NASW Condemns yet another incident of lethal police force against an African American
May 28, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) strongly condemns the continued death of unarmed people who are African American at the hands of police. We renew our call for the nation to adopt policing reforms to address this crisis. And we offer our condolences to the families of the people who have died.
Minneapolis resident George Floyd died tragically on May 25 while being apprehended by the city’s police officers. Mr. Floyd, 46, was unarmed, and was being arrested for a non-violent misdemeanor crime of allegedly attempting to pass a counterfeit $20 bill and was in handcuffs.
Mr. Floyd died from asphyxiation when an arresting officer pressed his knee on his neck for more than five minutes. His death was disturbingly reminiscent of the 2014 police lethal force death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York. Mr. Garner was also asphyxiated while being apprehended by police for allegedly committing a minor crime.
The killing of Mr. Floyd is not an isolated case of the excessive use of lethal force by police. Georgia resident Ahmaud Arbery, 23, was gunned down in February during a so-called citizen’s arrest led by a former police officer.
Mr. Arbery was unarmed and had not committed a crime. This tragedy was further exacerbated by an apparent attempt by the local prosecutor’s office to cover up the incident. It didn’t come to the public’s attention until April 2020.
In yet another incident this month, Breonna Taylor, 26, an African American emergency medical technician, was shot eight times by Louisville, Ky., police. The police were executing a no-warrant search during a botched drug raid, but entered the wrong address. Ms. Taylor was unarmed and killed while she slept after finishing her shift as an EMT worker in a city with a high COVID-19 infection rate.
NASW over the years has been very vocal in calling for reforms of police use of force laws. We have joined with other national organizations to ensure that it be mandatory that police wear body cameras, and that cameras be turned on during encounters with people suspected of crimes. However, it is clear that these efforts have only brought modest success in addressing excessive and lethal use of force by police.
It is equally clear that before America can end racial disparities in use of force, there must be a change in police culture. Police departments must root out the many officers who continue to view Black lives as being less valuable than that of other Americans. NASW will continue to fight for that cultural change.
For more information on this issue read the NASW Social Justice Brief, The Role of Racial Profiling in Encounters with Law Enforcement .
Social Work Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic
The pandemic reminds us how connected we all are. Learn ways to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), support clients and prepare your practice. Social workers, like many health and behavioral health professionals, are concerned about the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on their well-being, the people to whom they provide services, their families, and others in the community.
NASW has been working on multiple fronts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure access to services, such as advocacy to ensure insurance coverage for teletherapy. Social workers are in a unique position to promote disease prevention efforts (including disseminating accurate information from trusted sources), and to help address anxiety and other concerns that are arising as a result of this public health crisis. As the situation continues to rapidly evolve, NASW will continue to monitor developments and work to protect social workers and the clients we serve.
MS Board of Examiners for Social Workers & MFTs COVID-19 Update
For an update from the MS Licensing Board click here
Report Child Abuse/Neglect in Mississippi
Report Child Abuse/Neglect in Mississippi
To report a case, please use the MDCPS Report Child Abuse online system or by downloading the MDCPS Report Child Abuse mobile app through one of the following links:
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We invite you to take part in the campaign and share the resources with your constituents demands President Trump Immediately Stop Racist Tweets
NASW demands President Trump immediately stop racist tweets and instead unite nation to address racism, violence and poverty
Jul 29, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is angered by President Trump’s recent racist tweets aimed at Baltimore and several women of color in Congress. We demand Trump stop making such comments immediately.
Instead, Trump should behave in a way fitting of the dignity and gravity of the highest office in the land and unite our nation to end the racism, poverty and violence that plague not only parts of our country’s great cities but areas in rural and suburban America.
Trump’s most recent tweets are just the latest in his long string of racist attacks. For instance, he has called Haiti and African nations “shithole” countries. He has characterized Atlanta – a city with a majority black population – as “crime infested.” And he has said immigrants who come from Latin America will “infest” our nation.
Such comments may energize a small part of Trump’s base. But the President’s tweets are deplorable and are causing long-lasting damage to the psyche of our nation.
NASW and the nation’s social workers have long been committed to ending racism in this nation and the societal ills that result from racism – including housing discrimination, poverty and health care and mental health care disparities.
So we demand Trump stop tweeting for a while and do the real, presidential work of addressing these societal problems. Action speaks louder than tweets.
