Social workers are are playing a role in helping victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, according to this article in USA Today.

The article mentions how social workers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital worked long hours to assist victims and their families.

“This had a level of intensity greater than anything else, just knowing what was happening outside,” hospital social worker Laura Taylor said.

Social workers help people recover in the aftermath of tragic events. To learn more read this article by Lesa Warren, MSW, LCSW, on the the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” consumer website.

According to data compiled by Northwestern University from DCFS and the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 91 indicated cases of abuse or neglect statewide last year for every 10,000 Illinois children. 35 downstate counties showed abuse and neglect rates more than double the statewide average:

Northern Illinois: Winnebago;
Quad Cities Region: Henderson, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island, Stark, Warren;
Central Illinois: Adams, Clark, Edgar, Fulton, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Mason, Morgan, Shelby, Vermilion;
Southern Illinois: Clay, Crawford, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Marion, Pulaski, Richland, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White.

Cook County had an abuse and neglect rate of 69 indicated child victims per 10,000 children during the same time period, slightly below the state’s average.

The increasing number of abused and neglected children in downstate Illinois follows a decade long trend. Ten years ago (FY 2003), the department received reports of suspected abuse of 61,930 kids across downstate. Last year’s total (FY 2012) of 74,102 represents a 20 percent increase. During the same period, reports of suspected child abuse declined in Cook County by 9 percent.27 percent of allegations were substantiated by DCFS investigators last year, and downstate Illinois accounted for 71 percent of the 29,044 children who were indicated as victims of abuse or neglect.DCFS encourages anyone who suspects that a child under 18 is being abused or neglected by a parent, relative, or other caregiver to call its toll-free hotline at 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873) so that children and their families can get the help they need to ensure children’s safety and well-being.

To view or download the full 20 page Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics Report for October, visit: http://www.state.il.us/DCFS/docs/canstat.pdf

To view or download a color map of child abuse and neglect rates by county for FY2012, visit: http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/index.shtml

She continued this vision when she became director and head of the Department of Medical Social Work at the University of Illinois Medical Center in 1977. The department had the first demonstration prevention grant from the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services and developed and housed both the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center and the Illinois Geriatric Education Center. She encouraged her staff to go beyond basic treatment services whether it be medical or psychiatric services. She was a mentor to many and a model for integrity, knowledge, and service in our profession. In addition she taught health social work at Jane Addams College of Social Work and fostered a wide array of research in areas such as mental health, children and family issues, HIV/AIDS, and gerontology. 

Natalie was also active in the NASW Illinois Chapter. She was a leader on the Health Committee in the 1970s and encouraged others to be involved in association issues as well as in political action. She actively worked to get a woman representative elected to the state legislature, Rosemary Mulligan, when electing a woman was rare. 

After her retirement, Natalie became a member of the Advisory Council of Age Options, the Suburban Cook County Area Agency on Aging. She also traveled extensively and continued to be active in community and cultural affairs.

Make Your Voice Heard

The Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty is working to cut the number of Illinoisans experiencing extreme poverty in half.

The Commission is seeking input from Illinois residents on the state’s progress towards its efforts to cut extreme poverty. Your input is critical to ensuring the strategy and the focus of the Commission in the coming year reflects the needs of those experiencing hardship in our state. 

Please join the Commission at one of our upcoming public hearings:

Chicago
Date: Monday, August 13, 2012
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 pm 
Location: Truman College, Room 1947-55
1145 W. Wilson Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640 

Maryville
Date: Tuesday August 21, 2012 
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm 
Location: Our Lord Lutheran Church
150 Wilma Dr.
Chicago, IL 62062 

West Frankfort
Date: Thursday, August 23, 2012
Time 7:00 - 9:00 pm 
Location: First Christian Church
1001 S. Cherry St.
West Frankfort 62896

Please note: Attendees will be asked to register to speak on-site and will be allowed to provide oral testimony. If you have lengthier comments, please provide them in written format as testimony times will be brief to accommodate all. 

Food & Childcare will be provided 

For more information, contact Kim Drew at Heartland Alliance.
Follow the hearings on twitter with #povertyIL 
Join our event on Facebook 

Learn more at: http://www2.illinois.gov/poverty/Pages/default.aspx

This rule change will impact student members, as well as school social workers who have already accepted 2012–2013 school internship placements. Some students may be contacted by their site to inform them of this rule and the inability of the student to be officially in a school internship pending the passing of the content area test.  The rule change is based on comprehensive certification amendments to the School Code enacted in 2011 that we were assured would not substantively impact employees with Type 73 certificates.  

Phil Milsk, NASW Illinois Chapter Government Affairs Consultant, will be in Springfield next week meeting with ISBE, together with representatives from the Illinois Association of School Social Workers (IASSW), as well as representatives from the University of Illinois Jane Addams College of Social Work and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work. 

We will keep the membership informed of these developments.

WASHINGTON, DC (June 28, 2012) The National Association of Social Workers today celebrates the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).   NASW has been an outspoken advocate for improving health care access, quality, and services for millions of Americans not currently served by the nation’s health care system. Thanks to today’s ruling, many health care advocates, including NASW, are excited about working to make essential provisions of the law a reality.  

While the Court has ruled that states must comply with requirements to receive Medicaid expansion funding, they cannot be penalized by removing funding for existing Medicaid programs.  NASW and its members will work with states to do what is in the best interest of their most vulnerable citizens—and expand Medicaid eligibility to the level set by the ACA.

In the two years since ACA was signed into law, several implemented reforms have had a positive effect on the lives of many struggling families, people with chronic illnesses, and millions of young adults who were previously uninsured. Responding to state and corporate opposition to the law, the Supreme Court of the United States has now ruled that the ACA and its key provision—a federal mandate to require all citizens to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty—is constitutional. 

“NASW believes this decision supports ACA provisions already implemented, and ensures that future changes can improve health care access for millions of Americans in need,” says Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, NASW CEO.  “The nation has a great opportunity to expand coverage and access, and bring spiraling health care costs under control with today’s victory.”

