Since then, this sweeping, groundbreaking law has improved the health of all Americans, including children, women and families, men, older adults, communities of color, those with disabilities, and those who are LGBTQI+. Because of the ACA, protections are in place for people with preexisting conditions and millions nationwide now have health care coverage without annual and lifetime limits.

One important aspect of the ACA’s impact has been its influence on addressing social determinants of health, a key focus area for social workers. The ACA has played a substantial part in reducing racial and ethnic health disparities by broadening access to healthcare services, including mental health services, preventive care, maternity and newborn care, prescription drugs, and treatment for substance-use disorders.

By providing coverage for preventive services and essential health benefits without cost-sharing, the ACA has helped individuals and their families get the care they need not only to stay healthy, but to address any of their underlying health concerns. Enrollment in ACA plans has reached high levels since its implementation, with more than 21 million Americans gaining coverage through the health insurance marketplace during Open Enrollment for 2024. Today, 40 states and D.C. have expanded Medicaid to provide health insurance coverage and health care access to more individuals and families than ever before.

But how has this increase in coverage had a positive impact on addressing the social determinants of health? Those who lacked access to healthcare services in the past, are now able to get the care they need to improve their health. Social workers have played a crucial role in helping individuals navigate the complexities of the healthcare system, by connecting them with resources and support services, and addressing the social determinants of health that directly affect their well-being. Over the past decade, the ACA has expanded opportunities for interdisciplinary models of care. That includes social workers in health institutions and community-based settings. Social workers are essential team members in hospitals, primary care, specialty care, and community-based organizations.

With the expansion of coverage under the ACA, social workers have been able to reach more individuals and families in need, give them the resources and support they require, and address the social determinants of health and ensure that their overall health and well-being is improved.

Social workers play a vital role in this process, advocating for their clients, connecting them with resources, and addressing the underlying social factors that directly affect their health. They have and will always continue to work tirelessly, helping those in need and supporting health equity, and well-being for all,

As we look towards the future, it is essential to continue building on the progress made under the Affordable Care Act and persistently address social determinants of health in order to create a healthier and more equitable society for all.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)  is seeking feedback from clinical social workers and other providers about how they should provide estimates for costs of services for patients who use their insurance to pay for health and mental health services.  Your feedback would be helpful in providing information to CMS who may create a proposed rule for preparing national standards in this area.

The request for feedback is related to the No Surprise Act (NSA), which protects patients from large, surprise healthcare bills. Clinical social workers (CSWs) are currently required to give Good Faith Estimates (GFEs) to patients who are uninsured and patients who have insurance but do not plan to use it.

Read “No Surprises Act Regulations 2022”

A future rule may add to the Good Faith Estimate requirements for patients who intend to use their insurance to cover their care.  CMS is proposing that the CSW will need to notify the patient’s health plan of their estimated charges.

The health plan would then send the patient an Advanced Explanation of Benefits based on the CSW’s estimate.

The request for information will help CMS propose detailed steps for sending GFEs from CSWs and other providers to the patient’s health plan.  There are a series of questions available for response.  You may respond to one or more of the questions.  Examples include:

• What privacy concerns does the transfer of AEOB and GFE data raise?
• What burdens or barriers would be encountered by small, rural, or other providers, facilities, plans, insurers, and carriers in complying with industry-wide standards for the exchange of information?
• Would it alleviate burden to allow CSWs and other providers, for purposes of verifying coverage, to rely on a patient’s representation regarding whether the patient is enrolled in a health plan?

A list of additional questions is available at Request for Information: Advanced Explanation of Benefits and Good Faith Estimate for Covered Individuals.  The deadline for submitting feedback to CMS is November 15, 2022.

NASW will be submitting comments and requesting an exemption from the proposed requirement that clinical social workers issue GFEs to insurers, and advocating for less burdens.

NASW members may forward questions to Clinical.Practice@socialworkers.org

Getty Images

Posted April 22, 2022

On April 6, 2022, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a report entitled The National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality: Honoring Our Commitment to Residents, Families, and Staff. The report represents the culmination of 18 months of work by a study committee that included NASW Social Work Pioneer^® and Wisconsin Chapter member Colleen Galambos. Study sponsors included the Commonwealth Fund and the John A Hartford Foundation.

The report includes several recommendations supportive of social work, including the recommendation that every nursing home—regardless of size—employ a full-time social worker with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education [CSWE] and a year of supervised social work experience in a health care setting (including field placements and internships) working directly with individuals to address behavioral and psychosocial care. (NASEM report, p. 511; recommendations, p. 3, item 2b)

The report also indicates the preference for a master’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program for anyone serving as a director of social services in a nursing home.

