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News Items – August 5, 2015

lachainafruge-300x289A social worker saved my life: Lachaine Frugé’s story
Social Work Pulse
New Orleans resident Lachaina Frugé contacted the National Association of Social Workers because she wanted to get recognition for a social worker who helped her through difficult periods of her life. Frugé decided to write about her experiences to express her appreciation. This is her story.

Marlene Lucas is a member:
[Audio] Lafayette clinical social worker talks about coping after shooting
99.9 KTDY (Lafayette, LA)
Marlene Lucas, clinical social worker with over 40 years of experience, speaks to CJ and Debbie Ray about strategies to cope in the aftermath of the theater shooting. Communities go through stages of loss when experiencing a tragedy like the shooting at the Grand Theater.

Alexandra Klein is a member:
Quiet casualties: Why we shouldn’t stay silent about suicides in a small town
Planet Jackson Hole (WY)
Alexandra Klein, 28, is a licensed clinical social worker who deals with eating disorders and suicidal ideation patients. She admits she is not trained as a crisis hotline operator, but if she was the only thing that was standing between the ledge and sidewalk, she would start by trying to contract with the “jumper.” “I would try to create a short-term, goal-focused situation to start,” Klein says. “Instead of saying things like: ‘Don’t ever kill yourself. That’s silly. What are you doing?’ – which you should never say, I would ask them to commit to at least staying safe for the night until [counselors] could see them in the next day. Deep psychotherapy is not going to work at that moment. It’s more like, ‘What do I need to do to at least shift your thinking in this moment?’”

Bayonne gym owner says sweat, psychology key to clients’ success
NJ.com
Mike Stanlaw stood at the door of his Bayonne gym with a wide grin last week. The 28-year-old had celebrated his personal training studio’s grand opening a week earlier, and he was eager to show it off.… Stanlaw’s cell phone number, along with his work line, are listed on the studio’s website. He said he also gives it out to clients and encourages them to text him with any questions. The 28-year-old graduated from Montclair State University in 2008 with a degree in psychology before pursuing his master’s degree in social work from Kean University. He said his training in psychology helps with the mental aspects of looking to tone up or lose weight, two of the most common client requests. He is also prominent on social media, and even has a YouTube channel to help health-minded people stay in shape.

Connecting communities and schools in Baltimore
The Baltimore Sun
With principals as their steadfast allies, the cornerstone of each community school is a full-time community school coordinator whose job is to think about the needs of the student population in their school. In-school coordinators work with lead organizations such as neighborhood groups like Strong City Baltimore, community organizations like Koinonia Baptist Church and Southeast CDC, and anchor institutions like the University of Maryland School of Social Work, plus dozens of other youth development organizations such as the YMCA to form what one community school principal calls “a seamless web of supports and learning opportunities.”

Patricia Findley is a member:
Many NJ residents still traumatized by Superstorm Sandy
WOBM
A new study finds almost three years after Superstorm Sandy slammed New Jersey, 27 percent of Garden State residents whose homes were damaged are still facing moderate to severe mental health issues as a result of the disaster. Patricia Findley, an associate professor in the Rutgers University School of Social Work, said it’s surprising to find so many people are still struggling with a variety of issues almost three years after the Superstorm. “People after two years are typically recovering, are resilient and bouncing back, but we’re seeing particularly with children, more are at higher risk for mental health problems,” Findley said. “We typically think children are resilient, are going to bounce back, but that’s just not so, we have to pay attention to the children.”

Obama marks 50th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid
USAToday
President Obama marked the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid Thursday by saying the U.S. should do more to expand and improve health care for all Americans, including the law he signed in 2010. “We must recognize that this work, though begun a half-century ago and continued over the decades that have followed, is not yet complete,” Obama said in a proclamation. “For too many, quality, affordable health care is still out of reach — and we must recommit to finishing this important task.”

Social worker out to fill gaps in Bakken care
Billings Gazette
A recent University of North Dakota graduate is helping fill a shortage of social workers in the Oil Patch, and now she hopes other students will join her. Skye Albert, who works as a social worker in Divide County, is the first UND graduate to benefit from a grant program designed to fill a need for child welfare workers in oil-producing counties. Albert, who has lived in Crosby for more than one year, enjoys the variety she gets working for a rural agency. “It’s nice because going in I knew I was going to be able to do everything,” said Albert, 23, a native of Wyoming. “I’m going to walk away from this job with so much experience.”

Valerie Barna is a member:
VA highlights pallative care, hospice options
Standard Speaker
Palliative care is specialized medical care for veterans with serious illnesses that focuses on providing them with relief. Its goal is to improve the quality of life for veterans and their families. Valerie Barna, palliative care program coordinator and hospice social worker at the [Plains Township, PA] medical center, said they first met [Thomas] Namack in the hospital and then he came to the hospice unit. Since he has a good support system with his family, he took nurses’ advice to take part in the home hospice program and it’s “much more relaxing,” he said.

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