NASW News’ “Social Work in the Public Eye” About one in eight women are binge drinkers, according to an article in The Independent Florida Alligator. NASW member Joan Scully, a licensed clinical social worker and a substance abuse coordinator at the University of Florida Counseling & Wellness Center, says in the article that the first step to recognizing binge drinking as an illness is to lower the... 

NASW applauds President Obama for appointing Julia Pierson as Director of the United States Secret Service (USSS). This is a milestone for women and the USSS as Ms. Person is the first woman in the agency’s nearly 150 year history to hold the top leadership position. In January, NASW expressed concern with the change in direction the President was taking on appointing women, of all ethnicities, to Cabinet positions... 

On February 12, the U.S. Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by a comfortable 78-22 margin.  The bill included comprehensive protections for Native American women, women in same-sex marriages, and illegal immigrants, features not included in the 2012 House version of the bill. Now, we are urging the House of Representatives to pass the same version of VAWA that the Senate passed earlier this month. ... 

“If members of our military can meet the qualifications for a job, then they should have the right to serve, regardless of creed, color, gender or sexual orientation,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) applauds the decision of the Department of Defense to lift the ban on women in direct combat roles, setting a historic precedent and opening up more than 230,000 positions... 

In 2009, NASW was pleased to see President Obama build a diverse Cabinet and even participated as a co-sponsor in the celebration of Women Appointees of the Obama Administration. Conversely, since returning from the holidays the President has made four high level appointments all of which are white men. With the departures of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and Administrator of the... 

Senator and Social Worker Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has been named Chair of the Committee on Appropriations. She follows after Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) who died in December. Senator Mikulski will be the first woman to hold this powerful position, which reflects the growing representation of women on Capitol Hill. The Senate Committee on Appropriations is a standing committee which has jurisdiction over all discretionary... 

Save Wednesday, November 14 for a VAWA day of ACTION Every national leader will call Congressional leaders Every organization’s state leaders will call their U.S. Senators Every local organization and all individuals will call their House members By the end of the day, every Member of Congress will hear a unified message: Work out the differences, pass VAWA before this Congress ends and you go home for the holidays. ... 

By Rena Malai, News staff NASW staff members took part in a Capitol Hill rally in June to advocate for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (S.1925), as the House’s version of the bill contains language that leaves out the LGBT population, Native Americans and undocumented immigrants. People hold signs supporting passage of the Violence Against Women Act during a rally on Capitol Hill. As a member of... 

The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) has created a petition asking Congress to allow them to build on the National Mall. Established in 1996, NWHM has not been able to establish a permanent physical site— to some extent due to Congressional inaction. NWHM has been petitioning for the right to build on the Mall since 2003, and with only one vacant site remaining at the Mall, it is urgent that Congress act now.... 

Beginning August 1, 47 million women in the U.S. have access to eight new prevention-related health care services, with no cost-sharing.  The Affordable Care Act, requires that coverage of these services take effect at the next renewal date – on or after Aug. 1, 2012—for most health insurance plans. Previously, some insurance companies did not cover these preventive services for women under their health plans, while...