The Supreme Court’s ruling will have an impact on:

• Affordable Health Care. ACA makes health care affordable for all Americans—including those with employer-sponsored insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. Insurers can no longer rescind coverage.  States will be expected to implement Health Insurance Exchanges to facilitate the purchase of private coverage for individuals and small businesses.
• Coverage Restrictions. ACA seeks to limit the common industry practice of excluding people from coverage because of pre-existing health conditions or restricting benefits for seriously ill patients. Insurers can no longer exclude children and adults from coverage based on pre-existing conditions, including cancer, autism, and mental health conditions such as depression. They can’t reinstate lifetime limits on the dollar value of coverage.
• Medicaid Expansion. The ACA provides health care coverage for more of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens. Medicaid will be expanded, reducing the costly use of emergency rooms.
• Dependent Coverage. ACA helps families ensure their children have adequate medical services during their key transition years as young adults.  6.6 million dependent young adults can continue their insurance coverage.
• Preventive Care. Under ACA, all Americans have better access to preventive care. Medicare and private health insurance plans will offer preventive services, thus increasing the number of people who will receive annual check-ups and cancer-screenings.
• Mental Health Care. ACA provides better coverage for mental and behavioral health needs in health care plans.  
• Health Care Workforce. ACA seeks to strengthen the healthcare workforce, and provides training funds for social workers.  The law addresses an increased need for medical social workers, aging specialists, and mental health practitioners to assist high need and high-cost communities.
• Primary Care. ACA expands the role and value of primary care.  The health care industry’s commitment to increasing care quality through the Accountable Care Organization model can continue.  
• Senior Benefits. The ACA improves preventive services and medication benefits for seniors. Critical Medicare benefits such as co-pay free preventive services and closing of the medication coverage gap will be sustained. 

More information about NASW’s advocacy on health care reform can be found at SocialWorkers.org. Read NASW’s amicus briefs in Florida v. USDHHS and United States Dept. of Health and Human Services v. Florida at http://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/healthcarereform.   

Stoops has been an innovator in the classroom, developing partnerships with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Heartland Alliance, Sarah’s Inn and the State’s Attorney’s Office to provide students with practical experience in real world program development and political advocacy. He has chaired the GSSW’s social welfare policy curriculum and developed a course on violence across the lifespan in the human behavior and social environment sequence. 

In 2010, Stoops received the Community Advocate of the Year Award from the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network. His research focuses on domestic violence, particularly men who batter. He is a founding member of the Center for Advancing Domestic Peace, Inc. (formerly the West Side Domestic Abuse Project, Inc.). Organized in 2004 as a community-based, nonprofit social service agency, the Center provides intervention services for men and women who use violence in domestic or intimate relationships. The Center serves over 400 participants each year at three locations in Chicago. 

Stoops received his doctorate in social work from Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Accredited by the Council of Social Work Education, Dominican’s Graduate School of Social Work is recognized as a national leader for its globally focused, family-centered program. The school is committed to offering students a wide range of local, national and international field placements, including with programs in India, South Africa, Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, Tanzania and Rwanda. 

The school offers a five-year bachelor’s degree in sociology/master’s degree in social work, as well as a concentration in gerontology and dual degree programs with Dominican’s Brennan School of Business (MSW/MBA) and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (MSW/MLIS). For more information on the GSSW, please call (708) 366-3463 or visit http://www.dom.edu/gssw.  

The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago is well underway planning for a potential response to a disaster during the NATO summit. As we work on our volunteer staffing, we are reaching out to our mental health partners organizations to provide supplemental support.
 
We are looking for partner agencies to work with Red Cross Disaster Mental Health (DMH) staff to provide support in the event that we open shelters.  Partner groups that participate will be asked to form a team of approximately 6 volunteers (including 1 lead/point of contact) and sign up for ‘on call’ shifts between  5/18/2012-5/22/2012.  
 
The Red Cross requires that Disaster Mental Health Volunteers have one of the following credentials: LCSW, LCPC, Clinical Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Psychiatric Nurse, Marriage and Family Therapist, School Counselor Certificate/Type 73, or graduate student with an on-sight supervisor (no more than 5 students to a supervisor).
 
We ask that your agency ensure that your volunteers meet these requirements and have been background checked prior to working directly with clients. 
 
The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago will be presenting a seminar for Mental Health Volunteers on May 5th, 2012 from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM.  This seminar will include the Red Cross Foundations of Disaster Mental Health Course & Psychological First Aid. Once have identified you as a partner for the NATO event we will provide you with more information for this course offering. 

If you are interested in participating as a partner agency or have any questions, contact the NASW Illinois Chapter office at office [at] naswil [dot] org.

Oral arguments regarding the act will take place at the Supreme Court beginning Monday, March 26, 2012. The NASW National office will be planning events surrounding the hearing.

This year’s annual Report on Illinois Poverty finds that the post-recession period has seen no gains for struggling Illinois families. In fact, poverty is at its highest point in decades.

• Poverty is worse in Illinois today than during the recession, and grew from pre- to post-recession by 16 percent.
• At least 1 in 10 people live in poverty in 85 of Illinois’ 102 counties.
• Nearly 1 in 3 Illinoisans are now considered poor or low-income.

Experiences of struggling Illinoisans are highlighted throughout the report. Click HERE to read the full report on how poverty is impacting different populations, and explore county-level data to see how poverty is impacting different areas of the state.

• NASW Illinois will continue to work towards comprehensive solution to the state budget crisis by actively supporting the identification of new revenues that address the state’s structural budget deficit, solvency and capacity to support a thriving human services infrastructure to meet the needs of the State’s most vulnerable residents in the short-term and long-term. The chapter will also advocate for prompt payment to providers (through debt restructuring) including the backlog in payments.
• Support Illinois’ implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the role social workers can play in it.
• Monitor compliance of the Williams v. Quinn Consent Decree to ensure that residents in IMDs have access to community services. Advocate for social work professionals to play a role in supporting that transition.
• NASW Illinois will continue towards establishing the rules process for PA 95-518, the social work Medicaid reimbursement law, which will enable mental health services to be more readily available on a community level and how this will fit into the Medicaid reform laws adopted by the Illinois General Assembly in 2011, P.A. 96-1501.
• Advocate for fair and equitable insurance reimbursement rates for licensed clinical social workers.
• Seek approval from the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation (IDFPR) of two proposed rule changes (recommended by the NASW Illinois Chapter’s Licensure Task Force) regarding the addition of cultural competence training to be included in the 30 CEU requirement, as well as the cap on online CEUs. These proposed rule changes would take effect for 2013 licensure cycle.

