NASW News

Social workers will be needed in greater numbers as integrated care systems for Americans grow in coming years, said a panel of experts at a Capitol Hill briefing in June. Integrated care is the systematic coordination of general and behavioral health care. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, integrating mental health, substance abuse and primary care services produces the best outcomes for clients and is the most effective approach to caring for people with multiple health care needs. To help underscore this transition in health and mental health care delivery, the Action Network for Social Work Edu...

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Some dogs in the Aboriginal communities of Australia are hairless and infected with scabies and ringworm, said Joyce Higashi, former executive director of NASW’s Washington, D.C., chapter. The dogs, in turn, can infect the children in the communities who keep them as pets, she said. But a social worker came to the rescue, and hearing that story was one of the uplifting conversations Higashi said she had at the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development, held this summer in Melbourne, Australia. “This social worker, on her own, talked to the nurses in the Aboriginal communities and arranged to have t...

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Delegates in August voted down a bylaws amendment proposal that sought to dissolve the NASW Delegate Assembly structure and assign its functions to committees and the NASW board of directors. Delegates voted down the amendment with 89 against and 73 in favor during its triennial meeting on Aug. 2. There were 224 delegates in attendance. For the third time since 2008, delegates used a specially designed website and the telephone for discussion and voting procedures. Over the past year, members and delegates posted and exchanged comments on 22 automatically referred social work policy statements via NASW’s Delegate Assembly section of...

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Crossing through jungles and desert heat on foot, eating trash to survive and dodging gang members and traffickers along the way is what many children from Central America face as they make the perilous journey to the U.S. border, says Wendy Cervantes, vice president of Immigration and Child Rights at First Focus in Washington, D.C. Although the trek is dangerous and death along the way is probable, staying in their countries often means certain death, rape or recruitment into gangs, she said. Fleeing danger is why as many as 60,000 children have migrated from Central America to the U.S. in less than a year, causing a humanitarian crisis an...

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NASW’s Social Worker of the Year (photo right), Adrienne Decker-Delgado, right, accepts the award from NASW President Darrell Wheeler during a red-carpet awards ceremony and reception at the NASW National Conference in July. Photo by Kea Taylor/Imagine Photography NASW celebrated 10 individuals, eight of whom are social workers, during a red-carpet event held in July as part of NASW’s national conference, “Social Work: Courage, Hope and Leadership.” “A Night at the Awards, A Night to Remember” featured an actual red carpet, a reception and speeches from recipients of four NASW National awards, four NAS...

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When NASW member Jose Ramirez was an adolescent in Texas, he experienced a host of confusing symptoms like numbness, hypersensitivity to touch and swellings on his hands and feet. A New York Times article says dermatologists were baffled by Ramirez’s symptoms and ruled out eczema, lupus and even varicose veins. His sister, who worked in a hospital at the time, then persuaded her doctor colleagues to perform tests on her brother. “Within 24 hours, the director of the Texas Health Department came to see me,” Ramirez said. “He told me I had leprosy.” He had just turned 20 at the time of his diagnoses in 1968, ...

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Julie Cronin was a teenager when she witnessed her parents’ anger and mistreatment of each other while divorcing. The Maryland mother of two young girls feared a similar path would take place when her own marriage broke down — until she heard about collaborative divorce. Instead of attorneys battling out the couple’s disputes in court, Cronin and her husband chose to work with a collaborative divorce team. The difference was night and day compared with her parent’s split-up, she said. Couples not only use attorneys who work together on the solution but also trained mental health professionals, such as social worke...

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In the past few months, I have had new and wonderful opportunities to experience the profession from a unique perspective. Having been an NASW member for many years, I was confident I knew our profession — and the talented, critical thinkers and doers that constitute our membership. However, as I dive into my duties, I am in awe of the strength and reach of our profession and the impact we make on the world in which we live. On the international front, we are members of a global network of committed practitioners working tirelessly for social justice. This was so much a part of my experience during the International Federation of ...

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Carol McEntyre had a “life-changing moment” during her MSW field placement at a community church in Texas. “After being there a few months I felt like, gosh, there is nothing else I wanted to do in my life besides serve God through the church,” McEntyre said. “I really love working with a congregation and being with people with their needs.” McEntyre is among many social workers who have complemented their social work education with degrees in theology. Originally thinking of helping people through the nonprofit sector, McEntyre said she felt while she was a senior in college that she wanted to do more....

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NASW member Stephanie Johnstone, of San Diego, received the annual Robert W. Whitlock Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Kidney Foundation’s Council of Nephrology Social Workers. Johnstone has been the lead social worker for Fresenius Medical Care North America’s West Division. During more than 30 years at Fresenius Medical Care North America, Johnstone has developed numerous innovative programs designed to improve care for kidney patients. She has also inspired and mentored her colleagues to advance the field of nephrology social work toward disease management. “Throughout her career, Stephanie has displayed t...

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