A centerpiece of the Connect to End COVID-19 initiative (2021-2024) has been to provide accurate information to social workers about COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines, including vaccine safety and effectiveness, barriers to vaccination (e.g., mis/disinformation, logistical challenges, psychosocial and social care considerations, etc.), and the role of social workers in supporting clients in informed decision making regarding COVID-19 vaccination.
Key to the initiative was national, interactive trainings on the use of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and other evidence-based, culturally competent, public health and social work informed frameworks for helping clients process decisions regarding their health. A primary focus was on populations with low vaccination rates and greater vulnerability to severe forms of infection.
Past Complimentary Self-Study Webinars
Complimentary Webinars Offered Through August 31, 2024
COVID-19 Year 5: Are We Prepared for the Next Pandemic?
May 8, 2024, 1:00 PM-2:30 PM (EST) – 1.5 CEUs
Free fireside chat was held with acclaimed epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm, author of the upcoming book The Big One: How to Prepare for World-Altering Pandemics to Come.
As we enter the fifth year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 1.1 million American lives to date (most of them unvaccinated), social workers are understandably eager to put this public health crisis in the rearview mirror. But as experts on the traumatic impacts of these disasters, and the complex psychosocial and related factors in disaster response, social workers have a unique professional obligation to consider: How can we best prepare for the next pandemic?
Dr. Osterholm, founding Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and advisor to the Biden Administration on COVID-19 response, discussed lessons learned from current and prior pandemics, and the hard truths about what it will take to prevent a catastrophe worse than COVID-19. Importantly, he discussed the crucial leadership role of social workers in pandemic preparedness and response. What do these trends this mean for our preparedness—as a profession and as a society—for the next pandemic? How can social workers continue to play a leadership role in preventing further harms and losses due to COVID-19?
Learning Objectives:
- Provide an update on the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, now in Year 5;
- Discuss the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for preparedness for the next pandemic; and,
- Identify opportunities for leadership and action by micro-, mezzo- and macro-level social workers.
Speakers:
- Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota
- Anna C. Mangum, MSW, MPH, Senior Health Strategist, with the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at the University of Texas/Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work
- Moderator: Gwen Bouie-Haynes, PhD, LMSW, Connect to End COVID-19, Special Populations Coordinator
This project and webinar presentation are supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $3.3 million with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
Mental Health of Social Workers during COVID-19: Best Practices for Future Pandemics
November 29, 1:00-2:30 PM (EST) – 1.5 CEUs
It is well established that secondary traumatic stress (STS) is an occupational hazard of social work practice with traumatized populations. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented challenges for social workers that increased their risk of STS and other mental health issues. Throughout practice settings, they have often encountered stressful situations, including challenging conversations with clients about vaccine hesitancy. This webinar introduced attendees to the constructs of, risk and protective factors for, and interactions between, STS, moral distress, and shared trauma. In addition, participants were introduced to guiding principles for individual professionals, as well as the organizations within which they work, to reduce the occurrence and impact of STS.
Speakers:
- Brian E. Bride, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H., Distinguished University Professor in the School of Social Work at Georgia State University
- Barbara Bedney, PhD, MSW, NASW Chief of Programs, and Connect to End COVID-19 Principal Investigator
- Moderator: Gwen Bouie-Haynes, PhD, LMSW, Connect to End COVID-19, Special Populations Coordinator
Extreme Inequities in Maternal Care: The Impact of COVID-19 on Maternal Health Outcomes
August 16, 2023, 1:00-2:30 PM (EST) – 1.5 Complimentary CEUs
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, inequities in maternal health outcomes were a result of a variety of systemic, social, and community factors. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated those glaring inequities. Three years after the height of the pandemic, communities, specifically Black women continue to feel the impact of the pandemic, compounded with the systemic, social, and community factors. As maternal health outcomes are addressed, the COVID-19 impact must be included in the discussion.
Learning objectives:
To describe the early COVID-19 data, guidelines, and information from the PRIORITY Study and workshop presenter’s role on the CERISH Community Advisory Board.
