campoverde notes, “I hold the belief that all students can learn and that my job is to motivate and inspire them to seek knowledge and to share it.”

While pursuing a Master of Social Work in Community Organizing from Adelphi University, a Master of Education and a Doctorate in Research and Evaluation from Hofstra University, she has worked in various organizations in New York and Florida to improve the living and working conditions of Latin American immigrants.

It is with great honor that NASW recognizes Cecilia Campoverde, PhD, MSW as 2007 Social Worker of the Year.

For more information about Dr. Campoverde, or to set up an interview, please contact NASW Communications at media@naswdc.org or 202-336-8228.

Ohio Representative chosen for his dedication to the people of Columbus

Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is pleased to name Ohio Representative Dan Stewart the 2007 Public Elected Official of the Year honoring his dedication to improving areas of concern for the social work profession and for the citizens of Ohio.

Since his election in 2002, Rep. Stewart has made a public commitment to improving the quality of life in Ohio, protecting the most vulnerable populations and addressing social issues in a way that strengthens the Columbus community and the entire state of Ohio.

“Rep. Stewart has worked to improve educational opportunities at all levels, worked to bring much needed healthcare to poor and elderly, and has fought continually to ensure equal rights for all,” says Dr. Elizabeth Clark, NASW executive director.  “His dedication to the people of Ohio is remarkable.”

Social justice and human rights are at the core of his work as a state legislator and as a representative of the people.  Rep. Stewart vocally opposed efforts to write discrimination into the Ohio Constitution in 2003 when the House passed the Defense of Marriage Act to deny civil marriage rights to unmarried couples.

Rep. Stewart recently fought against a tax amendment that would damage funding of social service programs necessary to sustain many Ohioans.  He worked in tandem with the NASW Ohio Chapter in opposing this amendment in the 2006 legislative session.  He introduced an amendment to another bill to add $25 million in funding to help the poor and elderly with rising heating costs.

Believing in a woman’s right to self-determination, Rep. Stewart has introduced two bills that uphold women’s rights.  The Contraceptive Equity bill would prohibit the exclusion of birth control from insurance plans that cover prescriptions.  EC in the ER would provide information about and access to emergency contraception in the hospital emergency room to victims of rape.

NASW is pleased to award Rep. Dan Stewart as the 2007 Public Elected Official of the Year.

To interview Rep. Stewart about this award, please contact NASW Communications at media@naswdc.org or 202-336-8228.  For more information about NASW, please visit www.socialworkers.org.

Children and families social worker honored for her dedication to professionWashington, D.C. – The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is pleased to honor Dorothy Harris, MSW, ACSW with the NASW Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to children and families and to the social work profession.

Ms. Harris has a rich history in the profession working primarily to strengthen families and provide support to children in need.  Throughout her career, she has acted in many capacities which bear out her commitment to children.  She has been instrumental in taking the lead on a number of initiatives to improve the child welfare system.

“Dorothy Harris’ experience over many years has made her an invaluable asset to the children and families she serves through her professional and volunteer work,” says Dr. Elizabeth Clark, NASW executive director.  “She is an example for social workers who have dedicated themselves to children and families.”

Ms. Harris is a Senior Vice President for Special Projects on Children, Youth and Families for Pal-Tech, Inc, which provides technical assistance to organizations and to the government to implement meaningful change in their processes.  She provides oversight to contracts on children and family issues, including child welfare privatization initiatives, community-base abstinence education programs, Head Start initiatives, child abuse and neglect reduction projects, and quality improvements to private children’s services.

Ms. Harris has also been a Fellow in the US Department of Health and Human Services where she was Special Assistant to the Commissioner on the Administration for Children, Youth and Families.  In that role, she was instrumental in the implementation of a comprehensive Performance Management System for human services programs.

Ms. Harris is also dedicated to NASW and to the social work profession.  She served as president of NASW from 1985-1987.  During that time, NASW made significant progress on issues pertaining to the welfare of children and families.  Her action agenda, that was joined by the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, focused on improving the quality of services provided to children and families being served by child welfare systems nationally.  This became a national model for systems change.

