NASW Letter to the Editor on Safety

Safety for Social Workers in the workplace is a continuing priority for the Chapter as reflected in the Letter to the Editor published on February 13th and as seen with the chapter’s new program to Train Social Workers and Agencies employing Social Workers in Safety policies and procedures.

Bill would push social work agencies to focus on safety.

Carol J. Trust

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

I recently returned from a trip to South America- Buenos Aires and parts of Peru. I noticed a family phenomenon that was quite charming and new to me. At least I have not witnessed this trend in parts of the States where I travel. Going into restaurants with my husband, regardless of the time of day, I saw tables set for from 6-12 people and more, but rarely for 4 and never for 2 people.  What is all this about, I first thought.  And then the diners started strolling in.  There were huge parties of people.  Sometimes, same aged people but for the most part these were 3 and 4 generation family groups: babies, Mommas and Poppas, grandparents and what looked like extended family members—aunts uncles, cousins, etc.  What a treat!  And this was true in all the rural and urban towns we visited.  Eating out is a family affair-the entire family, not just the nuclear family.

How wonderful, I thought.  I can’t remember having that same experience.  First, we moved out of state from my grandparents when I was very young and even before we moved, we NEVER enjoyed their company in a restaurant.  Don’t know why. It just wasn’t done. Then I don’t recall having such friendly or cordial relationships with my aunts and uncles that we would want to eat together.

And even now that I am older, and parents and grandparents are gone, I rarely see this intergenerational family dining experience in any of the restaurants I frequent.

I had this strange sense of ‘something is missing’ from my history. In any case, I just noticed how friendly everyone was, how relaxed, how congenial. Is it an important missing?  I don’t know.  I’m just wondering.

Carol J. Trust

What Can We Do About It?

I have been out of touch for the last couple of days as I have been in transit from Boston to Buenos Aires for a winter vacation. However, while waiting for my flight to leave Dulles International Airport in Washington, I did catch one of the local T.V. stations airing endless commentaries of the Penn State horror. And I use that word intentional, as I see the alleged crime of child sexual abuse as horrible, the accused perpetrators as horrible and the collusion of silence around the crime as horrible.  And what are we to do about it?

This perpetration has been going on for centuries, even with all kinds of prohibitions, punishments and social stigmas associated with the crime, it continues.  The ancient Hammurabi Code, from Babylon, almost 4,000 years old, admonished the crime, as did the Ancient Jewish laws.  And here we are, approaching 2012, facing the same phenomenon, knowing full well the serious and toxic toll the crime takes on the victims, their families, other witnesses and the perpetrators. 

When I ask, “What Can we do about it?” I look for ways we all can take some responsibility in preventing it from happening and from stopping it if it has already started.  One specific action we can take is to be fully trained and sensitive to those signs that suggest the crime could be happening and to have the courage, the boldness, the moral fortitude to act--to report it to the authorities, the authorized child protection agency in you city or town or those who are the experts in assessing suspicions of child sexual abuse. You do not have to be sure or to have witnessed the crime or to feel you have to prove it.  You do have to have the moral fortitude (and for mandated reporters you do have the legal responsibility to report) to alert the people who will investigate your concern.

This is what the people in power at Penn State did not do.  They looked the other way, denied it, minimized it and fully avoided their responsibilities as adults, as citizens and as moral and civic standard setters.

Even though the trial(s) have not yet begun, and the suspects/accused are innocent until proven guilty, let this be a continuing reminder to all of us of our obligation and responsibility to protect our young people.  Whether our concern or suspicion centers on a trusted teacher, an athletic hero, a clergyperson, a neighbor, a relative, or a stranger, don’t let our fear of making a mistake stop us from calling the authorized child abuse hotline.  Immediately.  This century old problem needs all of us to be advocates, socially responsible individuals and caring human beings to protect our young people. 

Carol J. Trust

Just For Fun

Every now and then I like to get playful with the serious parts of life and laugh at myself, my foibles, my judgments, and my blind spots. And here comes Holly Housman Friedman’s very thoughtful article in the October 2011 issue of FOCUS, about Psychoanalysis—“On Becoming a Psychoanalyst.”  And I had just about given up on that form of treatment or personal exploration as being outdated, overpriced and inaccessible.  But Holly made it come alive when she said, “It liberates patients from neurotic patterns, helps them make better choices, addresses the blind spots and moves them to  live their lives to the fullest potential.” Who would argue with that?  So I am encouraging all readers to take another look at what I thought was an antiquated method of treatment or education.  Pull out your October 2011 issue of FOCUS and get a refreshed view of psychoanalysis.

I took my interest to the next level when I was in New York a couple of weeks ago and went to see the longest running off-Broadway Play- Freud’s Last Session.  This was a ‘fictionalized’ session between Freud and C.S. Lewis after the war when Freud had settled in England.  The two hammered out their different points of view about religion, life, government, tyranny and love.  The dialogue was tight, pithy and substantive.  After the play, I had my own session with Freud, as you can see.  Just for fun

Carol J. Trust

Got Paid Sick Days?

I knew it was coming. The tickle in my throat that grew into a persistent cough. That one sneeze that turned into three in a row. The feeling of a warm cheek that soon pushed the thermometer up to 100 degrees. I knew that despite my efforts of taking Vitamin C and using hand sanitizer, I had the flu.