Ongoing Initiatives

• NASW Illinois will work to promote the hiring of social workers and advocate for the role of the social work profession in the human service sector in Illinois.
• NASW Illinois will closely monitor and review, and support when deemed appropriate, initiatives to eliminate or reduce poverty in Illinois, as well as support efforts of the state’s Human Services, Budgeting for Results and Poverty Commissions.
• NASW Illinois will support legislation and policies that enhance the safety of social workers in the performance of their work.
• NASW Illinois will support initiatives that provide for and protect the human rights of all Illinois citizens.
• NASW Illinois will support initiatives that ensure that women will have reproductive choice and reproductive health services in Illinois regardless of their financial circumstances.

As always, the NASW Illinois is guided by the policy statements that appear in Social Work Speaks 2012–2015 in its advocacy efforts. The NASW Delegate Assembly, a national body of 300 professional social workers, meets every three years to develop Social Work Speaks policy statements.

(LINK)
 

Create a Twitter Account:

http://www.screencast.com/t/njspvIQu 

Find People to Follow:

http://screencast.com/t/C67WGKn2TM

Interact with Twitter Accounts:

http://www.screencast.com/t/HYmIyheme

How to Tweet (Send Messages):

http://www.screencast.com/t/eXaT1WrDLHQ

• Joe Harper, LCSW, to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) on the proposed closing of Chester Mental Health Center.
• Marge Berglind, president and CEO of Child Care Association, to the state’s Budgeting for Results Commission.

Their testimony reflects the importance of members of the association using their knowledge and expertise to shed light on important social work professional issues.
 

Joseph J. Harper, LCSW

DHS has submitted a recommendation to the Commission for the closure of Chester Mental Health Center. This is in conjunction with closure requests for other state operated psychiatric hospitals and the virtual elimination of acute care civil psychiatric beds in the state hospital system. The plan submitted by DHS is inadequate and will deal a death blow to the system of mental health care in Illinois.

Chester Mental Health Center is the mental health “emergency room” for the state. Chronically mentally ill patients (both civil and forensic) who are unable to be treated elsewhere due toviolent and aggressive behaviorsin community and state operated psychiatric hospitals or the correctional systemare sent to Chester for treatment and stabilization. CMHC and its predecessor organizations were created over 100 years ago and proudly serve this function. The facility was created by state statute and is permitted to function with special provisions for maintaining the safety of staff and patients. The DHS closure recommendation letter indicates that Alton MHC will be designated as the new maximum security facility for the state simply by installing $550,000 of security perimeter fencing. ; this is undoubtedly underreporting as it does not reflect costs associated with other physical plant modifications, provisions for additional staff, staff training etc.

The mental health system in Illinois is currently in crisis and is unable to provide adequate psychiatric services for the community. The current state of affairs is outlined in a position statement issued by the Illinois Hospital Association in May of 2011:

1. Illinois state operated hospitals had approximately 35,000 beds in the 1950-1960’s. By 2009 only 1,400 beds remained in the IL state hospital system.The number of licensed psychiatric beds throughout the state decreased from 5,350 in 1991 to 3, 869 in 2010—a 28% decrease.
2. In 2009, Illinois hospital ED’s treated 750,000 people with a behavioral health condition. Of those, more than 190,000 had a primary diagnosis of mental health or substance abuse.
3. There are 53 IL counties that do not have any form of inpatient psychiatric care.

Community mental health center s and private hospitals do not have the resources to deal with additional patients. Many have already had significant budget reductions. The DHS closure recommendation asserts that DHS will provide “minimal funding to serve patients in the community setting.” Those costs are not enumerated in the closure recommendation. In addition, DHS indicates that it will assist community hospitals with “building capacity” to serve 2,800 annual admissions. Again the specifics of the associated costs are not outlined.

The State of Illinois should not make the same mistake that the State of Missouri did last year in eliminating most of their state hospital civil beds. Missouri unceremoniously “dumped” the responsibility for some 4,000 individuals previously served by the state system on the community. This resulted in an influx of untreated chronically mentally ill consumers in the Emergency Rooms of private hospitals. The wait time for all patients to be seen in the emergency rooms increased, the wait time for availablepsychiatricbeds has increased, and the level of violence in the emergency rooms has increased. Psychiatric patients often find it difficult to deal with the chaotic environment of the typical emergency room and staff are often not equipped to deal with this population. The transition has been so problematic that the state has had to assist with reopening the St. Louis Metropolitan Psychiatric Center.

From personal experience and the clinical literature, I can assure you that the movement of the untreated chronically mentally ill from the state hospital systems to the correctional system –a process termed trans-institutionalization—is a stark reality. The correctional system in Illinois is already overburdened and being scrutinized for their inability to effectively treat these individuals in that system. Dismantling the state hospital system will undoubtedly lead to increased incarceration rates for the chronically mentally ill and increased problems for the correctional system.

Numerous professionals on the front line are opposed to this proposed change in the operation of the state hospital system. My own professional organization, the National Association of Social Workers Illinois Chapter, representing approximately 7,000 professional voting Illinois social workers, has voiced their opposition to this plan in writing to Governor Quinn. I applaud the organization and my colleagues for standing up for those without a voice in our society. I am requesting that the Commission summarily reject the DHS recommendation for the closure of Chester Mental Health Center.
 

Margaret M. Berglind

We thank the Committee for the opportunity to provide comments on the important task of Budgeting for Results.

The Child Care Association of Illinois (CCAI) represents 65 child welfare agencies that provide services for Illinois children in such areas as residential treatment, foster care, child mental health, juvenile justice, youth services and special education. The services provided by our agencies benefit Illinois children and families, and many of the services directly benefit vulnerable children and fragile families, and are provided upon referral by state agencies as part of state contracts.

The CCAI supports the concepts included in the Budgeting for Results initiative. However, we are concerned about major components of the process for the human service related priorities:

• How state agencies seek input and agreement from the private contract agencies in the Budgeting for Results processes, budget requests and suggestions for efficiency; and how the state agency’s ideas for efficiency in state government might impact their private providers
• How state agencies monitor their private providers
• How state agencies can quickly adopt greater efficiencies in monitoring their private contractors.

SEEKING PRIVATE PROVIDER INVESTMENT IN BUDGETING FOR RESULTS

The human services system in Illinois relies heavily on private agencies to provide the direct care and programs for our citizens. Any initiative for state human agencies to Budget for Results translates into private contract agencies providing such results. In the Department of Children and Family Services, for example, private agencies provide nearly 95% of the direct care of state wards—either in foster care or residential treatment. In the Department of Human Services, 100% of the youth services work in communities is provided by private agencies.

