Payment Reform: NASW’s Vigilant Stance

What does this mean for the social work community? How will these new proposals impact the delivery of mental health and social work services in clinics and agencies?  And what about all our LICSWs in private and group practices?  What will happen to the whole ‘fee for service’  payment system?  These are some of the questions that the health and mental health community are asking as we review the Governor’s  Payment Reform Legislation that was released in February 2011.

Let me tell you that the Massachusetts Chapter of NASW is being vigilant.  The Chapter has formed an Ad Hoc Advisory Group of members who are knowledgeable about  the delivery of mental health service in clinics, hospitals, private practice and other settings.  The group made up of policy experts, private practitioners, policy consultants and academia are meeting to devise proposals and action steps for the Chapter to take as the Payment Reform movement proceeds.  You can be sure that NASW will take a stand for social workers to be well represented on any of the Task Forces and Advisory Groups that the Secretary of Health and Human Services is forming.

We are watching, we are strategizing and we are active.  If you have particular knowledge about this new Payment Reform Legislation and would to join our group.  Let me know.

Carol J. Trust

Local Social Workers Prepared to Help Victims of Devastating Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

In the aftermath of the tragic events in Japan earthquake followed by the deadly tsunami, it is difficult to find the words that express my profound sadness. We all struggle to find ways of responding to this horrific event. However, there is something that social workers can do. The NASW Foundation’s Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund has been established to ‘help social workers help others’. Our colleagues in the Japanese professional social work association are uniquely suited to assess the needs of disaster victims in a culturally competent manner and to provide leadership in promoting effective disaster relief and recovery efforts. Your financial contributions are appreciated. 100% of donations received go directly to those who have suffered loss and are in need of financial or other assistance due to a disaster.

When a disaster strikes, social workers may be personally affected and need help themselves.  They lose their homes, their jobs, and their businesses (including private practices).  Some have even lost loved ones.  Your donation will help them re-establish their lives, so they can continue to help others.

The Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund enables the NASW Foundation to fulfill a key component of its mission statement:  to assist with rapid response in social crises.

Social workers have always been at the forefront of helping others.  Please make a contribution to the Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund today!

To make a donation, click here.

In addition, NASW-MA has contacted the Japanese Consulate to notify them of our Social Work Therapy Referral Service (SWTRS).  The Massachusetts Chapter SWTRS team has nearly 300 Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers (LICSW) ready to assist family members and friends of those impacted by this horrible disaster. Our thoughts are with those affected by this monstrous devastation.

Carol J. Trust

POLITICS, POWER & SOCIAL WORK

How often do we here the word "politics"and immediately assign it a negative connotation? 

Well, I want you to consider this.  There is nothing inherently nasty about politics. In fact, the NASW-MA Chapter has, and continues to, positively affect social change through politics.
 
Case in point- PACE which is the acronym for  the NASW MA Chapter’s Political Action for Candidate Election arm.  This Committee of highly informed political ‘junkies’ –all lively NASW members – who are hungry for political and electoral happenings, keeps the Chapter and the Association on the front burner of electoral activities.  Because of PACE’s important work, which includes interviewing and endorsing candidates who share the same values and vision as social workers, NASW-MA is seen as the organization that candidates seek endorsement when running for both State Senate and House seats.  Sitting at the small conference table in the Chapter office, interviewing the next potential Treasurer or Governor for the state is a thrilling experience. This is an exciting time to get involved with PACE as the group starts to plan  its upcoming strategies.  You can be part of this worthy AND positive process.

Empower yourself. Join PACE today!

For more information about PACE please contact Julie Balasalle at Balasalle@naswma.org or 617-227-9635 x20.

Carol J. Trust

SAY YOU'RE A SOCIAL WORKER!

March is Social Work month- a wonderful reminder of the vastness and contributions of our great profession. And I am  recalling a public education campaign that NASW ran about 20 years ago that is still so relevant, I am revisiting it this week.

The "Say you are a Social Worker Campaign"  called upon professional social workers to declare their profession in all public (and social) communications and venues rather than using other vague titles, which serve to mask our higher educational  accomplishments (BSW, MSW, DSW and Ph.D.)  And to what am I referring? Case in point.  You are being interviewed by a newspaper for an article on your work, or you are at a social event and some asks you what you do, or you are responding to a Red Cross disaster scene and must introduce yourself to firefighters on the scene as you reach out to them.  What do we often hear?  ‘ Oh, I am a psychotherapist,’ or ‘I counsel troubled teenagers’, or ‘I work  with domestic violence victims’ or ‘ I am the Director of a mental health clinic’. You would be surprised how often social workers say describe themselves in these terms.  There is nothing  wrong with these statements especially when they are prefaced with “I am a social worker”, then add, “I counsel troubled youth”, or I have a private practice in psychotherapy”, or ‘I work with homeless veterans, etc.

When you introduce yourself in this way, you’ll be performing an invaluable public education service that benefits our professional and ultimately yourself. 