Other report recommendations include the need for (a) federally funded research to inform staffing ratios for social workers and other disciplines, (b) clinical social workers to provide mental health services to nursing home residents and to receive Medicare reimbursement for those services, and (c) data collection regarding the training, expertise, and staffing patterns of social workers and other disciplines.

NASW applauds these recommendations and thanks the study committee for its work. During the coming months, association staff will read and analyze other report recommendations—including those not focused on the social work profession—and engage in the following activities:

• development of an NASW Practice Perspective to educate members about the report in greater depth
• submission of comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in response to its Request for Information on Revising the Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities to Establish Mandatory Minimum Staffing Levels
• collaboration with social workers, other disciplines, and like-minded organizations to advocate for implementation of various report recommendations.

Chris Herman, MSW, LICSW (she/her)

Senior Practice Associate–Aging, NASW national office

The answer? Unintended pregnancies—from when women drank without knowing they were pregnant—represented an overwhelming 80 percent of the estimated AEPs.

Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs)—a range of physical, behavioral, and intellectual problems that last a lifetime. These issues may be mild to severe and can include learning problems, hyperactivity, speech and language delays, problems with vision and hearing, as well as abnormal facial features.

September is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month—a call for social workers to lead in primary prevention by screening all adult clients for risky alcohol use, as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends. Alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) is an evidence-based tool to prevent alcohol use during pregnancy and FASDs. Talking to women about their alcohol use is essential to AEP prevention. In fact, study authors found that public health efforts to help women of reproductive age abstain from alcohol could reduce AEPs by 80 percent. A key message to share with women is that there is no known safe amount, no safe time, and no safe type of alcohol to drink while pregnant.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the NASW Foundation and the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work have partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy, a public health initiative to encourage primary health professionals to use proven practice in routine care. The Collaborative website includes trainings, and resources on prevention, diagnosis, and care.

Visit NASW’s page on Behavioral Health for more resources. Additional clinical resources are available through our Collaborative partners:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Training and Resources
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Prevention Program

By Diana Ling, MA, Outreach Program Coordinator; and Leslie Sirrianni, LCSW, Training Coordinator; Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin

NASW is proud to endorse the Core Competencies for Frontline Complex Care Providers created by the National Center for Complex Health & Social Needs.

The Competencies were developed by a working group of diverse members with expertise in providing complex care, including social workers, community health workers, health care administrators, and consumers. These competencies describe the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to provide quality care for people with complex health and social needs. The Competencies are foundational and set high standards for all providers in care teams regardless of discipline, profession, or sector. They reflect a holistic approach to health care services and create clear practice expectations for interdisciplinary teams.

Social workers and allied professionals serve individuals with multiple medical, mental health, and social needs across the continuum of care from health care facilities to social service agencies. Complex care is an emerging field of practice in which social workers have particular expertise. In the Blueprint for Complex Care, complex care is defined as “[a] person-centered approach to address the needs of people who experience combinations of medical, behavioral health, and social challenges that result in extreme patterns of healthcare utilization and cost.”

The constellation of complex needs is unique from individual to individual. Sara Reid describes the positive impact of a complex care approach by sharing her story of challenges and successes as a woman of transgender experience. Sara struggled with financial debt, homelessness, mental health issues and family disconnection until she was able to find support and stability through the Transgender Health Program at Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. Today Sara is an advocate, a support group facilitator, and a health educator who trains providers on gender-affirming health care practices. In California’s Central Valley, Loretta’s experience included difficulty controlling her diabetes and receiving treatment for a substance use disorder, which led to a cycle of visits to hospital emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and jail. The support of a team at Adventist Health Hanford changed that pattern, and complex care providers helped Loretta to access stable housing, regular outpatient medical and behavioral health services, and reconnect with her children.

Complex care has five overarching principles – person-centered, equitable, team-based, cross-sector, and data driven – that are listed in the outside ring of the figure (Figure 1). The competencies are organized into six domains, which are depicted on the inside of the ring. The six domains are human complexity and context; personal and professional commitment and ethics; person-centered, relationship-powered care, integrated team collaboration, diverse information management, and systems complexity and context. The principles and domains complement NASW’s Code of Ethics and standards, including NASW’s Standards in Social Practice in Health Care Settings.

