Health Practice Tools

Social workers, like many health and behavioral health professionals, are concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on their well-being, the people to whom they provide services, their families, and others in the community.

Social workers are in a unique position to promote disease prevention efforts (including disseminating accurate information from trusted sources), and to help address anxiety and other concerns that are arising as a result of this public health crisis.

NASW strongly opposes a CMS block grant initiative that would undermine Medicaid, the Healthy Adult Opportunity (HAO) Medicaid demonstration program. NASW will continue to work to safeguard Medicaid and access to healthcare for all people.

The open enrollment period to secure health insurance coverage for 2020 is Friday, November 1 to Sunday, December 15, 2019. Individuals looking for health insurance coverage options should be directed to www.healthcare.gov. Social workers have an important role in educating individuals about the benefits of health insurance and connecting them to coverage.

Federal initiatives are helping to support exiting service members and connect them to timely health resources.

NASW is a proud sponsor of this report. Upstream social conditions help shape people’s health because they affect both the delivery and the outcomes of health care. It is therefore critical to take them into account to improve both primary prevention and the treatment of acute and chronic illness. The report highlights social work’s valuable contributions as specialists in providing social care and promoting health equity.

Climate change is affecting the way people live and contributing to physical and mental health conditions. Social workers can integrate knowledge about the environment into practice to help individuals understand and manage the health consequences of climate change.