Mikulski Joins with National Association of Social Workers to Celebrate 60 Years of Helping People and Strengthening Communities
Office of Barbara Mikulski
U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a former child abuse social worker, joined with leaders of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to celebrate the organization’s 60th anniversary and its impact on public policy reform, social service delivery and social work professional development. Senator Mikulski submitted remarks to the Congressional Record (available below) and hosted NASW leaders including CEO Dr. Angelo McClain, President Dr. Darrell Wheeler, and Deputy Director of Programs Heidi McIntosh at her office on Capitol Hill to discuss her continued fight to support social workers because of  the important work they do for families and communities in need.

How Social Workers Help Your Health
US News & World Report
Social workers “understand everything that goes on in a client’s life – positive and negatives affecting a person,” says Carrie Dorn, a senior practice associate at the National Association of Social Workers. Social workers in health fields see beyond the relatively sheltered confines of a hospital unit, doctor’s office or clinic. They’re attuned to the larger environment affecting their clients – family, school and financial and economic hardship. Social workers are aware of stress in the community, Dorn says, such as violence and racism that people may experience.

NASW Charts Path for the Future of Social Work
Social Justice Solutions
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is celebrating its 60^th anniversary and charting a course for the next sixty years.  About 150 “thought leaders” were brought together in a forum Friday to assess progress made by the social work profession and to explore challenges that lie ahead for society at large and the roles social workers and NASW will play in meeting those challenges.  Much of NASW’s work focuses on strengthening the social work profession’s ability to provide effective evidence-based interventions and services that help individuals, families, and organizations maximize their potential.  Most recently, NASW worked with Congressional social workers to introduce the Improving Access to Mental Health Act which will expand social workers’ ability to provide services under Medicare.  Senators Barbara Mikulski (MD) and Debbie Stabenow (MI), along with Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) introduce related bills in the Senate (S. 2173) and House (H.R. 3712).

School of Social Work dean named NASW Social Work Pioneer
St. Catherine University
Barbara Shank, professor and dean of the St. Catherine University – University of St. Thomas School of Social Work, was one of 12 recently named Social Work Pioneers by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). She was officially recognized during the NASW 60th Anniversary Celebration on October 23 in Washington, D.C.

Sheryl Zimmerman is a member:
Researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work receive $3.4 million grant to study inappropriate and excessive use of antipsychotic medications
UNC News
Researchers in aging at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been awarded a nearly $3.4 million federal grant to examine the inappropriate and excessive use of antipsychotic medications in assisted living communities, with a particular emphasis on examining what is behind the inappropriate and excessive use and potential alternate practices. Funded by the National Institute on Aging, the five-year study focuses on older adults with dementia who are prescribed off-label medications to manage and control behavior—a growing and dangerous trend that was first observed in nursing homes several years ago.… A first-ever National Survey of Residential Care Facilities recently found that as many as seven out of 10 adults in assisted living have some form of cognitive impairment, such as dementia, as well as other limitations that affect their ability to eat, dress, bath and take medications. Perhaps more troubling, almost 70 percent of these communities regularly dispense antipsychotic and other drugs to control residents’ behaviors, said UNC-Chapel Hill study principal investigator Sheryl Zimmerman, a Kenan Distinguished Professor in Carolina’s School of Social Work.

Christopher Campau is a member:
It’s Hard to Hate Up Close: Recovery Advocacy in North Carolina
The Huffington Post
We need more recovery advocates like Christopher Campau. As a student at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, he’s been in recovery from a substance use disorder since May of 2006. He continues to share his story publicly in a manner that includes emotions, honesty, and a call to action. Within minutes of meeting Mr. Campau and hearing his story and the work he does, the vast majority of the general public would undoubtedly be moved to join the fight for recovery. He is one of North Carolina’s most dedicated recovery advocates as well as one of the leaders for a statewide movement that is changing public perception and public policy.