The complex care core competencies prioritize a strengths-based, person-centered approach to care, an emphasis on cultural competence and social diversity, and an understanding of the impact of the social determinants of health on each individual. Adopting social work’s person-in-environment perspective, complex care practitioners support individuals to navigate fragmented systems of care between health institutions and community-based organizations.

The Competencies build on social work standards that can be applied by the range of practitioners involved in complex care. Many values that are central to social work overlap with complex care, including a commitment to service and social justice, as well as self-reflection and continuing education. In addition, the Competencies integrate concepts and terms that are relevant to care in today’s health care environment such as cultural humility, health disparities, anti-racism, moral injury, trauma-informed care, integrated care, resilience, and other concepts that have been elevated in social work practice.

The Competencies help interdisciplinary team members to unite behind shared goals and approaches to care. Social workers can look to the Competencies as a resource to enhance communication and collaboration on care teams, mediate differences in approaches between disciplines, engage in quality improvement initiatives, and advocate on behalf of patients. Social workers in supervisory roles can use the Competencies with staff and students as a learning framework that aligns with practice experiences. The Competencies can be an educational tool for BSW and MSW students in field placements to learn more about the specific skills that are important in complex care service delivery.

For organizations and programs, the Competencies can orient staff to the work of complex care and help determine training needs to enhance staff skills in delivering such care. The field of complex care is a natural fit for the values and skills of social workers, and it presents leadership opportunities, as social workers specialize in providing social care in the context of health settings. As complex care practice continues to grow and be defined, social workers will contribute to advance this field through direct practice, organizational leadership, and engagement in advocacy.

In the year ahead, the National Center will be building out tools and resources to help organizations and teaching institutions implement the competencies. To learn more, receive updates, and share the ways in which your organization is using the core competencies, click here. 

Carrie Dorn, MPA, LMSW, is a senior practice associate at NASW.

Rebecca Koppel, MSW, MPH, is program manager, field building & resources for the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs.

[divider]The 2021 NASW National Virtual Conference in June will also feature a breakout session on the Competencies, “Drawing from and advancing social work practice within interprofessional teams serving individuals with complex health and social needs.” See the agenda and learn more about conference registration.   

Social workers make life better for people with Parkinson’s, their care partners and their loved ones! Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. It manifests itself differently in every person, and Parkinson’s social workers can help. Social workers address the non-medical aspects of Parkinson’s, including patients’ mental health and support system. They view each person with PD through the lens of strengths, dignity, diversity and right to self-determination. They connect them to community resources, such as support groups, exercise programs, transportation and meal options, PD-specialized rehabilitation therapists and in-home and long-term care. They can also address care partner and family support needs and some may provide short- or longer-term mental health counseling.

Although, the Parkinson’s social worker network expands across the globe, here are a few social workers making life better for people with Parkinson’s:

Adriana Gonzalez, LCSW

Adriana Gonzalez, LCSW is the social worker at the Parkinson and Other movement disorders center, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence in San Diego. Adriana has developed a Latino outreach program and collaborated with local support groups and community organizations to educate the community about Parkinson’s Disease. She is also a member of the Hispanic Parkinson’s Advisory Council, which aims to organize educational programs and materials for people in the Hispanic community living with PD and increase participation of Hispanics in major programs of the Parkinson’s Foundation. Adriana is a strong advocate for supporting patients in maintaining their quality of life throughout their Parkinson’s disease journey from diagnosis to advancing disease.

She says “Being a social worker in a clinic for people living with Parkinson’s disease has been such a beautiful experience for me, every day I have the privilege of making a connection with someone who is navigating through a difficult moment in their life. Through it all, the patients that I work with and their family members have taught me how to stay grounded, how to lean on the people around me and to let go of all those things or changes that are out of my control. With a progressive disease like Parkinson’s, adaptability is key, I have witnessed families navigate a new challenging symptom with grace and curiosity and to be able to be part of their team learning, sharing and supporting them is a great gift.”

Amanda Janicke, MA, LCSW, CDP

Amanda Janicke, MA, LCSW, CDP works as a Parkinson’s Disease Information Specialist on the Helpline for the Parkinson’s Foundation outside of Chicago. In this role, Amanda responds to inquiries from people with Parkinson’s and their care partners, helping them understand the range of Parkinson’s symptoms, treatments, and options for support in any stage, while also guiding callers to relevant Parkinson’s-specific resources.

Amanda says, “I see this work as an opportunity to empower people affected by Parkinson’s to move forward confidently, well-informed, and in a better position to advocate for themselves. I strive to reflect to callers that they already have the building blocks to assert some control over their future with Parkinson’s and that there is a Parkinson’s community to support them along the way.”