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NASW Releases Statement on ICE Raids
NASW has released a
statement on the Trump Administration raids of migrant families. The statement,
which was sent to more than 500 reporters around the nation, contains advice on
what social workers can do to help:
https://bit.ly/2JA9fVF
NASW previously
released a short video that outlines what the NASW Texas Chapter is doing and
advice from Executive Director Miriam Nisenbaum on how social workers can aid
children who are migrants and have been detained:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dSpJJTmMO8&t=3sT&fbclid=IwAR1Fj8i_X6_WekoMQGE_RBk6kEsV1ssNpDJu_njyEv5TCjO-6M4hirC9hS4
Lastly, here is
an NASW Social Work Blog post that contains resources for social workers to get
involved:
http://www.socialworkblog.org/advocacy/2018/06/how-to-volunteer-to-help-immigrant-children-separated-from-family/
Sad News for NASW MS Chapter
Okolona - Karen Selestak passed away at Baptist Medical Center, Monday, June 24, 2019. A proud Aries, Karen was born on April 6, 1954, in Okolona, MS, to Mary Katherine "Kassie" Reid and Stephen "Smokey" Selestak. She attended Okolona High School.While "Krun" lived life to the fullest, her true passion was her social work. She held a BS degree from MS State University and a MS in Social Work from University of Southern MS, where she began her career with the Dept of Human Services. She was employed at the MS State Hospital from 1980-1998 in the roles of Continued Treatment Social Worker, Clinical Program Director, and Director of Jacquith Nursing Home. Karen was a Licensed Certified Social Worker.
She was active in National Association of Social Work - MS Chapter - from 1992 to 2019 serving in many capacities including President. From 2006-2019 she served in the roles of Continuing Education Coordinator and Annual Conference Coordinator. She received the 1998 Social Worker of the Year and was honored with the 1st Annual Karen Selestak Excellence in Chapter Service award in 2019.
For Karen's full obituary click here.
National President, Dr. Kathryn Wehrmann Visits Mississippi
Meridian Branch Rep, Anderea Germany with Dr. Wehrmann
MSU-Meridian Social Work Students
Social Justice Brief
Tools for Social Workers to Prevent Gun Violence
NSAW is partnering with the Brady Campaign-Center on gun-violence related issues. NASW has released a social justice brief on gun safety, which is co-branded with the Brady Campaign-Center. Rebecca Gonzales from the NASW California Chapter contributed.
An Hour with Private Practice is a free, question and answer call-in session for NASW members who have specific questions or concerns about an issue in private practice. The program is held every third Wednesday of the month from noon to 1 pm ET. No pre-registration is required and members can join in the discussion, ask questions, and make comments. These sessions provide members with important clinical social work updates impacting the delivery of mental health services in a private solo or group practice. Please visit this link for more information and the 2019 schedule of programs.
You Complete It. We'll Track It.
CE Tracker is the continuing education manager that makes license renewal a breeze.
We know how hard it is to keep track of the constantly changing licensing renewal requirements, and we’re here to help. CE tracker tells you exactly what you need to renew your license in your state – everything from the amount and type of CE’s needed, to renewal deadlines.
Annual Subscription Rates
NASW Members: $25 Non-Members: $40
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Provides state-mandated requirements for license renewal
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Suggests available, valid, NASW Approved content
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Automatically loads completed CEs from the CE institute into tracker
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Recognizes uploaded, completed programs outside of NASW
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Easy to read dashboard with completion status
Learn more about CE Tracker
myPlan: Dating Violence Prevention App
myPlan is an online tool designed to help students who may be experiencing dating violence evaluate their safety, make decisions, and connect to campus and community services. It’s also for friends who want to support someone they are concerned may be in an abusive relationship.
Backed by research from multiple NIH funded trials, myPlan can support student safety, is private, personalized for each situation, and completely free. It can be accessed online or through the smartphone app. Learn more at http://myPlanApp.org
Reimbursement for social workers through Medicare reduced?
NASW has been notified by some members that they are receiving letters regarding reimbursement reductions recently implemented by Humana, Tricare East. If you have a copy of the email/letter that Humana sent announcing the reduction, please forward a copy to the NASW, MS Chapter office at info.naswms@socialworkers.org
Medicaid Work Requirements
On the current tax reform plan: http://familiesusa.org/blog/2017/11/republican-tax-plan-opens-door-trillions-health-care-cuts
On Implementing Medicaid work requirements: http://familiesusa.org/blog/2017/10/six-reasons-work-requirements-are-bad-idea-Medicaid
From the AHCA debate but still relevant on Medicaid work requirements: https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-and-work-requirements/