New regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, or MHPAEA, were released in February. According to NASW lobbyist James Finley, the final rules were based on a review of more than 400 comments, including those made by NASW as a member of a coalition of mental health groups. The rules require that group health plans that offer mental health and addiction benefits along with medical and surgical benefits “must treat them equally in terms of out-of-pocket costs, benefit limits and practices, such as prior authorization and utilization review,” Finley said in a Februar...

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New procedures that address automatic revocation of NASW membership have been approved by the NASW National Board of Directors. The new rules aim to streamline the process of removing membership for those with a felony conviction or who have had a state social work license revoked. Dawn Hobdy, manager of NASW’s Office of Ethics and Professional Review, said the change is a result of removing the surrogate complaint process from the NASW Procedures for Professional Review. A surrogate complaint is a grievance submitted by a chapter based on information in the public domain. Such cases will no longer be reviewed by the National Ethics...

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Title Consistency I am in full agreement with the letter to the editor by Michelle Lind in the March 2010 edition of the NASW News, advocating that social workers should have consistent title protection throughout the nation. However, I do not believe we will achieve consistent title protection until such time as we agree upon a consistent professional identification. Ms. Lind identifies herself with the initials DHSc, LCSW, and M-RAS. The candidates for election to the NASW Board use an alphabet soup of credentials including ACSW, CADC, DCSW, EdD, LCSW, LCSW-R, LMSW, MS, MSSW, MSW, and PhD. Compare that to some of our fellow professions wh...

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With more than $400 billion at stake, and just 10 questions, the 2010 U.S. Census makes the cash prize on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” seem a tad trifling. That’s why social workers in communities nationwide are helping census takers connect with hard-to-enumerate populations such as immigrants and non-English speakers. The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to take a headcount every 10 years of each person living in the U.S., regardless of residency status. In turn, Census data help determine the apportionment to localities of federal funding for such things as hospitals, emergency services and schools, ...

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Dorothy I. Height will be presented with the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award. NASW will honor its 2009 National Awards recipients April 23 at a ceremony in Washington. The awards — Lifetime Achievement Award, Social Worker of the Year, Public Elected Official of the Year and Public Citizen of the Year — honor social workers and others who have, through their work or advocacy, advanced the principles and vision of the profession. “The recipients of our 2009 National Awards have made inestimable contributions to the field of social work, and in doing so have alleviated suffering, advanced freedom, promoted equality under...

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This month, the 2010 Social Work Congress convenes in Washington to outline our profession’s challenges and opportunities, and to chart a course to better serve our constituency. Faced with the enormous social and economic upheaval in our country and its devastating impact on the underrepresented, a key focus of this event will be to encourage leaders — from those who are new to the profession to mid-career professionals and fully seasoned social workers — to step up and be heard. By blending experience with innovation, we can work to advance the profession and secure a better future for others. Essential to our mission is ...

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NASW President James J. Kelly (right, gesturing) and Luisa Lopez, NASW director for human rights and international affairs, were in Tanzania in December to help social workers develop strategies for strengthening leadership, building membership and increasing revenues. “Tanzanian social work professionals, together for a three-day strategic planning session, welcomed us with enthusiasm and warmth,” Kelly said. “The Institute of Social Work in Tanzania and American Health International Alliance made it possible for us to assist NASW member Dr. Nathan Linsk in providing consultation to revitalize the Tanzanian social work prof...

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“Social Workers Inspire Community Action” is the theme for this year’s National Professional Social Work Month, celebrated each March. NASW is leading the way with the release of several new resources social workers can use to call attention to the inspiring work they’re doing in their communities and attract more people to the profession. Among the new resources is a revamped and repurposed “Be A Social Worker” Website*. In addition to an entirely new look, the Web site is much more interactive. “Social workers need more places on the Internet where they can interface with the public, and the n...

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Mary Ann Quaranta was a dean of Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service. Mary Ann Quaranta, former NASW president and previous dean of Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, died Dec. 16, 2009. She was 82. Quaranta was an NASW Social Work Pioneer® who was known as a gifted educator and administrator, said Nancy Boyd Webb, professor emeritus of Fordham University GSS. According to the school, Quaranta served as dean of the graduate program for 25 years before taking an appointment in 2000 as provost of Marymount College. She served at Marymount until 2004, when she was named special assistant to the...

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A new NASW Web education course, “Promoting Adherence with Cancer Oral Medications: The Social Worker’s Role,” will launch this month. The course, developed by NASW and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, will be available free of charge on the NASW Professional Education and Training Center website. The course continues NASW’s focus on professional education in cancer care and was preceded by “Understanding Cancer” and “Understanding Cancer Caregiving,” both of which are already available on NASW’s Web Ed site. NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark said medical advan...

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