Lance Wilson, MSS, LSW, C-SWHC

Lance Wilson, MSS, LSW, C-SWHC is the Neuroscience Medical Social Worker at the Jefferson Comprehensive Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Center at Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. Lance holds a specialty certification as a Social Worker in Health Care from the NASW and has worked in the medical, mental health and public health field for eight years.

He says, “What I love about being a PD specific social worker is the ability to be ‘present’ with a patient and their care partners. After all of the medical appointments, therapy, and medication are addressed, I get to serve as a witness to their experience while validating and providing insight as to how each person with Parkinson’s or Care Partner can live their best life!”

The Parkinson’s community would not be where it is without the support of social workers! For more information on how social work and Parkinson’s disease intersect, tune into the Parkinson’s Foundation’s podcast Substantial Matters: The Life and Science of Parkinson’s episode titled “The Healing Power of Social Work” or read the Parkinson’s Foundation free book “Living Your Best Life: A Guide to Parkinson’s Disease,” written by two social workers and a Movement Disorder Specialist.

Annie Wallis, MSW is  Associate Director, Education Parkinson’s Foundation.

Courtney Malburg is Education & Publications Coordinator, Parkinson’s Foundation

This nomination and confirmation process was rushed and lacked legitimacy. It was an affront to the American people. More significantly, her advancement to become the ninth Justice on the Supreme Court fundamentally changes the philosophical composition of the Supreme Court in such a way as to threaten the continued health care protection for millions of Americans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Just one week after the election, the Court will hear arguments to declare ACA unconstitutional. The addition of Judge Barrett to the High Court makes the survival of ACA extremely precarious.

The elevation of Judge Barrett to a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court also raises the real likelihood that Roe v. Wade will be overturned or weakened.  Such a decision would undo a precedent of recognizing the right of women to control their own bodies  that has stood for nearly half a century. In her testimony during the hearings, it is abundantly clear that Judge Barrett is hostile to the original intent of Roe v. Wade and is insensitive to protecting women’s – and especially Black and Brown women’s – access to affordable reproductive health care.

It goes without saying that NASW is deeply disappointed that the Senate Leadership rammed this important appointment through without giving the incoming president the opportunity to nominate his own choice to fill Justice Ginsburg’s seat. The appointment of Judge Barrett reaffirms that elections have consequences and the composition of all federal courts cannot be ignored as a high priority. NASW will continue to work with its allies on ensuring fairness and balance is returned to the Supreme Court.

For more information contact NASW Senior Policy Adviser Mel Wilson, MBA, LCSW at mwilson.nasw@socialworkers.org

By Audrey I. Houttekier, LMSW, C-ASWCM and Gariann Brock, LMSW, ACSW, C-ASWCM

Care Management Social Work at Michigan Medicine provides inpatient clinical social work and discharge planning services in inpatient, observation, and emergency settings for pediatric and adult patients of Michigan Medicine.

The challenge of COVID-19 has presented new needs for patients who are positive for the novel coronavirus which social workers have been uniquely skilled to address.  The past four weeks have been a journey of creating new best practices, increased workloads, and challenges of balancing individual anxieties and fears of social workers working on the front line.

In mid-March, Michigan Medicine began admitting its first COVID-19 positive patients.  With this, three volunteer Master’s Prepared Social Workers volunteered to staff our 50-bed Regional Infectious Containment Unit (RICU).  These social workers partnered with local public health departments, Michigan Medicine’s Infection Prevention and Epidemiology (IPE) Consult Team and provider and nursing teams to create and implement best practices in the care of patients hospitalized at Michigan Medicine with COVID-19.

These practices were implemented and expanded to the broader team of 65 Care Management Social Workers at Michigan Medicine, allowing them to provide consistent and high-quality care to all COVID-19 patients bedded in any unit within our health system.

Social workers key in working with COVID-19 patients, families to get vital information

Maintaining safety in many health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic includes restricting visitors from coming to the hospital to be with their loved ones. When a patient arrives to the hospital without family, ensuring medical decision making is clearly assessed and documented is imperative to the medical team’s ability to provide efficient and patient-centered care.

Since many patients with the novel coronavirus struggle with shortness of breath, sometimes requiring intubation and sedation, the social worker is key in working with the patient and family to obtain family contact information, assess whether the patient has an advocate, and document this assessment in the medical record.  Care Management Social Work at Michigan Medicine has successfully established this documentation within the first 24-48 hours of admission for COVID-19 Patients.