It is imperative that Illinois adopt a process that mandates that state agencies seek consultation from their private sector partners as they pursue funding requests, develop performance measures and monitor those measures. Such consultation has to be more than the occasional meeting at which information is given out to providers, or the alert that new contract expectations are posted on a state agency web site. The process must include shared analysis of need, open discussion on areas of system or performance improvement and discussion of cost.

The Department of Children and Family Services uses a Child Welfare Advisory Committee (CWAC) process to work with its providers in many areas of child welfare system improvement. This process is mutually chaired by the public agency executives and private providers. Private providers have helped design our performance contracting models and metrics. CCAI has long advocated for a structure similar to CWAC in the Department of Human Services. We still await formation of a public/private provider oriented group that can help DHS grapple with its many service, program and budgetary challenges. As the Department of Juvenile Justice moves to a system of more community based services for its young people, we strongly suggest they develop a provider group now. We ask the commission as part of its recommendations to:

• Insist that the same CWAC process be used by DCFS as that agency enters into a Budgeting for Results process.
• Insist that Department of Human Services adopt a Provider Advisory Group process as that agency enters in a Budgeting for Results process.
• Insist the Department of Juvenile Justice develop a Provider Advisory group as soon as possible.

MONITORING PRIVATE PROVIDERS

CCAI agencies understand and agree that when vital state functions are contracted to private providers, the state must provide proper oversight. However, as part of Budgeting for Results, the state agency must be required to detail why the monitoring funds they request are truly necessary, and how such monitoring is actually making services better. They should be asked to stretch to determine if they can be more efficient and effective in their monitoring as a state function.

State agencies must be required to develop “Monitoring That Matters.” In partnership with provider agencies, state agencies should examine the types of data, material and information that truly reflect good practice, competent care and the ability to mutually improve outcomes for clients. Current private agency monitoring is often developed only by state agency staff, frequently in a checklist format, with information based on single incidents/anecdotes. Such monitoring does not really improve the quality of care for Illinois children and families and expends valuable state funds that could be put to better use.

We ask the commission, as part of its recommendations to

• Insist state agencies implement “Monitoring That Matters” for any contracted human services.

STATE AGENCIES TO ADOPT GREATER EFFICIENCIES IN MONITORING THEIR PRIVATE CONTRACTORS.

We also recommend the commission strongly encourage state agencies to seek efficiencies in the ways they contract with and monitor private human service providers. A report from the HB 5124 steering committee was provided to the General Assembly almost a year ago. Few of the suggestions for implementation of HB 5124, which mandated streamlined auditing, accountability and monitoring have yet been implemented, and many more are waiting for discussion or some action by the state agencies. State agencies have not made those recommendations a priority. Two items could be immediately addressed for greater efficiencies: an electronic document vault and deemed status for accredited agencies.

Electronic Document Vault

CCAI agencies have long expressed frustration about the many duplicate requests for hard copies of identical information made by multiple state agencies and from various divisions. We estimate that 36% of the materials requested from various state entities were requested by another division or another state agency during the same year. These include materials such as the agency’s annual independent audit and bylaws. Responding to such duplicate requests diverts precious provider time and resources away from our primary responsibility: caring for abused and neglected children.

Creation of an electronic document vault accessible by any state agency should be a top priority to gain efficiency. If the state cannot create it quickly, it should allow private agencies to develop their own vault as an allowable expense. Other states, including Florida and North Carolina already have such systems.

We ask the commission, as part of its recommendations to

• Insist state agencies work with private providers to fully implement the electronic document vault within 6 months.

Deemed Status

Human service agencies frequently seek accreditation from a nation entity that demonstrates the provider’s good governance, stability and compliance with best practice standards. Many of the materials generated or standards required are identical to state agency licensing, approval or contract requirements. An accredited agency should not be required to submit additional and duplicate materials for state bureaucratic requirements, since the materials submitted to show compliance with accreditation standards far exceed state standards. Some of our state human service agencies have rule provisions already to allow deemed status, but have not been able to operationalize them.

We ask the commission as part of its recommendations to:

• Insist state human service agencies immediately convene a work group with provider agencies to develop an action plan to IMPLEMENT DEEMED STATUS within the next 6 months. Insist that any state human service agency without a deemed status provision immediately convene a work group with its private providers to develop a deemed status process within the next year.

Certainly, an operational electronic vault system as we detail would help with

The Child Care Association agencies and staff are more than willing to work diligently with our state agency partners to implement any recommendations and to grapple with the hard questions of how Budgeting for Results in human service agencies that rely greatly on the private sector for their results, can be implemented.

Respectfully Submitted,

Margaret M. Berglind
President/CEO   
Child Care Association of Illinois 

Dr. Brieland, founding director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, was a true giant in the social work profession in the state of Illinois and in the country. He served as social work dean at both the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at the University of Illinois at Chicago (Jane Addams College of Social Work). His obituary can found at: http://www.news-gazette.com/obituaries/2011-10-02/donald-brieland.html.

His obituary reads as follows:

Donald Brieland
Champaign—Donald Brieland, the founding director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and author of one of the foremost texts on social work and the law, died at 7:05 pm Friday September 30, 2011 at Provena Covenant Hospital in Urbana, Ill. He was 87.  A beloved father and husband, world traveler, a leader and pioneer in the field of Social Work and the law, Don's memory is a blessing to all those whose lives he has touched.

Brieland is survived by his wife, Wynne Korr of Champaign and his children, Lisa Castor (son-in-law Randy) of  Mahomet, IL and Joan Brieland (son-in-law Greg Shoultz), of Chelsea, MI; and grandchildren Joe Castor and Anna and Kathryn Brieland- Shoultz..
Visitation will be held at Morgan Memorial Home on Tuesday October 4, 2011 at 3:30 pm, memorial service immediately following at 5 pm. Burial service will be private.

Brieland, of Champaign, was dean emeritus of the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he served from 1980 to 1990. Previously, Brieland had been the dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1975 to 1980. His wife, Wynne Korr, of Champaign, is the current dean of the School of Social Work at the Urbana campus.

Brieland was professor and director of the Social Service Center at the University of Chicago from 1965 to 1970 and an associate dean of the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago from 1968 to 1970. He was the director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services from 1963 to 1965.

At Urbana, Brieland led the push for accreditation of the bachelor of social work program and the development of courses and texts in contemporary social work, and social work and the law.

Brieland's research and teaching focused on contemporary social work as well as child and family policy; social work and the law; human behavior and the social environment; and social work education.

