NASW News

A research study finds that a 20-minute conversation with a social worker has the potential to significantly reduce the functional decline of those diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury, according to a news article posted on the University of Washington website. The research was published in the April issue of Brain Injury. Megan Moore, assistant professor at UW’s School of Social Work, trains social workers in emergency departments to provide education and resources to patients with mild traumatic brain injuries to help them deal with symptoms and the recovery process, the story says. Moore told NASW that her research has ge...

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NASW is introducing an affinity program for members that offers new benefits and discount opportunities. Through the program, members can sign up for the NASW Visa® Rewards Credit Card; discounted T-Mobile plans; free and discounted wireless phones and accessories; Office Depot discounts; and discounts on Constant Contact services. Jennifer Watt, manager of NASW’s member services, said the Visa® Rewards Credit Card, offered exclusively for NASW members through Commerce Bank, can help members save an additional 20 percent on online courses at NASW’s Professional Education and Training Center. Other incentives include an in...

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NASW awardees will get the red-carpet treatment this month at a special ceremony to be held during the association’s national conference, “Social Work: Courage, Hope & Leadership,” taking place July 23-26 in Washington, D.C. “A Night at the Awards” will feature an actual red carpet for the event to recognize social workers and others who made great strides in helping the profession and the people they serve. NASW organizers said tickets for the reception, which will honor recipients of the NASW National Awards, NASW Foundation Awards and the Council of Chapter Executives, are available to anyone for purcha...

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For social worker Jacqueline Durham, being a member of the NASW National Committee on Women’s Issues is personal. “As a first-generation, Cuban-American woman raised in a single-parent household with my two sisters, I have experienced many difficult situations,” Durham said. “I know firsthand there are injustices faced by women, and being part of a national committee provides me the opportunity to educate and create the change I want to see in the world. To bring forth the information and not accept things as they are will make a change.” The role the NCOWI plays in the association is crucial, said Durham, a s...

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Photo by Robert Arnold, NASW From left, Charles Howard, a research associate at the E. Franklin Frazier Center at Howard University; Ronald Dellums, former U.S. representative and NASW Social Work Pioneer®; and Bernice Catherine Harper, NASW Social Work Pioneer®, attended the May 2014 Awards and Recognition Ceremony at Howard University School of Social Work in Washington, D.C., in May. Dellums, who is the visiting fellow at the Howard University Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center, received honorary membership in the Class of 2014 and gave the address to the graduating class of 2014. The program was led by Cudor...

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Deep in thought during the early days of her college education, NASW Kentucky Chapter Executive Director Melissa Johnson pondered what social work really means. She said the profession fascinated her — how the culture and class of people went hand-in-hand with systematic issues, and she wanted to know why. Her curiosity combined with a natural desire to help those in her home state of Kentucky led her to pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Kentucky, and then a master’s degree in social work at the University of Louisville. She is now a licensed clinical social worker. “When I think about th...

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Committee also meets with White House AIDS policy director Members of the NASW HIV/AIDS Spectrum: Mental Health Training and Education of Social Workers Project Advisory Committee broke into workgroups while meeting at NASW’s national office in May. From left are Evelyn Tomaszewski, Melissa Sellevaag, Jeremy Goldbach and Dianne Green Smith. (Photo by Paul Pace/NASW News) The Advisory Committee of the NASW HIV/AIDS Spectrum Project met in May to discuss curricula and webinar content updates, workshop schedules and the NASW chapter partnership initiative that supports the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. The review included the Train t...

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Association has supported War on Poverty, Civil Rights Act initiatives for past 50 years Mel Wilson, manager of the NASW Department of Social Justice and Human Rights, was a teenager when President Lyndon B. Johnson gave his first State of the Union Address. Johnson announced a War on Poverty, and the Civil Rights Act was signed into law a few months later — in July 1964. “It was an exciting period of time that changed America,” Wilson said. It wasn’t a coincidence that these two events happened so close together, he said. President John F. Kennedy advocated for civil rights during his presidency and Johnson cont...

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The 40th anniversary of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, a key piece of legislation that addresses child abuse and neglect, was recognized at the 19th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, held April 30-May 2 in New Orleans. The only federally sponsored national conference devoted to the issues of child maltreatment brings together social workers, other professionals involved in this area and key leaders who work to address the issue of child abuse and neglect. NASW CEO Angelo McClain and Director of the NASW Social Work Policy Institute Joan Levy Zlotnik spoke at the conference. McClain spoke during the opening ple...

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April 2014 Board's Action Context Finances Received financial statements as of March 31, 2014 Treasurer Mary McCarthy reported that as of March 31, 2014, NASW’s total asset position was $17 million. Total expenses as of March 31, 2014, were $11.6 million, $375,000 below budget. Approved the FY 2014-15 budget ...

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