Ms. Harris received a Master of Social Work from the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work and has taken post-graduate courses in Child Welfare Policy from the University of Maryland and the University of Chicago.

It is with great pride that we confer this award on Dorothy Harris, MSW, ACSW, as she has dedicated her lifetime to the advancement of children and families and the social workers who serve them.

For more information about Ms. Harris, or to set up an interview, please contact NASW Communications at media@naswdc.org or 202-336-8228.

For Immediate Release
August 29, 2007

NASW signs on to Amicus Brief with other human rights organizations

Washington – Upholding the profession of social work’s commitment to human rights and social justice, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) supports the ability of Guantanamo detainees to challenge their detention through our Constitutional system of  government checks and balances.

The cases, Boumediene v. Bush and Al Odah v. U.S., represent a clear violation of the rights of these detainees to gain access to the courts and to question the legality of their detention.  The cases do not directly address the innocence or guilt of the detainees, but rather the circumstances in which they are being held and their access to independent judicial review.

”Social workers uphold the key tenents of the profession – social justice and human rights — by taking a stand  against the unchecked use of power by the executive branch,” said Dr. Elvira Craig de Silva, NASW president.  “We serve as advocates so that everyone may have access to justice and basic legal rights under our Constitutional system of government.”

The NASW Code of Ethics notes that one of the core values of the profession is social justice.  To achieve social justice, governments must be able to guarantee  access to due process of law.

Habeas corpus is one of the fundamental elements of the U.S. legal system.  To strip courts of jurisdiction to review the legality of the detention overrides the detainees’ human rights.  Social workers’ abiding concern for social justice and human rights underlies our vision of equal access to justice for all people, regardless of where they are detained and for what reason.

The Amicus Brief was filed by The Constitution Project, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch and The Rutherford Institute through the efforts of a pro bono legal team from Fulbright & Jaworski in Washington, DC.  NASW, along with a coalition of other non-governmental organizations, signed on to the brief, which was filed August 24, 2007.

For more information about this and other briefs that NASW files on behalf of the social work profession, please visit the NASW Legal Defense Fund.

August 17, 2007

Contact: Tena Dick
Phone: (501) 673-1143
Email: tdick@acminet.com

Contact: Allison Nadelhaft
Phone: (202) 336-8228
Email: anadelhaft@naswdc.org

CMSA and NASW Seek Comments on Factors Impacting Case Load

Work Group Developing Matrix to Determine Appropriate Case Loads for Case Managers

Washington, D.C. and Little Rock, AR – The Case Management Society of America (CMSA) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) are soliciting feedback from social workers, nurses, other health care professionals, and consumer advocates on factors affecting case load. Identification of such factors is the first step in developing a matrix to determine appropriate case loads for case managers of all disciplines in a variety of settings.

Recognizing the crucial role nurses and social workers provide in case management—and the need for a more consistent approach to determining case loads—CMSA and NASW are developing the case load matrix in conjunction with the Case Load Work Group. The Work Group, chaired by CMSA and Schooner Healthcare Services, also plans to release a white paper on the topic in late 2007.

“Several recent studies have demonstrated that there is an inconsistent approach to establishing case loads. This inconsistency can compromise patient care and create unnecessary administrative problems,” notes Cheri Lattimer, RN, BS, executive director of CMSA. “The Case Load Work Group was formed earlier this year to create a framework—based upon clinical, psychosocial, business, legal, regulatory and other factors–to help nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals determine what their respective case loads should be.”

“The challenge of tracking and optimizing case load levels covers a wide array of practice settings—including health care, behavioral health care, aging, and long-term care,” says Elizabeth Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, NASW executive director. “In this phase of the case load matrix development, we considered the multiple factors that influence a case manager’s case load. Our goal is to create a tool that will be useful to all case managers.”