He wrote "Social Work and the Law," with John Lemmon, and "Contemporary Social Work," with C. Atherton and L. Costin.

Brieland was a Fulbright Lecturer at the University of Peshawar, in Pakistan, and also a visiting professor at the University of Melbourne, in Australia. He served as a visiting professor during summer sessions at Virginia Commonwealth University, Iowa State University, Union College, the University of Omaha, and Macalester College.

He was a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Council on Social Work Education, and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. In addition, he was editor in chief of the journal Social Work from 1976 to 1979.

Born in 1924 in Pencer, MN, Brieland earned his bachelor's degree at Carleton College, in Minnesota; his master's at Northwestern University; and his doctorate at the University of Minnesota. He was an ordained Episcopal Minister and served in the clergy at Saint Michael's Church in Barrington, IL.

The family has requested memorial donations may be sent to the Brieland Visiting Scholar Fund, in care of the University of Illinois Foundation, Harker Hall, 1305 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801. Flowers can be sent to Morgan Memorial Home.

September 16, 2011

Governor Pat Quinn
2 ½ State House
Springfield, IL   62706

Dear Governor Quinn:

On behalf of the 7,000 members of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Illinois Chapter, we would like to express our concerns regarding your announcement to close the Chester Mental Health Center in Chester, IL.
 
We fully understand the realities of the current state budget and the many challenges you face as Governor.   The social work community’s concern is tied to providing service within the constraints of the budget.  However as our Code of Ethics states, social workers advocate for resource allocation procedures that are open and fair. When not all clients’ needs can be met, an allocation procedure should be developed that is nondiscriminatory and based on appropriate and consistently applied principles.  

The proposed closing of Chester Mental Health Center (CMHC) presents a challenge to some core social work values as well the provision of vital services to a very vulnerable population.   CMHC and its predecessor facilities have existed since 1910.  The facility has a successful and lengthy history of providing care to individuals who have significant histories of unsuccessful treatment attempts at other private and state operated facilities due to their violent and assaultive behaviors associated with their mental health condition.  Additionally, CMHC has successfully served forensic patients that due to the nature of their crime and behaviors are in need of a highly structured secure treatment environment.

The state of Missouri reduced the number of their inpatient psychiatric beds last year resulting in a community crisis.  This action in the state of Missouri significantly impacted the ability of community hospitals to provide emergency room services to the community due to the influx of patients who were no longer being served by the state hospital system.   In fact, this move was so problematic that the state had to assist with funding to reopen a psychiatric emergency room in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

We urge you, together with leadership in the Illinois General Assembly to reassess your recent announcement in the light of the dislocation, hardship and ultimately additional cost to implement this closing.

NASW Illinois Chapter leadership would be more than willing to meet with you and your staff to discuss these issues in more detail.

Sincerely,

Yolanda Jordan, LCSW      Joel L. Rubin, MSW, CAE
President                            Executive Director
 

September 8, 2011
9:00am - 12:00pm
Bilandic Building, Room C-500
160 North LaSalle Street
Chicago

September 13, 2011
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Waubonsee Community College,
18 South River Street, Room 160 AC
Aurora

September 21, 2011
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Illinois State Museum
502 South Spring Street
Springfield

September 22, 2011
10:00am - 1:00pm
United Methodist Children's Home
2023 Richview Road
Mt. Vernon
 

We are pleased to announce that Congressman Towns has launched the official Congressional Social Work Caucus website today. Please see the link below for more information. We look forward to continuing our work with the Congressman, and all members of the CSWC, moving forward.

http://socialworkcaucus-towns.house.gov/
 

May 12, 2011

Rally begins at 12:00pm on May 12, 2011, in front of the Thompson Center at 100 West Randolph Street in Chicago.

Consumers, advocates, family members, professionals, and the concerned public gather to support continued and increased funding for mental health services in Illinois.

Join the rally. Support our mental health services.

Sponsored by the Mental Health Summit with special assistance from Mental Health America of Illinois, National Alliance on Mental Illness Illinois, and National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Chicago.

Click here for more information about the Mental Health Rally, or here to download the flyer.

SURVEY
On July 27, 2010, Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill into law creating the Health Information Exchange and Technology Act and establishing a state authority, the Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) to operate the Illinois Health Information Exchange (HIE).
 
Shortly after the bill was signed into law, OHIT established a Behavioral Health Work Group to ensure the active participation of the behavioral health community in the HIE planning process. This is the second survey distributed to the behavioral health community by the HIE Behavioral Health Work Group.  Receiving this survey in itself indicates we believe that you will be directly affected by the HIE at some point in the future.
 
The purpose of this questionnaire is to gather the input of behavioral health providers in the areas of HIE CONSENT.
 
In order for behavioral health clients and providers to enjoy the benefits of the HIE, there must be a high level of HIE participation by the clients and providers. To gain that participation, it is important that the patient consent policies be designed in a way that provides the necessary functionality and is reasonable to administer. It is also possible that laws may need to be modified as part of the implementation of the HIE. These policies are one element being discussed at the state level.
 
This survey seeks your input into the topic of patient consent policies and practices.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GVJTZBW
 
If you have any problems completing the survey or if you have any questions please contact us at DHS.E-Update@Illinois.gov.

Early in the morning on Wednesday, January 12, 2011, during the final hours of the 96th General Assembly, the Illinois Senate passed SB 2505 with the minimum of thirty votes. The Illinois House had passed the legislation the previous evening with the required minimum of sixty votes. Senate Bill 2505, now Public Act 96-1496, does the following:

• Raises the personal income tax rate from 3% to 5% effective immediately.
• Raises the corporate income tax rate from 4.8% to 7% effective immediately.
• Reduces the personal income tax rate to 3.75% in 2016 and 3.25% in 2025.
• Reduces the corporate income tax rate to 5.25% in 2016 and 4.8% in 2025.
• Sets specific limits on General Fund spending in fiscal years 2012 through 2015 and establishes a procedure for enforcement of these limits through the Auditor General's office. However, the chances of spending exceeding the limits is virtually impossible given the safeguards included in the bill. For example, the governor is given the power to reserve funds to meet the spending limits. Funds that are reserved are not counted toward the limit. In addition, the governor is given the authority to declare a fiscal emergency to circumvent the limits (with procedural safeguards in place to ensure that this power is not taken lightly).
• Establishes two new special funds in the Illinois State Treasury, one for education and the other for human services. Revenues generated from the new tax rates will not flow into these new funds until 2015. The new specials funds go into existence immediately, providing an opportunity for creative advocates and legislators to find other sources of revenue for the funds.

