U of C research teams get $1.6M in federal funding to help COVID-19 fight
calgary.ctvnews.ca
Three University of Calgary research teams are adding their expertise to the global fight against COVID-19. The teams come from three separate disciplines — medicine, public policy and social work — and have received more than $1.6 million in funding from the federal government to explore ways to mitigate the outbreak.… The social work team, led by Dr. David Nicholas, will take a look at the impact the outbreak has on pediatric patients with pre-existing conditions and their families.

Social workers are now the ‘backbone’ of Minnesota’s mental health workforce
MinnPost
Social workers provide the majority of mental health care in Minnesota. They are among the fastest-growing segments of the mental health workforce. And growing their numbers just might be the answer to the state’s serious shortage of mental health workers. In the not-so-distant past, Minnesota’s social workers provided significant support and care to a wide range of clients, but they were not licensed to provide mental health services until 1987, when the Legislature authorized the creation of the Minnesota Board of Social Work.

Mark Smith is a member:
Marshalltown Representative Mark Smith to lead Iowa Democratic Party
kwwl.com
A Marshalltown Democrat has been selected to lead the Iowa Democratic Party following the resignation of Troy Price earlier in the week. Representative Mark Smith was selected at the emergency meeting Saturday afternoon in Des Moines to serve as Interim Chairman. He represents Marshalltown in the Iowa House of Representatives and is a sixth generation Iowan.

Hundreds of students & professionals rally, release salary survey and call for loan forgiveness
InsiderNJ
Hundreds of students, professionals and educators rally in Trenton on March 5 to release the 2020 State of New Jersey Social Work Overview detailing the professional health and salary overview of over 23,000 licensed social workers across the state and the salaries of community organizers, nonprofit professionals, mental health professionals, child advocates and more.… National Association of Social Workers – NJ Chapter (NASW-NJ) with coalition partners and hundreds of students.

March is designated as social work month
The Natchez Democrat
Social Work Month is in March. The theme chosen by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) this year is Social Work: Generations Strong. Each day, nearly 800,000 social workers nationwide work to elevate and empower others, giving them the ability to solve life’s problems, cope with personal roadblocks and obtain the services they need.

Jana Edwards is a member:
If You & Your Ex’s New Partner Have Nothing In Common, Here’s What It Means
Bustle
Couples therapist Jana Edwards, LCSW, adds that the old saying of “opposites attract” has some scientific accuracy. According to Edwards, our brains look for people who can “fill in the blanks” of our own personalities. “The technical language is that we flip from one side of our ambivalence to the other in an effort to be in touch with the exact opposite issues within ourselves,” she says. “It’s not a rejection of you, but an attempt to experience the other side of themselves.”

Social Work program lobbies at state capitol
Morehead State University
Students in Morehead State’s Social Work program took their concerns to Frankfort to rally for higher education funding and share their views with lawmakers. More than 100 students from MSU’s Social Work program traveled to the state capitol Tuesday, Feb. 25, for Social Work Lobby Day. Students from MSU’s main and extended campus locations attended the event, which is organized each March in recognition of Social Work Month by the Kentucky chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. The students attended advocacy workshops and networked with other social work students from campuses across the state.

Nate Dennison, one of the writers, is a member:
Support bill to aid social workers in paying back student loans
Cape Cod Times
Social workers care for our most vulnerable community members, from cradle to grave. The National Association of Social Workers supports a comprehensive bill that will assist many social workers in paying back student loans while continuing to provide vital local services. Support social workers in our communities! I urge readers to email their elected officials to express support for common-sense, solution-focused student loan repayment.

Anti-Machine flyers put up in School of Social Work
The Crimson White
“The machine seeks oppression. Social Workers seek justice,” read the posters that were taped up on the walls of the student lounge in Little Hall last Wednesday. Zachary Boros, a senior in the School of Social Work, posted these in response to some of the candidates running for social work senate. Barring write-in campaigns, the School of Social Work is one of only two colleges with contested SGA senate races. Theta Nu Epsilon, or “The Machine,” is an on-campus political organization that has traditionally dominated SGA elections. It has historically been attributed to white supremacy on campus, and members have been charged with using corrupt and sometimes violent tactics to garner votes. Boros cited multiple bylaws from the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.

Hospice of Michigan discusses National Social Work Month
WZZM
March is National Social Work Month and each year, the National Association of Social Workers celebrates the contributions of the more than 700,000 social works across the nation. This year’s theme is “Generations Strong.” This theme celebrates the important role social workers have played in improving lives of Americans from the Greatest Generation to Generation Z.

Jason Eccker is a member:
‘They’re Not Hiding Much At All’ — Drugs Are Everywhere On LGBTQ Dating Apps
St. Louis Public Radio
On Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air, Small discussed how drugs are being trafficked through digital means to the LGBTQ community. He detailed his experience on the apps and how he conquered his addiction. Small was joined in conversation by Brandon Reid, a housing intake coordinator for the St. Louis nonprofit organization Criminal Justice Ministry and board member for Pride St. Louis, and Jason Eccker, a licensed clinical social worker for Synchronicity Counseling Solutions.

Molly Carmel is a member:
Do I have binge eating disorder? The warning signs and risk factors
Insider
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States, affecting up to 3.5% of women and 2% of men at some point during their lifetime. This makes binge eating disorder more common than anorexia and bulimia combined. Binge eating can lead to obesity and the life-threatening complications associated with obesity such as high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and sleep disorders. Insider spoke to licensed clinical social worker Molly Carmel about how to tell if you have binge eating disorder and when to seek treatment.