No professional public relations effort can impress the public consciousness as much as tens of thousands of social workers saying, “I AM A SOCIAL WORKER.”  When you do not it is a loss to the entire profession  and to the public.  The best way to bolster the image of the social work profession is for social workers to identify themselves as SOCIAL WORKERS!  Join me in declaring our profession!  Be inspired by the NASW-MA Chapter's video, "This Could Be You: The Many Faces of Social Work."  Check it out right here: http://www.youtube.com/user/NASWMAchapter

Carol J. Trust

HEALTH CARE REFORM- What’s it all about?

You’ll be hearing more and more about this in the coming months.  Last week the Governor filed a Health Care bill that focuses on reforming the way health providers are paid and the structure under which they are paid. The aim of the bill is to reduce health care costs, while improving care for patients.  There is a lot of talk about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Medical Homes and Global Payments. And there is a lot of concern about what will happen to the way health and mental health services are provided.  Social Workers in particular have raised concerns about their roles in the health care delivery systems.  Private practitioners wonder if social work and mental health services will be included, if private practitioners will be able to maintain their practices, if they want to be part of the ACOs or even how to explore  the pros and cons of that possibility.

At this point, there are more questions about the new system than answers. But you can be sure that social workers’ interests will be well represented in all the discussions and planning.  In fact, NASW has been meeting with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, along with other Mental Health professionals, over the last several months, to make sure that mental health is an integral part of the reform. And indeed, the Governor’s proposal clearly states that mental health shall be an integral part of the new system.  I was at a meeting last week with Secretary Bigby where she told NASW and our mental health colleagues that planning for the transformation of the system will include the convening of a Behavioral Health Task Force that will recommend and set guidelines for the inclusion of behavioral health in any new delivery structure.

As the transformation proceeds, be assured that the social work voice, values and place will be well represented in any discussions and planning.  And please do let me know your thoughts about the evolving process.  We are going to need your best thinking and advocacy  input.  I am so grateful to our staff and our members for their thoughtful input.

Carol J. Trust

Social Work Safety and Loan Forgiveness Top NASW-MA Chapter's list.

Each legislative session the Chapter goes through a major process of identifying bills that it wishes to file and/or support.  The process involves being in touch with our many Shared Interest Groups (SIGS), Commissions, Task Forces, the Board of Directors and the general membership.  Beyond our own membership, we solicit ideas from allied organizations and groups to make sure that we are considering all the issues that affect our members and the clients and communities we serve.  This year the Chapter filed two bills that focus specifically on the social work profession and is giving priority support to 14 other bills that our coalition and SIG partners are putting forth. 

The two professional bills that directly impact social workers and the Social Work profession are: Loan Forgiveness and Maximizing Safety in the Workplace. (You can see the specifics of these two bills and the other bills on our priority list by clicking www.naswma.org)  

Loan Forgiveness is essential for the profession to continue to recruit and retain talented young people.  As our members age, (the average age in Massachusetts is 52) and retire we will be in big trouble if we cannot make ourselves attractive to energetic and passionate graduates or even to younger folks who are exploring career options.

At the same time, we need to make sure that our workplaces are safe, so that staff will feel supported, protected and encouraged to work in all areas of the profession.

These topics are the Chapter's top legislative priorities.  If you would like to be involved in the Chapter’s efforts to make these bills become law, please me know.  You will be put in touch with our Legislative staff who will be spending a good deal of their time at the State House and in the districts organizing for success.

Carol J. Trust

LIFE IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

I recently returned from a trip to Buenos Aires, which  is most popularly known for its Tango dancers, and great steaks.  What I didn’t know about was its unusual and perhaps controversial system for recycling.  Here is what I saw and was verified by a number of my Argentinian contacts.

Every late afternoon into the evening, thousands of very casually dressed people, wheel their shopping carts and trolley down the streets of B.A. sorting through the trash.  There are three basic groups: the bottle/glass collectors; the metal collectors and the paper collectors (called cartones.)  The cartones  open up plastic trash bags looking for all sorts of paper products but mostly fold up the large cardboard cartons that small businesses leave out on the side walk.

Each group (and in some cases a group is made up of family members from three generations) has its own streets and blocks that  it has claimed, so the territorial boundaries have been set and are handed down to the next generation.

The cartones are a separate working class group.  They live in the shanty towns outside the city and come into town via special trains just for them to accommodate their trolleys and shopping carts. The trains do not stop at the regular train platforms where folks are coming into town for their office and retail shop jobs.  These are windowless trains brought out of retirement, reserved just for the cartones.

And what was my response?  Compassion? Sympathy? Outrage? At first, yes.  And then I thought, “how amazing!”  The cartones have built an industry that creates jobs and at the same time addresses environmental concerns.  How strange.  Am I outraged at a government that allows this or am I impressed at the resourcefulness of a group of people that had no jobs before. Outrage or resourcefulness?  Outrage or resourceful? What do you think?

Carol J. Trust