Senate Bill 2505 provides a much-needed infusion of new revenue to the Illinois State Treasury and will improve Illinois' bond rating. However, we must keep in mind that most of the new revenue will be used to pay the state's mandated pension fund contributions and the state's debt service. It may actually be necessary (absent the creation of additional revenue streams and other cuts in state spending) to cut more from human services, health care, and education to stay under the spending limits.

At least for the current fiscal year, the pension contributions will be paid with borrowed funds. After sitting on the bill since last May, the senate passed SB 3514 on January 12, 2011, with forty-two votes (Thirty-six were needed). The bill authorizes over $4 billion in new indebtedness through the issuance of bonds for the purpose of making the pension contributions for the current year. The bonds will be paid back over eight years. The payments are back-loaded so that for year one and year two, the payment is zero. For years six, seven, and eight, the payments are close to a billion dollars per year.

Two measures that would have provided further relief for the state's budget crisis failed on January 11, 2011, in the Illinois House. The first would have raised the tax on tobacco products to provide new money for education. The measure failed by nine votes. The second bill would have authorized the issuance of bonds for the purpose of raising funds to pay off all current debt (similar to refinancing a house) and to establish a reasonable debt payment cycle. The measure failed in the house twice, the first time by six votes and the second by three votes.

Accordingly, the massive amount of unpaid bills for the current fiscal year remains and will continue to mount. Lawmakers are certain to consider refinancing and other ways to address unpaid bills and the payment cycle during the spring session.

Jack arrived at Loyola in the early 1990s. Even before he was dean, he played a very active role in the NASW Illinois Chapter, always stressing the importance of giving back to the profession and becoming involved with NASW. Jack has continued a strong tradition of Loyola University involvement in the NASW Illinois Chapter dating back to his predecessor, Dr. Joseph Walsh, who served as NASW Illinois Chapter President and was a national NASW leader; to Dr. Walsh’s predecessor, Dr. Thomas Meenaghan; and before that the late Dr. Charles T. O'Reilly.

Jack’s involvement with the NASW Illinois Chapter has been varied and exemplary. In the late 1990s he co-chaired the Violence Task Force and later served as the Northeastern District Chair and member of the NASW Illinois Board of Directors from 2001 to 2003. Jack made contributions to every NASW Illinois Statewide Conference since its establishment in 2001, either by presenting workshops, serving on the NASW Illinois Conference Committee, allowing Loyola University’s Social Work program to serve as a conference sponsor, and generally encouraging other Loyola faculty to present papers and for students to volunteer.

I have also had the opportunity to serve as adjunct faculty at Loyola University. Jack’s social work leadership skills have always been quite evident.

We will miss Jack’s passion and commitment to the profession, as will Loyola. On behalf of the NASW Illinois Chapter, I would like to wish Jack and his family success for what comes next. Best of luck!

Freedom from poverty is a human right, and the realization of this freedom requires a comprehensive vision and plan.  To that end, Heartland Alliance has created the From Poverty to Opportunity Campaign: Realizing Human Rights in Illinois, an initiative of the Illinois Poverty Summit, that works to bring together a broad range of residents from the most affected communities throughout the state as well as advocates and policy leaders to develop and advocate for a poverty elimination strategy anchored to human rights standards that will reduce extreme poverty in Illinois by half by the year 2015.

Reprinted from the From Poverty to Opportunity blog.

The Poverty Commission's Plan will be Released December 9th - Take Action Now

For this year's Jane Addams Day 2010, Jane Addams Hull House Association is hosting a Jane Addams Symposium featuring author Louise W. Knight, author of Jane Addams: Spirit in Action. You can read NASW Illinois Executive Director Joel L. Rubin's review of the book here. The American Association of University Women - Illinois (AAUW-IL) is also taking part in the celebration by hosting a Jane Addams 150th Birthday Brunch on December 12, 2010, at the Hull House.

Many social workers and other mental health professionals in Illinois have been notified that beginning January 1, 2011, they will be required to request preauthorization for all covered behavioral services.

There are many concerns about this new requirement including:

• A possible violation of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 that became law in October of 2008;
• Whether the pre-authorization will be burdensome to care and limit access to service, thereby again violating the MHPAEA of 2008; and
• The unclear nature of the required Outpatient Treatment Request (OTR) form to evaluate if the requested services are medically necessary.

If you are a BCBSIL provider, here are some action steps for you to undertake:

• Contact your BCBSIL Network Consultant regarding these concerns;
• Advise your clients to call BCBSIL as well as their employers;
• Let NASW Illinois know whether or not your clients experience any limited access to care due to the new pre-certification requirement.

The NASW Illinois Chapter has notified the Illinois Department of Insurance and is currently scheduling a meeting with them. We are also working with other allied mental health professional associations on this issue.

ILLINOIS SENATE
The Democrats currently hold a 37-22 majority in the Senate. The Republicans gained two seats in the election, meaning the Democrats' edge will shrink slightly to 35–24 in the 97th General Assembly, still a sizeable margin, but not the "veto-proof" majority they have held during the current 96th session.

Republican Gains
The Republicans took seats in the 31st and 49th districts. In the 31st, Senator Michael Bond (D-Grayslake) lost to Republican Suzi Schmidt, the Lake County Board President. In the 49th, Senator Deanna Demuzio (D-Carlinville) was defeated by Republican Sam McCann. McCann is a Carlinville businessman who is aligned with the Tea Party. 

Key Democrat Wins
The Democrats were able to hold onto their sizeable majority by winning some key contested races. Senator A.J. Wilhelmi (D-Joliet) held off Republican/Tea Party candidate Cedra Crenshaw in the 43rd District. In the 22nd Democratic Senator Michael Noland beat a challenge from former Senator Steve Rauschenberg (R-Elgin) in a close contest. John Mulroe (D) defeated Brian Doherty (R) to keep the 10th District in the Democratic column. Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) held onto her seat by defeating Adam Baumgartner (R) in the 40th District.

Other Considerations
Senate Majority Leader John Cullerton will continue  to wield considerable power over the Senate despite losing two seats. In addition to the two new members, the Republicans will be replacing three current members, Dan Cronin, Randy Hultgren, and Dan Rutherford. Cronin was elected DuPage County Board President and will have to leave the Senate. Hultgren won a seat in the U.S. Congress. Rutherford will be the new State Treasurer.

