NASW News

Stephen Gorin, executive director of NASW’s New Hampshire Chapter, wrote a column for the Concord Monitor criticizing the New Hampshire Senate for deciding it needed another 18 months to study Medicaid expansion in the state, even though the New Hampshire House of Representative’s had included expansion of Medicaid eligibility in its proposed state budget. Gorin wrote that further study is not needed, and the delay in expansion will put the health of low-income residents at risk. It will also continue to cost more for businesses and families with private health insurance, he said, because they will be picking up the tab for those...

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More than 200 million Chinese workers migrated from rural plantations to urban labor markets between 2000 and 2010, and the surge in economic growth has resulted in hardships for millions of people in the country. The Chinese government is depending on the social work profession to address these increasing social challenges by bolstering the country’s number of social workers from 200,000 to between 2 million and 3 million by 2020. Many U.S. schools of social work, through their global education efforts, are collaborating with Chinese leaders and educators to strengthen the country’s social work education and practice capacity. ...

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We are social workers in a time when the evidence-based practice movement has been a major influence on direct practice, the design of social programs, and policy in the major social work fields, like mental and behavioral health, child welfare, family services and many others. In the last 20 years there has also been steady growth in the number of social workers receiving federal and other major funding for their research, and many schools of social work, especially those in research universities, now enact a robust knowledge development mission along with their educational one. In a paper given at the annual meeting of the Society for S...

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Participants engage in a virtual reality session. The woman on the left wears a headset with goggles that simulates a real-life experience. Virtual reality experiences can aid some types of social work research and treatment methods. The University of Alabama is installing a lab this summer, the third U.S. university to do so. Attending a virtual party might sound more like a video game experience than a sophisticated research tool. But according to Amy Traylor, assistant professor at the University of Alabama school of social work, virtual reality experiences can aid some types of social work research and treatment methods. “We kn...

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NASW members Barbara Anderson Head (photo right), of Louisville, Ky.; Luba Shagawat (photo center), of Wayne, N.J.; and Karen Sowers (photo left), of Knoxville, Tenn., were elected to the National Academies of Practice in honor of their achievements and contributions to the health care profession. Membership in the NAP is extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to furthering practice, scholarship and policy in support of interprofessional care. NAP works to advise public policymakers of health care issues using expert practitioners and scholars joined in an interdisciplinary dialogue. In addition to socia...

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NASW co-sponsored a webinar in May for the Child Mind Institute’s “Speak up for Kids” campaign, which aims to protect and promote children’s mental health. The institute created the campaign in 2010, giving partner organizations the opportunity to nationally promote children’s mental health and work toward eliminating barriers to care. “NASW was pleased to partner, once more, with the Child Mind Institute on their 2013 Speak up for Kids campaign, which aimed to help educate parents and stakeholders on how to obtain quality mental health treatment for children in need,” said Elizabeth Hoffler, speci...

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U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., reintroduced the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act (S. 997) in the Senate on May 21. The act addresses the shortage of social workers in the U.S. and the national workforce issues facing the social work profession, including low salaries, increased tuition debt and safety concerns. Social workers can play an important role in keeping communities together and helping individuals and families cope with the stresses and strains they are facing, Mikulski says in a press release. “Social workers are among our best and brightest, our most committed and compassionate...

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The NASW Pennsylvania Chapter held a rally on April 16 at its state capitol rotunda in honor of its annual Legislative Advocacy Day. More than 800 social work students and professionals carried signs that read, “Social Workers Change Futures.” NASW-Pennsylvania Executive Director Ron Simon addresses more than 800 social workers rallying for positive change in state policy during the chapter’s annual Legislative Advocacy Day in April. Throughout the day, social workers met with their legislators to advocate for Senate Bill 807, which would establish licensure for bachelor-level social workers, and asked for support ...

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This photo, taken on Southwest 149th St. in Oklahoma City, shows some of the damage caused by tornadoes that hit the area on May 19 and 20. On May 19 and 20, tornadoes tore through the Oklahoma City area, causing deaths and injuries and affecting thousands of residents. The storms left a path of devastation in surrounding towns, including the cities of Moore and Shawnee, and leveled homes and buildings. It was the first time NASW member Lauren Black experienced a tornado, having moved to Moore from Massachusetts about a year ago. She said she was aware she was moving to a tornado-prone area, but during her first Oklahoma summer she barel...

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National Conference on Mental Health aims to reduce stigma, aid recovery, raise awareness. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, left, and President Barack Obama listen to Janelle Montaño speak during the National Conference on Mental Health at the White House on June 3. Montaño is a public speaker with Active Minds Inc. NASW CEO Angelo McClain attended the conference, which is part of the Obama administration’s effort to increase understanding and awareness of mental health. AP photo NASW CEO Angelo McClain attended the National Conference on Mental Health at the White House on June 3. He was among ...

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