Elizabeth Strand, director of veterinary social work services at the University of Tennessee’s Veterinary Medical Center, operates a help line for people who need counsel concerning their pets. An article published by Knoxville News Sentential reported that Strand is getting more calls from people who can no longer afford to keep their pets. Financial hardship or job loss may trigger a range of emotions — anger, sadness or even shame, according to the article. Strand told the newspaper that the unconditional love of a pet can boost a person’s self-esteem, but not being able to return that love by providing medical care is...

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From the President This month I feel it is imperative to discuss social workers practicing with aging individuals, particularly as we’ve seen the baby boom generation, which comprises 27 percent of the U.S. population, start reaching the age of 65 this year. Working with older people can be especially challenging because it raises very personal issues about one’s future. On one hand, and this is the joy, we are able to work with incredible role models, many of whom display tremendous strength and wisdom. On the other hand, we face the enormous struggles of the frail elderly who face economic, physical and emotional hardships. ...

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Ronald Manderscheid, left, is “noted for ... introducing consumer participation in federal workgroups and consumer assessments of the mental health care system,” said NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark, right. The NASW Foundation in December honored Ronald W. Manderscheid, recipient of its 2009 Ruth Knee/Milton Wittman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health and Mental Health Policy, at a ceremony held in the national office. Manderscheid is executive director of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Directors and an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University Bl...

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In an 8-0 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court in January sided with NASW in ruling [Thompson v. North American Stainless ] that Eric Thompson should be able to sue his former employer, North American Stainless, for firing him in retaliation for his then-fiancée and co-worker Miriam Relagado filing a workplace discrimination claim with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The decision reverses a lower court ruling that anti-retaliation protections afforded by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits workplace bias, apply only to employees personally engaged in a protected activity — in this case, the ...

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Asua Ofosu is the new manager of government relations for NASW’s national office. Asua Ofosu, who has worked as a senior government relations associate since joining NASW in 2006, has taken the helm of the department at a pivotal point in national politics. The 112th Congress began in earnest with a Republican-controlled House of Representatives voting 245-189 to repeal the NASW-supported 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Republican leadership has made known their desire to reduce or eliminate federal programs and funding on which social workers and their clients depend in an attempt to rein in federal spending. ...

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Varying Career Paths Like everyone else, I was horrified by the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and several others. A lot of media attention has been focused on the little girl who was killed, so I was glad to see the article (February News) acknowledging the life and death of Gabe Zimmerman, a social worker who was Giffords’ director of community outreach. One particular sentence in that article struck me as a nugget of buried treasure -- the quote from W. Mark Clark: “Gabe chose work in politics as his social work career path.” This, to me, is a hugely important statement and I want to call attention to it. Fa...

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NASW’s Stacy Collins: “For the first time ... Healthy People now includes national health goals and objectives” on dementias like Alzheimer’s disease. Social work played a role in the development of the Healthy People 2020 objectives, which were released in a final report in December. NASW submitted comments for the objectives during its drafting stages. The efforts of NASW and others in the geriatric health community resulted in a new topic area being added to the final version: “Dementias, Including Alzheimer’s Disease,” noted Stacy Collins, NASW senior practice associate. Healthy People is a...

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A perception persists that people who are mentally ill pose an increased threat of committing violent acts; three-quarters of Americans view the mentally ill as dangerous. Tragic events like the attempted assassination of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., by suspect Jared Loughner in Tucson, Ariz., stoke those fears. Loughner allegedly is mentally ill. But data collected by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism confirm that serious mental illness — such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder — alone is not a significant predictor of violent behavior. (Researchers have found that people with ...

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Alaska is a state like no other, explained Meg Loomis, executive director of that state’s NASW chapter since October. “Hence, social work here is like no other,” Loomis said. “The size and population of our state allow for many career prospects, especially for emerging social workers. There is a great deal of demand and respect for the profession in our state.” Loomis served for two years on the chapter’s board of directors when the executive director position became available. She previously worked as the Behavioral Health Consultant for the Southcentral Foundation Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic in Anc...

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March is National Professional Social Work Month and NASW and its chapters are gearing up for exciting events to promote this year’s theme: “Social Workers Change Futures.” “Our chapters work hard to make Social Work Month a success,” said Gail Woods Waller, NASW director of communications. “This year is no exception.” Many chapters capitalize on the month to promote the Social Work Public Education campaign in their communities. NASW’s Washington State Chapter reached out for financial support from social work stakeholders in the state to help fund a series of newspaper ads and radio spots...

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