NASW is looking forward to working with social work supporter Francis S. Collins, the newly appointed director of the National Institutes of Health. According to NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark, social workers have an important and growing role at NIH through clinical social services and research grants on psychosocial care, health disparities, family caregiving and innovative, community-based health, mental health and substance abuse intervention. The Senate on Aug. 7 unanimously confirmed Collins to lead the NIH, the nation's premier biomedical research agency. Prior to the confirmation, NASW sent lawmakers a letter of support ...

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For many social workers employed in the private sector or working for a nonprofit, the thought of working outside these service areas may never have crossed their minds. Yet for those open to change, wanting to serve the public and looking for a professional work environment with excellent benefits that supports work/life balance, a position in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps could be a perfect fit. "I hadn't heard about the Corps when I was in school," says Kelley Smith, who has a master's degree in social work. She joined the Corps in January 2008 and holds the rank of lieutenant. "Later, when I did hear about it, people ...

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WKYC-TV reported on the good work performed by social workers and other health care professionals during the Medworks event in Cleveland. The station noted hundreds of health care professionals volunteered time to give free exams and treatment to the uninsured in the area. More than 1,600 patient appointments were logged during the weekend at the W.O. Walker building in University Heights and at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. NASW Ohio Chapter Executive Director Cindy Webb was among the volunteers. She helped recruit other social workers to assist with hundreds of people seeking free health and vision care ove...

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Vol. 54, No. 9, October 2009 I taught my first academic course when I was a second-year graduate student in social work. Its title was simply Death and Dying. It was during that time that I came across "pornography of death," a concept as relevant today as it was then. The term was coined in 1955 by British social anthropologist Geoffrey Gorer, who studied the social mores of Americans. Gorer felt that death had replaced sex as the most taboo topic for our society. Pornography of death can loosely be defined as death divorced from its natural emotion of grief. America is described by experts as a death-avoiding society — but...

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NASW was represented at a World Bank meeting where organizers discussed psychosocial and mental health service delivery models for war-torn and post-war countries, particularly Afghanistan. Amy Bess, senior practice associate for Human Rights and International Affairs at NASW, participated in the meeting, which was sponsored by the World Bank's South Asia Regional Unit and the Health, Nutrition, and Population Sector of the Human Development Network. The event, "Psychosocial Health in (Post) Conflict Situations: The Forgotten Emergency," was an opportunity to present to the 50 attendees a social work approach to establishing community-based...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   Throughout the past year, the NASW Communications Department has produced Web page profiles during different heritage months of social workers of each heritage. The profiles can all be found on the HelpStartsHere.org Web site. The first profiles debuted between Sept. 15, 2008 and Oct. 15, 2008, during Hispanic Heritage Month. They received so much interest that profiles continued to be produced during Native American Heritage Month in November 2008, Black History Month in February 2009, Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May 2009 and, most recently, LGBT Heritage Month this June. Profiles of...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff A number of Lunchtime Series teleconferences recently hosted by NASW gave members an opportunity to earn 1.0 continuing education units upon successful completion of an online exam after each teleconference. NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark moderated the July 30 Recognizing and Supporting Cancer-Related Anxiety and Depression teleconference, which examined coping skills for cancer-related anxiety and depression. NASW presented the session in partnership with C-Change. Sabrina Tyus and Dr. Margaret Christopher were the guest speakers. Tyus is a project associate at C-Change and works on health wo...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff Throughout the country, students at schools of social work are getting involved in their communities. A number of students have initiated their own projects, while others have devoted time and energy to a cause they are passionate about. Below are some of the students from across the nation who are taking action to make a difference and finding ways to act out of social work values. Making a difference "from our islands" across the world: In 2007, after Paul Tran, a professor of social work at Hawaii Pacific University, showed students the documentary "Invisible Children: Rough Cut," which tells the stori...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff NASW's first action alert went out May 6, requesting that members ask Obama to appoint a Supreme Court justice who reflects the nation's diversity. The alert noted that in the 2000 Census, 12.3 percent of the population identified as black or African American, 12.5 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino and 3.6 percent identified as Asian. It also pointed out that minorities will comprise 54 percent of the U.S. population by 2050. NASW requested that members "contact President Obama in support of a Supreme Court justice who reflects our diverse nation, as well as one that protects the interests of Ameri...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   "The shortage of professional social workers affects the overall outcome of health care services and operations," said U.S. Rep. Edolphus Towns. As the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 795/ S. 686) continues to gain momentum in Congress, a variety of steps are being taken to ensure passage of the bill. The Action Network for Social Work Education and Research is still supporting broad efforts at many levels including grassroots activity, as well as a variety of legislative actions. NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark created a new video advocacy me...

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