Remember that all 59 Senate seats will be up for election in 2012 with a re-drawn legislative map.

ILLINOIS HOUSE
The House Democrats currently hold a 70–48 margin. The election resulted in a net gain of SIX seats for the House Republicans, giving them fifty-four seats compared to sixty-four for the Democrats. The Democrats gain one seat, the 17th, and lost seven. Those changes are as follows:

17th District:  Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) replaces Elizabeth Coulson (R)
66th District: David Harris (R-Arlington Hgts.) replaces Mark Walker (D)
71st District: Richard Morthland(R-Rock Island) replaces Mike Boland (D)
75th District: Sue Rezin (R-Morris) replaces Careen Gordon(D)
91st District: Mike Unes(R) replaces Mike Smith (D)
98th District: Wayne Rosenthal (R) replaces Betsy Hannig(D)
101st District: Adam Brown(R) replaces Bob Flider(D)
112th District: Dwight Kay(R) replaces Jay Hoffman(D)

Key Democratic Incumbent Victors
37th:  Kevin McCarthy(Orland Park)
43rd: Keith Farnham (Elgin)
44th: Fred Crespo (Hoffman Estates)
79th: Lisa Dugan (Kankakee)
85th: Emily McAsey(Lockport)
92nd: Jehan Gordon(Peoria)

Other Considerations
Do not expect any major changes in how the Illinois House operates because Speaker Michael Madigan will continue to control the chamber and the legislative process. Look for at least two re-elected members to leave soon. Will Burns (D-26th) is in line for a Chicago City Council appointment. Harry Osterman (D-14th) is running for the Chicago City Council. There are also fourteen new members in districts where the same party held the seat.

All House members are elected every two years. In 2012 there will be a new district map.

Phil Milsk is governmental relations consultant for NASW Illinois. He does similar work for several other organizations. Phil is an attorney in private practice with offices in New Lenox and Springfield. Prior to going into private practice, he was a legal services attorney in Chicago and southern Illinois and directed the Legal Services State Support Center in Springfield. Phil is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and serves on two ISBA–standing committees and one section council. He graduated from DePaul College of Law in 1973 and did his undergraduate work at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

• What will it take to get our bills paid on time?
• Can’t we wait to raise revenue and make other reforms first?
• Why should human services providers get involved in the push for new revenue when the general public isn’t supportive?
•  What role can human services providers and their boards play in the debate?

Planned speakers include:

• Ralph Martire, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability
• Dan Schwick, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
• Gina Guillemette, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights
• Phil Milsk, attorney and human services lobbyist

RSVP required to receive webinar information. Please e-mail Jean at jlam@heartlandalliance.org no later than November 9, 2010 to RSVP. Audience members are also invited to submit questions in advance via e-mail.

A new pamphlet published by NASW regarding Social Work Practice with Family Caregivers of Older Adults is now available to download off the NASW Web site.

CHICAGO, IL—Bryan Samuels, Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced the award of $10 million in new federal funding to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to significantly improve permanency outcomes for youth in foster care. The award is part of a broader federal effort to test what works in child welfare, and then replicate effective strategies across the country.

“This initiative is a part of a larger Administration of Children and Families effort to build a body of evidence of effective practice in child welfare,” Samuels said.  “The work in Illinois has broad implications for the nation.”

DCFS will receive $2 million per year for a period of five years to demonstrate an inhanced intervention to improve permanency and lifetime outcomes for foster children ages 9-12. The program will provide intensive services to these children and their families by delivering Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) in the home to the youth, training caregivers, actively involving birth parents in permanency planning, and utilizing family search and locating services to explore potential kinship placements. By the end of the fifth year of the grant, 2,672 young people will have received intervention services, a majority of the target population in foster care statewide.

“This grant is an exciting opportunity to develop new tools, resources and strategies to address the needs of older children who often have long lengths of stay in foster care,” said DCFS Director Erwin McEwen. “As the child welfare population in Illinois is aging, this is a tremendous opportunity to improve their futures.”

DCFS is a leader in the national movement to achieve permanency for all children in foster care. The Department and its private sector partners has safely reduced the number of children in foster care from more than 52,000 in 1997 to less than 15,500 today through reunification with birth families, subsidized guardianship, kinship care and adoption. Today’s announcement follows two additional awards of competitive federal grants.  Illinois was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a differential response approach in child protective services, and also awarded a grant from the federal Quality Improvement Center for performance-based contracting for residential programs.    

DCFS will be supported in this project by key partner organizations, including Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the Children and Family Research Center of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Center for the Study of Social Policy, juvenile courts and the Child Care Association of Illinois.

On August 10, 2010, the NASW Illinois Chapter—along with other organizations around the state—wrote a letter of support in the Williams v. Quinn class-action lawsuit and proposed consent decree, the text of which can be found here.

CHICAGO - Thousands of persons with mental illnesses in Illinois took a significant, critical step toward independence and dignity after a federal judge today gave final approval to an historic agreement worked out by the State of Illinois and a coalition of legal services organizations. The agreement in Williams v. Quinn gained final approval from U.S. District Court Judge William Hart following a fairness hearing on September 7, 2010 that drew hundreds of interested class members and relatives to a Chicago courtroom. Once implemented, the agreement paves the way for individuals with mental illnesses to move out of Illinois' outmoded, segregated nursing home system and receive the services they need in the community.

Today's approval begins a systemic process of giving approximately 4,300 persons with mental illnesses the choice to move out of large nursing homes known as "Institutions for Mentally Diseases" (IMDs) and into community-based settings with the support they need to be successful. These large, impersonal IMDs are operated in a manner that allows individuals little opportunity for independent living and personal growth.

"Today is an important step along the path to independence and dignity for thousands of persons with mental illnesses in Illinois," said Benjamin Wolf, associate legal director for the ACLU of Illinois, one of five legal organizations representing the plaintiffs. "More important, it is a critical step in reforming an outdated system in Illinois. There simply is no rational, medical reason for forcing persons with mental illnesses to receive the treatment they need in a large, institutional setting living with hundreds of other people with mental illnesses. We do not require such living arrangements for other diseases - it is indefensible for those with mental illness."

"Today, Illinois joins the mainstream of states across the country moving away from the use of these large, cold institutions to treat those with mental illnesses," said Donna Welch, a partner with Kirkland & Ellis, LLP. "We look forward to working with the State to insure an effective, smooth implementation process for our clients."