Partnerships were also created with our Office of the General Counsel’s legal team to ensure a method to document and complete the appointments of a surrogate decision makers without the need for physically witnessing/signing a paper document, as this would break isolation precautions. This has been a highly valued and efficacious process for the provider teams and nursing staff caring for COVID-19 patients as the usual method of updating families and advocates at the bedside is not possible.

After hospitalization, social workers keep patients on road to recovery

Through the highly skilled clinical care of Michigan Medicine providers and nurses, many patients successfully recover from their hospitalizations and discharge home to the community.  This presents several logistical challenges for patients in quarantine: How will they pick up their medications? Do they have food in their house? Should they go to the grocery store if they are contagious? If their family members are also ill, or if they do not have family, how do they get home from the hospital?

Care Management Social Workers begin planning for the answers to these questions with patients and families at the beginning of admission.  These are often questions that many patients and families may not think to consider in the midst of the crisis of being diagnosed. Care Management Social Workers also connect with patients the day prior or day of discharge to ensure that patients and families have been able to find answers to these questions.

Some of our most vulnerable patients do not have the supports necessary to successfully quarantine and provide for themselves at home post hospitalization. For these patients, Care Management Social Work has partnered with local public health departments across many counties as well as with community service organizations and medical transportation providers to help patients obtain groceries, discharge transportation, medications, and housing.  For the homeless population, partnerships have been created through the Departments of Public Health and local hotels to provide temporary food, lodging, and basic needs to patients needing to quarantine. Helping individuals experiencing homelessness to safely quarantine limits further community spread and increases the likelihood of positive health outcomes.

Bereavement Support

Sadly, some patients do not survive COVID-19.  Social workers are highly skilled in providing compassionate and empathic end-of-life care and these skills shine in times of crisis.  Visitor restrictions mean that many patients may die alone, without family present, or even without family having the opportunity to say their goodbyes.

Care Management Social Workers collaborate with families and medical teams to assess who in the family is symptom free and able to visit at end of life.  If families are unable to visit, social workers attempt to work with nursing and families to arrange for virtual connections through phone calls, FaceTime, or Skype to provide closure and sense of connection in these times of social distancing.  Social workers provide bereavement support to patients and families as well as psychoeducation regarding funeral arrangements and after death processes, ensuring families are able to navigate the final steps of caring for their loved ones after their passing.

When our normal rituals of mourning and community have been dismantled, complicated grief is also something that social workers are uniquely attuned to assess. Care Management Social Workers’ role at end of life strives to mitigate the incidence of complicated grief, and to provide resources to families for supports in the community.

During this time when Michigan Medicine has been adapting to the needs of a new population of patients experiencing the novel coronavirus, the innovation, dedication, and tireless work of Care Management Social Workers has made significant and lasting impacts on the patient care experience for those with COVID-19 and their families. This group of social workers has risen to the challenge of meeting the unique needs of this population as well as caring for themselves and one another during these unprecedented times.

Michigan Medicine is proud of the Care Management Social Workers and all our clinical staff in this time of crisis.  Hail to the front line.

For resources, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) webpage.

By Aliah D. Wright

Across the nation and around the world, social workers are continuing to help clients—despite great risk the pandemic poses to themselves and their families. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) posed the question: Are you on the front lines helping people? Please share your stories.

Here’s how they responded:

Delivering Meals for the Needy

At Sandwich Public Schools in Sandwich, Mass., a team of social workers—Susan Coutinho, Connor Green, Todd Montgomery, Dianna Barbosa, Alyssa Pestilli, Rachel Darsch and Joe Dowick—launched a food pantry program providing food for students and the elderly.

“The social workers go into the community to deliver food and lunches as well as continue to do outreach to the students and families as they are navigating the challenges this presents to our schools,” said Dowick who is the mental health coordinator for Sandwich Public Schools. “After doing a community food drive we were able to secure a 27,000-pound donation of food products for our community from the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation along with many cash donations. The cash donations are affording the ability to provide fresh produce to go along with the staple items we are providing,” he told NASW via email.

Helping in Hospital Settings

Many social workers are working in hospitals treating patients who are isolated from loved ones. 

On Instagram, Mary Ellen told us “I work in an outpatient oncology clinic. The hardest part for me is not being able to touch my patients, hug them, or hold their hand. They can’t have visitors with them during visits or treatments, and for some patients that is really hard,” she said, adding “Human touch is so important. We take it for granted until it’s lost to us. I hold meditation sessions each morning and afternoon for the staff to help ease the anxiety and stress. It seems to help.”

