NASW News

Trustees for NASW Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) have made four endorsements for Congress. NASW members are being encouraged to visit the Website often in order to get the latest list of candidates who may be in their jurisdictions. NASW Senior Political Action Associate Brian Dautch said additional PACE endorsements can be expected in the coming months as more contested primary races are settled across the nation. Once the Democratic presidential contest is settled, PACE trustees are expected to announce their choice for a presidential endorsement as well, Dautch said. PACE is the political action arm of NASW. As a politic...

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NASW has been involved in several projects addressing women's mental health concerns. Senior Policy Associate Rita Webb attended a Women's Mental Health Roundtable meeting, and a report has been issued from a Surgeon General's Workshop on Women's Mental Health that NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark participated in. Roundtable Webb was one of 35 participants invited to attend the Women's Mental Health Roundtable in December. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychiatric Foundation hosted the event. It included four breakout sessions addressing advocacy, services, public education and research and training. The g...

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NASW is encouraging social workers to contact their representatives in Congress to support a bill that would put a one-year moratorium on new federal Medicaid reductions currently being implemented by the states. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued seven Medicaid regulations that will significantly cut Medicaid payments for social work and other services to vulnerable Medicaid clients, said James Finley, senior government relations associate at NASW. Since the cutbacks will affect state Medicaid budgets differently, Finley said, members should contact their NASW chapters to learn how the new rules could affect the...

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NASW's Lunchtime Teleconference series has proven to be popular among association members. The series was launched earlier this year to give members an opportunity to earn 1.0 continuing education unit (CEU) upon successful completion of an online test following each teleconference. The teleconferences are open to all members. Each one details a different subject that affects social work or social workers and is hosted by an NASW national staff member. The series was started as a way to let members know a little more about national office efforts, said Susan Rubin, NASW Specialty Practice Sections manager. The "Social Workers and the Legal...

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The alarmingly high number of foreclosures across the U.S. has lawmakers and financial experts scrambling to find solutions. Besides the financial woes a foreclosure can cause an individual or a family, social workers are taking note of the emotional implications when a person or family faces such a traumatic situation. Feelings of helplessness and despair are common among this group who, for whatever reason, find themselves unable to make their mortgage payments, say social workers. Melissa Greenlee is a social worker who now works as an attorney for a nonprofit agency in Dayton, Ohio, called the Predatory Lending Solutions Project at the ...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   In February, the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR) co-hosted a leadership retreat to address concerns that fewer underrepresented minorities are pursuing careers in science. The event was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation and led by the Consortium of Social Sciences Associations. More than 60 organizations were represented at the meeting. Joan Levy Zlotnik, IASWR executive director, said the event was an important step toward addressing concerns about diversity in the scientific workforce. "We were able to discuss wha...

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The annual conference of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging drew thousands of participants to Washington, D.C., in late March, including many NASW members and other social workers. The conference, "Aging in America," gathered about 3,500 professionals in aging. It included hundreds of workshops, plenary sessions, symposia, poster sessions and networking meetings. During the conference, Robyn Golden ended her term as chair of the American Society on Aging Board of Directors, and Cynthia Stuen stepped into the position, which she will hold through 2010. Both are social workers and NASW members. Stuen, a former cha...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark presented information about the role of social workers in providing psychosocial care for people with cancer during a congressional briefing held on March 31. The briefing was held to promote and discuss a report issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), "Cancer Care for the Whole Patient." The report, released last year, promotes an approach to care that addresses the psychosocial needs of patients with cancer [January 2008 News]. "This is an important report and includes valuable information for social workers," Clark told the News. "NASW supports its con...

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NASW has filed a brief in a case before the Supreme Court of Iowa addressing same-sex marriage. NASW is supporting a 2007 trial court's ruling that denying marriage to same-sex couples is unconstitutional. The case, Varnum v. Brien, originated in 2005 when Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit in the Polk County Court on behalf of six same-sex couples who were denied marriage licenses in Iowa. Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people. The plaintiff couples argued that denying them marriage violates the equal protection and due process gua...

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Feb. 2008 Board's Action Context Finances Accepted the audit report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007 NASW received an unqualified or "clean" opinion on the consolidated audit including all related entities, including the Foundation, PACE, LDF and Assurance Services, Inc. Accepted the treasurer's financial report as of Dec. 31, 2...

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