- To understand the intersection between COVID-19 during pregnancy and mental health, lack of resources, and lack of access to necessary health service.
- To identify a pathway forward to addressing inequities and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To identify strategies for vaccine confidence among pregnant women from a community-based perspective.
Speakers:
- Dr. Nakeitra Burse, Owner / Principal Strategist, Six Dimensions, LLC
- Barbara Bedney, PhD, MSW, NASW Chief of Programs, and Connect to End COVID-19 Principal Investigator
- Moderator: Gwen Bouie-Haynes, PhD, LMSW, Connect to End COVID-19, Special Populations Coordinator
COVID-19: New Vaccines, Updated Boosters, and Living with a (Controlled) Pandemic
September 29, 2022 - 1.5 Complimentary CEUs
Interactive webinar, offered through NASW’s Connect to End COVID-19 initiative, included the following discussion and topics:
- New COVID-19 vaccines
- Updated booster formulations
- What we’re learning about Long COVID
- Living with a controlled (versus an urgent) pandemic
- Special considerations for mental and behavioral health providers
- Constructively navigating uncertainty
Speakers:
- Mona Gahunia, D.O., Associate Medical Director, Operational Excellence, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (MAPMG)
- Anna C. Mangum, MSW, MPH, Senior Policy and Practice Consultant
Webinar materials include:
What’s Next in the Pandemic, Through a Social Work Lens
February 24, 2022 - 1.5 Complimentary CEUS
During this webinar, participants heard from social work and infectious disease experts about the evolving COVID-19 landscape, what’s on the horizon, and how social workers can continue to play a role in vaccine uptake, especially among special populations. This was the third in a three-part series offered through the Connect to End COVID-19 initiative in which NASW partnered with the University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
Speakers:
- Mona K. Gahunia, D.O., Associate Medical Director, Infectious Diseases/Internal Medicine, Kaiser Permanente
- Anna Mangum, MSW, MPH, Deputy Director of Programs, National Association of Social Workers
- Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Social Workers
Webinar materials include:
COVID-19 Vaccines Through a Social Work Lens: Supporting Informed Client Vaccine Decision Making Through Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)
January 12, 2022 – 2 Clinical Complimentary CEUs
At this interactive event, participants learned how to apply MI and SBIRT frameworks in supporting clients in their decision making around the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. The complimentary webinar and CEUs were available for self-study through August 31, 2024.
This webinar was the second in a series of three webinars that were part of NASW’s Connect to End COVID-19 initiative, undertaken in partnership with The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Speakers:
- Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW – CEO, National Association of Social Workers
- Anna Mangum, MSW, MPH – Deputy Director of Programs, National Association of Social Workers
- Leslie Sirrianni, LCSW-S – Senior Research Program and Training Coordinator, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
- Stéphanie Wahab, PhD, MSW – Professor, School of Social Work, Portland State University
Webinar materials include:
COVID-19 Vaccination Through the Social Work Lens: Myths and Facts
November 9, 2021 – 1.5 Complimentary CEUs
As part of the NASW 2021 Virtual Forum: Reimagining Social Work In Health, a complimentary webinar, COVID-19 Vaccination through a Social Work Lens: Myths and Facts, was offered. The complimentary webinar and CEUs were available for self-study through August 31, 2024.
Millions of people continue to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. However, there are many others who have not been vaccinated, despite the demonstrated safety of the vaccines and their high degree of effectiveness in preventing severe illness and death. At this webinar, participants learned more about the vaccines, including myths and facts, and special considerations for social workers.
Webinar materials include:
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COVID-19 Vaccination Through a Social Work Lens: Myths and Facts, Anna Mangum, MSW, MPH, NASW Deputy Director, Programs and Lee Westgate, MBA, MSW, LCSW-C, NASW Manager of Policy and Advocacy
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COVID-19 Vaccines by Mona K. Gahunia, D.O., Associate Medical Director, Infectious Diseases/Internal Medicine, Kaiser Permanente