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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® Social Work E-News
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Issue #30, May 15, 2003
EDITOR'S EYE
Dear Social Work Colleagues,
Welcome to Issue #30 of the Social Work E-News. This e-mail newsletter is brought to you by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and other social work publications.
I am extremely excited to announce that our online job center, SocialWorkJobBank.com, was recently redesigned and upgraded. The new, improved SocialWorkJobBank is ready for your use. Through our partnership with JobTarget, the site now offers the most user-friendly, state-of-the-art job board technology I could find anywhere. What's more, SocialWorkJobBank has been customized to meet the specific, unique needs of social work job seekers and employers.
As a job seeker, you can search the site for jobs, as well as post a confidential resume (your contact information is only revealed to employers with your approval). You can also create a job agent that will e-mail new job listings to you, and you get your own "My Career" area to keep track of jobs you're interested in, your resume and cover letters, and more..
As a social work employer, you can post jobs, search resumes, track applicants, and more. Of course, all services are FREE for job seekers, and the site is affordable for employers, as well. (And we're celebrating with several "GRAND OPENING" specials for employers. Also, see below, under "Job Corner" for exclusive COUPON offers for Social Work E-News readers.) The site also includes an online career center with articles, links, and a salary calculator.
I'm seeking job search articles for the site, so if you would like to submit an article for consideration for the site, let me know. Go to http://www.socialworkjobbank.com to explore the new site!
May marks the observance of National Mental Health Month and Older Americans' Mental Health Week. (See more information about these in this newsletter.) Also observed in May are Better Hearing and Speech Month, National Arthritis Month, National Hepatitis Awareness Month, National Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month, National Stroke Awareness Month, National Older Americans Month, Women's Health Care Month, National Suicide Awareness Week (May 4-10), National Alcohol and Other Drug-Related Birth Defects Week (May 11-17), National Missing Children's Day (May 25), and National Senior Health and Fitness Day (May 28), among others! For more information on any of these, a search on Google (http://www.google.com) should result in several good sources.
Until next time,
Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW
Publisher/Editor
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER®
http://www.socialworker.com
linda.grobman@paonline.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
News
A Word From Our Sponsor
Feature
On Our Web Site
In Print
Job Corner
Special Offers for Social Work Employers
Newsletter Necessities
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NEWS
Mental Health Matters Every Day--National Mental Health Month Observed in May
The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) sponsors National Mental Health Month in May of each year. This year's theme is "Mental Health Matters Every Day."
According to the Center for Mental Health Services, an agency within the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), one in five adults (20 percent) has a diagnosable mental health disorder. The NMHA states that mental illness is more common than cancer, lung disease, and heart disease combined. Nearly half of all Americans with a severe mental illness do not seek treatment, according to the U.S. Surgeon General's report on mental health. This may be because of lack of awareness, stigma, or lack of access to services.
Social workers are one of the largest, if not THE largest, groups of mental health providers in the U.S. For more information about National Mental Health Month, see http://www.mentalhealth.org/highlights/May2003/mentalhealth/default.asp or visit the NMHA Web site at http://www.nmha.org or you may call NMHA at 800-969-6642.
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NY State Resource on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for HIV Providers
Is HIPAA on your last nerve? Are you frustrated in your quest for answers to your HIPAA-related questions? The AIDS Institute has contracted with Legal Action Center (LAC) to provide free technical assistance on the HIPAA privacy requirements and how they relate to HIV service providers. LAC can help agencies determine if they are covered under HIPAA and if so, what's needed to ensure federal compliance while interrelating with NYS HIV confidentiality laws. Fact sheets and user friendly resource materials, which include templates for privacy practices and business associate agreements, are available upon request. Hours for technical assistance: 1 - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Call (212) 243-1313.
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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
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HTTP://SOCIALWORKEXAM.COM
Social Work Exam Prep Review. Prepare right on the Internet!! Multiple choice exam banks, Timed Questions, Secrets to Passing, DSM-IV Terms, Notables, all Online and Interactive. Reveal strengths and weaknesses so you can map your study strategy. Check out our FREE QUESTION SAMPLER!!
Licensure Exams, Inc.
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FEATURE
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With Older Americans' Mental Health Week, OWL Will Educate Public, Call for Parity in Medicare
Mistaken assumptions about mental health and aging have serious implications for older adults, especially women. In an effort to improve public understanding about the role of mental health in successful aging, the Older Women's League (OWL) will launch Older Americans' Mental Health Week later this month.
"Too many Americans mistakenly believe mental illness is a normal part of aging," said Laurie Young, Ph.D., executive director of OWL. "Older women disproportionately suffer the consequences of undiagnosed and untreated mental illness. Throughout their lives, women are more likely than men to experience depression, for example. We live six years longer than men, on average, further expanding the possibility of undiagnosed illness. And as caregivers, midlife and older women often cope with undiagnosed and untreated mental health disorders in others."
Older Americans' Mental Health Week, May 25-31, 2003, will be an annual health observance commemorated the last week of May with public education and advocacy activities. Lead partners include the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) and the National Council on the Aging.
Although 20 percent of older Americans have a diagnosable mental illness, research shows that fewer than one in four are fortunate enough to get any mental health attention, let alone appropriate care. One alarming fact stands out: older adults have the highest suicide rate of any age group.
During May, OWL members will call upon Congress to find ways to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness among older adults. "High Medicare co-pays for mental health treatments are discriminatory and short sighted," Young said. "Congress must give mental health parity in the Medicare program as a means of ending discrimination and promoting health."
OWL welcomes the introduction of such legislation, the Medicare Mental Health Modernization Act of 2003, sponsored by Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) in the Senate and Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) in the House, and urges its prompt review and passage.