I knew it was going to get worse before it got better and I didn’t want to risk the staff getting sick so I called out sick for the day. I proceeded to stock up on tea, tissues, and most of all, sleep. I woke up the next day and felt much better.

The thought that I was going to lose my job or not afford to pay the rent because I lost a day’s wages didn’t cross my mind. Unfortunately, that scenario is out of reach for many Massachusetts workers. Over 1.4 million workers in Massachusetts lack a single guaranteed earned paid sick day. This means that there are thousands of workers who must choose between their jobs and their health. Even more Massachusetts workers—more than two thirds—cannot take any sick time to care for a sick child or elderly parent. These workers can lose pay or even their jobs if they stay home from work to get well, or to care for a sick child or relative.  They can lose pay just for going to a routine doctor’s appointment to stay healthy.

NASW-MA has prioritized House Bill H1398, An Act to Establishing Paid Sick Days, which would address this significant economic injustice and public health issue. Under this law:

• Employees earn 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked
• Employees can earn up to seven paid sick days a year.
• Earned paid sick time can be used for illness, routine medical appointments and domestic violence related.
• Earned paid sick time can be used to meet the needs of the employee, or the employee’s spouse, child, parent or spouse’s parent.

There are many reasons why as social workers, we are advocating for this bill. HB 1398 would not only decrease the spread of illnesses but it also would ease the burden on families across the Commonwealth. Caretakers that are able to attend to their sick family members will strengthen families instead of adding the additional stress of losing a day’s wage or even their job.

Earned paid sick days also make economic sense. All health care payers will save when employees can take better care of themselves and their families, reducing their health care expenditures.  This preventive measure would support the efforts of cost containment in health care and boost employee productivity in the long run.

Passing this bill is a win for employees, employers, and families across Massachusetts. Help us tell the legislature that its time to pass HB 1398, An Act to Establish Paid Sick Days! I urge you to call your legislators and let them know that you want them to support HB 1398. The more legislators hear about the bill, the better chance it has of passing into law. Need to know who your legislator is? Go to www.wheredoivotema.com  to find out. You can also email your legislator directly from our website.

Carol J. Trust

Heros

In April, National NASW gave the award for Public Citizen of the Year to Clementine (Tina) Chery for her pioneering work with families impacted by violence, particularly family members of homicide victims.   This was the second NASW award Ms. Chery received.  Last year the MA Chapter awarded her for her extraordinary work through the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, in Dorchester, MA.  Tina’s organization is unique.  It is run mainly by volunteers who work toward instilling the value of peace and raising awareness in young people of the consequences of violence on the individual, the family and the community.  Thanks to the dedicated work of the Institute, November 20^th to December 20^th has been designated as the 11^th annual ‘Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month’.  This yearly observance provides a platform where we can learn and teach others how to assist families who have lost loved ones to homicide.

Massachusetts was the first state in the country to dedicate an entire month to survivors of homicide victims.  We salute the work of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute as we honor the courage, creativity and grace of its founder, Tina Chery.

To find out about the activities planned for this coming month go to www.ldbpeaceinstitute.org

Carol J. Trust

Grateful for good news!

I am so hungry for some good news to appear on the front pages of the two major newspapers in the Greater Boston area. Anything will do. Maybe the good news is being covered elsewhere; maybe I am reading the wrong newspapers? The other day when I had had enough I turned to read some of my emails and low and behold, there was the gold. It was from a social worker who was writing about an extraordinary experience she and her aging Dad had had with a local social worker whose unstoppable advocacy actions took her breath away.  Some of the names of the organizations and people in the following have been changed because I want to focus on the exceptionally powerful positive actions of one of our own rather than on what appears to be negative actions of the organizations in the story.  What follows is our front page story—a story of simple greatness, positive energy and superlative professional actions. Here is the email letter we received

‘Dear NASW,

I am writing to tell you about a clinical social worker, at UMASS Memorial University Campus in Worcester.  My father had a stroke in early July and was hospitalized at UMASS where he received excellent care by the stroke team.  He had ‘Company X’ insurance.

In mid- August, once my Dad’s medical condition had stabilized, the stroke team recommended moving him to an acute rehabilitation facility.  The team believed that acute rehab of 3-4 hours per day was the course of treatment to pursue for his best possible recovery.

The Clinical Social Worker was the case manager assigned to my Dad for discharge planning.  We discussed which acute rehab facility would be best and the social worker went to work preparing the necessary paperwork to get my Dad moved to the rehabilitation facility. 

Despite the stroke team's unanimous recommendation for acute rehab the insurer denied the transfer and proposed moving my Dad elsewhere.  The Clinical Social Worker asked if we wanted to appeal the insurer’s decision and we agreed emphatically.  She worked tirelessly to get the information needed to review the medical facts in my Dad’s case but to no avail. The insurer never even reviewed the medical record in this case.

I hired an attorney to work with us and with our Clinical Social Worker to get a reversal of the denial. After several phone calls and emails, late on a Friday afternoon, the insurer reversed the denial and my Dad was sent to the facility we had wanted to get the medical treatment he needed and the care his medical team prescribed.

I write this to let you and your organization know of the exemplary work that this individual did for my Dad and my family at a very stressful and critical juncture in his medical treatment.  This person is a tenacious advocate for her patients and a credit to your profession.  We were very lucky to have her working with us.’ The social worker is Heather Miller, LICSW.

Sincerely,

A grateful client’

Now, that is great news!

Carol Trust