NASW News

NASW continues to partner with other health organizations in developing and promoting toolkits that assist clients with transitions of care between health care settings and practitioners. In October, the National Transitions of Care Coalition, of which NASW is an Advisory Task Force member, announced the release of Spanish and French translations of the client/caregiver tools "Taking Care of My Health" and "My Medicine List." NASW assisted in developing the English version of the tools, which became available to the public in 2008. The translated versions serve as a proactive step toward meeting the needs of the growing diversity in the Uni...

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Social workers are being encouraged to review the latest Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act standards as a new federal breach notification rule for patients' medical data went into effect on Sept. 23. Earlier this year, the NASW Legal Defense Fund issued the report "HITECH HIPAA for Social Workers." It outlines how the latest Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act promotes the use of electronic health records while reinforcing the need to protect the privacy of personal health information. A vital component of the HITECH Act that affects health care providers such as social workers is a federal b...

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NASW has begun work to develop standards of practice for social work with family caregivers. The initiative, funded by a grant from the AARP Foundation, constitutes the second phase of a three-part project to enhance social workers' and nurses' knowledge and skills in supporting family caregivers of older adults. To launch the initiative, this month NASW is surveying its aging specialty certification holders to gather information about the knowledge and skills needed for social work practice with family caregivers of older adults. In early 2010, the association will convene a panel of social work experts in aging and health to review the su...

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Chris Gilchrist was interviewed on WAVY-TV in a story about the Virginia Beach, Va., "Out of the Darkness" walk, which Gilchrist organized. The story noted that the walk is intended to shed light on ways to treat and prevent suicides in the armed forces. "The No. 1 cause for suicides is untreated depression," Gilchrist said in the story. "Depression is a disease and it's a treatable disease." The story quoted U.S. Navy Command Officer Jon Greene, who lost a shipmate to suicide. "It's a tragedy that just could have been averted if we'd had the opportunity to intervene, but he [was] a proud man and wouldn't share with us," he said. Many mil...

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From the President This month, the Council on Social Work Education will host its 55th Annual Program Meeting in San Antonio. With more than 3,000 participants expected, this year's meeting presents an important opportunity for many of our profession's most visible academic leaders to take stock of current circumstances and plan for a more robust future. Ideas and strategies that are discussed at the CSWE meeting, the annual National Association of Deans and Directors meeting and the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors conference in March can help set the stage for a productive Social Work Congress in April 2010. NAS...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, NASW News Staff In a number of recent Legal Issue of the Month articles, NASW's Legal Defense Fund addresses issues such as the FTC's "Red Flags" rule and the HITECH Act. Social Workers and Identity Theft: The FTC "Red Flags" Rule reviews the Federal Trade Commission's regulations that address medical identity theft. The article points out the FTC has issued guidance for health care providers, suggesting that health care providers, including clinical social workers in private practice who bill patients and insurance companies, are subject to the regulations if they allow patients to defe...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   In June 2007, a unification transition team was charged with examining possible organization structures, identifying resources and skills needed for transition, and engaging social work members in unification. The team released its final report this summer. NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark served on the transition task force. The unification transition team was created at the conference Social Work: Future of the Profession at the Wingspread Conference Center in Wisconsin. In attendance were 33 representatives from 10 organizations, including NASW, Action Network for Social Work Education...

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NASW is supporting the Third Age Professionals Initiative — also known as TAP-IN — to promote volunteer opportunities for members whose skills can greatly assist those who lack health insurance. TAP-IN is a newly formed program made possible by the American Health Initiative Ltd., a New York-based nonprofit organization devoted to initiating a national dialogue on health care reform as well as advocating accessible and affordable health care for all Americans. NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark said TAP-IN is an ideal opportunity for retired or near-retired members who are thinking of ways to utilize their skills in a vo...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff The Social Work Policy Institute, a new entity in the NASW Foundation, is launching Oct. 1 and will serve as a think tank and repository for evidence on what works in social work practice. The institute will pull together researchers and thinkers to develop papers and briefs and have policy briefings on Capitol Hill on critical issues. Joan Levy Zlotnik, who was staff director of NASW's Family Commission and Government Relations Associate at the NASW National Office from 1987 to 1994 and most recently served as the executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research, will be the...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff Decisions reached The U.S. Supreme Court this summer reached a decision in the Safford Unified School District No. 1 v. Redding case, which galvanized national attention. The Court ruled 8-1 that the strip search of a 13-year-old student violated the constitutional protection against unreasonable search and seizure. School officials subjected Savana Redding, now 19, to a search of her bra and underwear after receiving an uncorroborated tip from another student that she may have an unauthorized ibuprofen in her possession. No drugs were found. While the court held that the strip search violated the Fourth ...

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