Current policy does not promote either understanding or the mental health of older Americans. Currently, when an older person goes to a doctor for treatment of a physical illness, Medicare pays 80% of the bill, and the patient is responsible for 20%. However, when that same person seeks help for a mental illness, Medicare pays only 50 percent of the bill, leaving 50% for the patient to pay. Because many seniors live on a fixed budget, and the Medicare program itself does not prioritize mental health diagnosis and treatment, many simply go without needed mental health care.
Research shows that when an older person's physical illness is complicated by a mental illness like depression, they have more visits to primary care physicians, use more medications, and are more likely to have emergency room or hospital admissions. Their treatment outcomes are worse. For example, rehabilitation from a hip fracture or a heart attack is less successful and more expensive when complicated by depression.
"With proper diagnosis and treatment, older Americans with mental illness will be in a better position to live fuller, more satisfying lives," Young said.
May is both Older Americans' Month and Mental Health Month. NMHA, the sponsor of Mental Health Month, includes Older Americans' Mental Health Week materials in its Mental Health Month toolkit. Similarly, the Administration on Aging, which sponsors Older Americans Month, includes mental health materials in its public education toolkit.
Funding for Older Americans' Mental Health Week is provided by Eli Lilly and Company; Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, LP; and Pfizer, Inc.
More information on Older Americans' Mental Health Week may be obtained by visiting http://www.owl-national.org
For information on Mental Health Month, see http://www.nmha.org. For information on Older Americans Month, see http://www.aoa.gov
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ON OUR WEB SITE
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There are many interesting discussions taking place on THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's online discussion forum. We are still discussing our latest "Interactive Article." The article was published in the Spring 2003 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER (in print), and is also published on the Web site. Titled ETHICAL DECISION MAKING MEETS THE REAL WORLD OF FIELD WORK, this article presents a case in which one student inadvertently obtains information about her own client from another student's case presentation in a field seminar. Go to http://www.socialworker.com/discus and click on "Interactive Articles" to join the discussion of the ethical dilemmas that ensue.
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IN PRINT
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER MAGAZINE
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is our print magazine, published since 1994 (now in our 10th year!), which is published quarterly. It includes articles on social work ethics, field placement, practice specialties, and a lot more. If you are not a subscriber yet and would like to be, go to http://www.socialworker.com for more information. Put a subscription to THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER on your "wish list" or order directly from our online store at http://www.whitehatcommunications.com/store -- where you will also find the social work and nonprofit management books we publish.
The Spring issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is now available. It includes the following articles:
*Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
*Friday at 3 O'clock: A Memoir of the Field
*Coming Full Circle: Putting Advocacy Ethics Into Action
*Ethical Decision Making Meets the Real World of Field Work (Interactive Article)
*Fifty Years of Homelessness: An Analysis of Federal Housing Policy
*Older Adults and HIV
*Social Work, Dreams, and Passion in an Ideal World
*Telephone Tips
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and more
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JOB CORNER
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LONDON QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKERS
Social workers urgently required for child protection jobs in England, You must be a recent graduate with a BSW or MSW to participate in the program. All jobs are within Social Services Government Departments. Excellent pay rates, holiday pay and professional support. LQSW can assist social workers with flights to England. Speak to us about flight package. Please e-mail for details and your availability. Other client groups are available later.
http://www.lqsw.com
e-mail: info@lqsw.com
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ATTENTION EMPLOYERS: THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER opened its newly-upgraded version of the online job board and career center at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com on April 30. Several "GRAND OPENING" specials are available for employers who would like to place job listings on the site. For details, see http://www.socialworkjobbank.com or contact linda.grobman@paonline.com . Both new grads and experienced social work practitioners are included in our ever-growing candidate profile bank! SocialWorkJobBank.com is easy to use and affordable, too.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR EMPLOYERS: Receive a $15 discount off the regular price of a single job posting. Just use Coupon Code 394884640 when you post your job listing at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com
ANOTHER SPECIAL OFFER: Have more than one job to post? Receive a $25 discount off the price of a multiple job posting pack at SocialWorkJobBank.com. Use Coupon Code 894517830 when you purchase a posting package.
Both of the above offers are good through May 31, 2003, and are for Social Work E-News readers. If you or your agency are hiring social workers, take advantage of these offers before they expire. If you know of other agencies that are seeking qualified professional social workers, feel free to pass this offer along to them.
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SOCIAL WORK JOB SEEKERS: Please visit http://www.socialworkjobbank.com to search current job listings, to post your confidential resume/profile, or to request e-mail job alerts via the Job Agent feature. Please let employers know that you saw their listings in the SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS and at SocialWorkJobBank.com. All job seeker services are free of charge!
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NEWSLETTER NECESSITIES
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS is published by:
White Hat Communications (publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® magazine and THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® ONLINE)
P.O. Box 5390
Harrisburg, PA 17110-0390
Linda Grobman, Editor
linda.grobman@paonline.com
http://www.socialworker.com
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Advertising: If you would like to place a job listing or sponsor this newsletter, send an e-mail message to linda.grobman@paonline.com for rates and further information.
News: Please send brief social work-related news items to linda.grobman@paonline.com for consideration.
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Copyright 2003 White Hat Communications. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this entire newsletter, with all information intact, by e-mail to social work colleagues, students, and others interested in social work, for personal use only. You may also print out this newsletter for personal use. All other uses of this material require permission from the publisher at linda.grobman@paonline.com
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is a registered trademark of White Hat Communications.
Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW
Editor/Publisher
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER
http://www.socialworker.com 