She’s not alone. Rici Reid added, “Our patients are finding it terribly difficult not to reach out for a warm hug, one they are used to! It makes it especially difficult when their anxiety is elevated above their already anxious baseline. We are finding it equal as difficult not to be able to hug them or hold their hands during this already difficult time. We are still, obviously, starting new patients in both radiation and infusion and it’s a difficult conversation to let them know they can’t have their support person with them for their first round of either radiation or chemo.”

“I work in a hospital inpatient psychiatric unit for teens,” added Savannah Burts. “We are still trying to get telehealth up and running for psychology and SUD consults. Patients can’t visit with their OP therapists, only healthy guardians are being allowed to visit. Step down services are on hold due to the strict mandates in Washington and family conflict appears to be heightened.”

For Daniela Castillo, the worse part for patients is being alone. “The worst part is patients can’t be with their loved ones when they really need each other the most.”

Overcoming Fears

Samantha Calvillo, MSW, ACSW who works in an emergency room added, “Fortunately we have enough PPE for social workers, but I worry about what will happen to us when there aren’t even enough for nurses. I signed up for this job and am determined to make myself available for my patients, despite the risks. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared of what’s to come.”

For Dan Demauro it’s also hard. “I work in a federally qualified health center affiliated with a big inpatient and psych hospital that was the county hospital. I am a licensed clinical social worker working with a team of medical providers, nurses and other medical staff to support our patients with psychosocial impacts of Covid-19,” she said. “That includes some crisis, distress management therapy related to fear of illness and economic changes related to job losses, etc.”

On LinkedIn, Wendy Osinkosky, MSW who is a clinical social worker at Western State Hospital said, “It’s been a long two weeks (and counting) on a lockdown that prevents patients from visiting with their natural supports of family and friends. “[I’m] being creative where I can with Zoom, Adobe Connect conferences and patient/family/residential provider visits outdoors to insure social distancing. Inching forward on discharge plans for patients who are stable to create space for those in the ER waiting for psychiatric treatment. Supporting nursing staff by planning patient activities and increasing patient conferences. Hardest part is quarantining myself from family, not being able to hug my kids & having to visit my mom through a window pane barrier.”

Doreen Best, ASW, ACM-SW is a medical social worker in the emergency department at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital in California. She calls this time for patients ‘scary.”

“There are varying levels of acceptance, denial and anxiety amongst staff,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “We (Social Workers) are trying to get remote work accommodations as some people are getting sick and we need to preserve our health. The longer we can stay healthy, we can be available to support patients and their families telephonically or via Telehealth. We will also be able to ensure throughput/bed availability in order to prepare for the surge that is coming.”

Meanwhile, Buffy Sheff Ross, MSW, LICSW, who is a clinical social worker at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts says, “We are providing teletherapy to our ambulatory prenatal and postpartum patients. Our initiative is focused on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. The social work role is providing therapeutic interventions and referral to community resources.”

And Amanda Wilbur, a clinical social work intern at The Grove Corner Counseling & Community Center in Riverside, Calif., says that in her hospital, “we provided iPads so that COVID-19 patients could video visit with their family.”

She says it is the social workers who tracks down families “and facilitates these virtual visits.”

NASW applauds all social workers on the front lines during these unprecedented times. For more information, visit socialworkers.org/covid19

Top stories include:

Immigration: Social Workers Focused on Trauma-Related Impact

With so many immigrants and refugees experiencing trauma related to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, social workers are stepping up to help in various ways — from direct care to advocacy.

Health Care Transformation: National Academies Study Underscores Value of Social Work

A 2019 national consensus study recognizes the importance of addressing social factors for better health outcomes.

Social Work Pioneers Paved the Way for Today’s Accomplishments in our Profession

NASW President Kathryn Conley Wehrmann, PhD, LCSW, took part in an event celebrating NASW’s Pioneer program. She also recent became one of our Pioneers, who are recognized for their contributions to the profession.

Struggling Well

Social workers know that times of struggle can serve as a catalyst for growth and transformation. Every day, social workers help people find strategies for struggling well and help them understand there is hope, writes NASW CEO Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW.

More in the February–March 2020 digital edition:

• Childhood Obesity: Social Work and the Epidemic
• University of Alaska Anchorage: Going the Distance, Building the Child Welfare Workforce Pipeline
• Experts Share Latest Trends in Addressing Domestic Violence
• Salvation Army Retiree Continues to Serve Others Through Leadership

and more.

To see the full digital edition, please visit this link.