The Case Load Work Group, chaired by Lattimer and Garry Carneal, JD, MA, president & CEO of Schooner Healthcare Services, has identified a number of challenges to a consistent approach to establishing case loads:

o Rapid changes in the medical management field such as the integration of utilization management (UM), case management (CM), and disease management (DM) platforms have made it more difficult to rely on old benchmarks

o Research has shown a wide array of case load methodologies yielding various case load requirements

o Nurses, social workers, and other case managers have complained of inconsistent and inappropriate case loads for years

o The peer-reviewed literature on this subject to date has not provided a clear-cut solution

o As initial output from the Case Load Work Group demonstrates, dozens of independent variables can influence case load

o Information technology platforms now offer an opportunity to standardize and automate the process – which should yield superior case load methodologies in the future

o Several case load calculators are now being used mostly through in-house applications. CMSA and NASW hope to stimulate the identification and sharing of best practices through these emerging applications.

The Case Load Work Group welcomes comments on the draft chart of elements impacting case load through September 17, 2007. Please visit http://www.cmsa.org/CaseLoadCalculator to review and comment on the draft.

About CMSA

Established in 1990, the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) is an international non-profit 501(c)(6) multidisciplinary professional association dedicated to the support and advancement of the case management profession through educational forums, networking opportunities, legislative advocacy, and establishing standards to advance the profession. According to the Standards of Practice for Case Management — Revised 2002©, the term “case management” is defined as: ” …A collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation, and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual’s health needs through communication and available resources to promote quality cost-effective outcomes.” CMSA is based in Little Rock, Arkansas, and serves more than 20,000 members/subscribers and 70 affiliate and pending chapters. Since its inception, CMSA has been at the forefront of setting professional standards for the industry, which allows for the highest level of efficiency and integrity, as well as developing national and local leaders who are recognized for their practice and professional excellence. For more information on CMSA or ORLANDO 2008—CMSA’s 18th Annual Conference & Expo at Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel & Golf Club—visit www.cmsa.org or call CMSA at (501) 225-2229.

About NASW

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in WashingtonD.C., 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.

For Immediate Release
January 3, 2007

Contact
NASW Communications
Allison Nadelhaft
202-336-8228
anadelhaft@naswdc.org

Health & Social Work Names New Editor-in-Chief
Plymouth State University professor tapped to guide health practice journal

Washington, DC –The NASW Press is pleased to announce Stephen Gorin, PhD, MSW as the new Editor-in-Chief of <em>Health & Social Work. Dr. Gorin, who is a professor of social work at Plymouth State University, will begin his tenure on January 1, 2007 and will serve through December, 2010.

Dr. Gorin has played a leadership role in social work and in health care policy, serving on President Clinton’s Health Care Task Force and the Advisory Council of the Center for Mental Health Services in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He served as a delegate for the White House Conference on Aging and on Social Security. Dr. Gorin has been editor of the National Health Line column for the past eight years.

“Dr. Gorin will be an enormous asset to Health & Social Work as Editor-in-Chief,” said Cheryl Bradley, publisher of the NASW Press. “Dr. Gorin has a distinct interest in national health care reform and resolving disparities in health care. These issues are extremely relevant to Health & Social Work.”

Currently serving the NASW New Hampshire Chapter as Executive Director, Dr. Gorin is a past president of NASW New Hampshire and was the chapter’s Social Worker of the Year in 1992.

For 20 years, human services professionals have relied on Health & Social Work for the latest advances in areas such as aging, clinical work, long-term care, oncology, substance abuse, depression, and maternal health. Articles also cover research, policy, specialized services, quality assurance, in-service training and other topics that affect the delivery of health care services.

——————————–
About the NASW Press
The NASW Press, a division of the National Association of Social Workers, has been publishing materials in social work since 1956. It is committed to delivering an unrivaled collection of high-quality books, scholarly journals, and professional social work references. It acknowledges that social work is a dynamic profession and demands a continuous enhancement of intellectual works; therefore, the Press provides publishing opportunities guided by rigorous standards and a constructive peer review process. The NASW Press endeavors to be the premier publisher of literary products in social work and other social sciences, serving readers throughout the United States and abroad..