Williams v. Quinn was filed in August 2005 by two individuals forced to live in Chicago area nursing homes. The process for transition outlined in the agreement builds on recently-released recommendations of the Governor's Nursing Home Safety Task Force. After examining the state's troubled and scandalized nursing home system, the Task Force concluded that "(t)here is . . . remarkable consensus that many people currently admitted to nursing homes with serious mental illness would be better cared for in specially designed and monitored community residential settings."

Now that the court has approved the settlement, a specific implementation plan will be written to transition those persons with mental illnesses currently housed in IMDs to community-based settings. Trained professionals will be hired to evaluate eligible members of the class who reside in IMDs to determine: a.) if they are able to transition to permanent supportive housing and other community-based settings; and, b.) what additional services will be necessary for each individual as part of the transition process. An individualized plan for each person will be developed, implemented and tracked.

"This settlement offers new choices and new opportunities for a group of individuals who have been forced into large institutions for too long," said Barry Taylor, Legal Advocacy Director at Equip for Equality. "Perhaps most importantly, today the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act is one step closer for people with mental illnesses in Illinois."

“It’s a great day in the struggle for human rights,” says NASW President James Kelly, PhD, ACSW. “The decision in the U.S. District Court marks a major milestone in our country’s march toward full equality for all. ”  

NASW is a long-time advocate for marriage equality.   NASW’s support for the rights of same-sex couples to marry and have equal recognition of familial rights is based on the NASW Code of Ethics’ prohibition on discrimination based on sexual orientation and social workers’ traditional advocacy for exploited and vulnerable people.  NASW’s policy statements support advocacy for equal rights for gay and lesbian people (NASW, 2009) and the NASW Board of Directors specifically re-affirmed the association’s support for same-sex marriage in 2004 (NASW, June 2004).

NASW’s involvement as a “friend of the court” on same-sex marriage cases has been substantial.  NASW has filed or joined amicus curiae briefs addressing same-sex marriage rights in California, Massachusetts, New York, Iowa, Oregon, New Jersey, Maryland, Nebraska, and Connecticut, as well as numerous cases seeking recognition of the best interests of children to maintain their relationships with gay and lesbian parents’ who seek custody and/or visitation of their minor children in the event of a domestic separation or dissolution.

Until recently, same sex couples in committed relationships have not been afforded basic benefits, rights and protections granted heterosexual couples under state and federal laws. Although same sex couples live in relationships that are based on principles of strong and loving commitment to another, mutual responsibility, and a right to enter into a marriage with their partner of choice, they continue to be denied the human rights and legal and economic stability provided by the recognized institution of marriage.

“NASW believes that discrimination and prejudice directed against any group is damaging to the social, emotional, and economic well-being of the affected group and society as a whole,” adds Kelly.   “This decision by the Court affirms that LGBT persons in California be granted all rights, privileges, and responsibilities that are granted to heterosexual people, including the right to marriage.”

For more information about NASW’s advocacy work on this important issue:

NASW amicus brief in Perry v. Schwarzenegger
http://www.socialworkers.org/assets/secured/documents/ldf/briefDocuments/Covington%20Prop%208%20Amicus.pdf

NASW amicus brief in In re: Marriage Cases
http://www.socialworkers.org/assets/secured/documents/ldf/briefDocuments/In%20re%20Marriage%20Cases%20
California.pdf

LDF “Legal Issue of the Month”, Social Workers and the California Same-Sex Marriage Cases (July 2008): https://www.socialworkers.org/ldf/legal_issue/2008/200807.asp

New Practice Update: Part II: Advocating for Change in Home Health Care
A copy of a new practice update, Part II: Advocating for Change in Home Health Care is now available. This practice update clarifies reimbursement for mental health services rendered by a clinical social worker when a patient is receiving home health care services. Please feel free to use the practice update in your print and online media products. If you have any questions, contact Mirean Coleman at mcoleman@naswdc.org.
 

A federal judge has issued a stinging rebuke to for-profit nursing  home operators, saying they were using scare tactics to persuade psychiatric patients to stay in the facilities instead of moving into supportive community housing.

The ruling, made public Wednesday, is related to a landmark proposed court settlement in which Illinois authorities pledged to offer supportive community-based housing and treatment to roughly 4,500 psychiatric patients living in two dozen large nursing homes designated as Institutions for Mental Diseases, or IMDs.

The nursing home operators had recently distributed "information sheets" to IMD residents and their families asserting that the proposed settlement "purposefully lacks details" and could strip away protections for individuals who leave the nursing facilities, implying that some may be left hungry, homeless and without care.

The ACLU and other attorneys for the mentally ill patients objected to the information sheets as well as to meetings in which the facility operators urged the patients to object to the settlement.

To read the rest of the article, go here.

Applications are due August 9, 2010.

For families, this guide will enable them to make informed choices about a variety of medical decisions they may face on behalf of loved ones with dementia living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other types of care facilities. It will also equip families to ask good questions aimed at obtaining the best care for their loved ones, including a handy checklist of comfort care measures to be discussed with staff members of care facilities.

For staff members of long-term care facilities, the guide will serve as an important tool for those who wish to educate families and assist them in care planning. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to disseminate this booklet in electronic and print formats.

To view and download the free guide, go to www.alz.org/illinois.

Lavinia Masters was 13 when a rapist broke into her bedroom in the dark of night, put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her if she reported the crime.

Hours later, undeterred by the threats, Lavinia underwent the painstaking process for collecting DNA evidence, determined to help police find and prosecute her attacker.

That was 1985.

Almost 20 years passed. The evidence sat untested, and the case remained unsolved, with her attacker still potentially at large.

But around 2006, the local police department began to sift through its backlog of untested DNA kits, when it was discovered that a man already in prison for committing other sexual assaults was linked to Lavinia's case.

I had the chance to learn about Lavinia's disturbing story recently, while doing an interview with CNN. Shockingly, her case isn't unusual. It's part of a national problem.

Thousands, and by some estimates hundreds of thousands, of rape kits are sitting untested, collecting dust in police departments' evidence lockers around the country. Meanwhile, victims' attackers remain free to roam the streets and assault other innocent children and women.

In Illinois alone, there remain at least 4,000 untested kits stored away in police departments throughout the state, according to Human Rights Watch.

Ask anyone to name the most serious crimes - rape and murder always top the list. I cannot imagine our criminal justice system ignoring important evidence in a murder case. How then can we stand by as vital evidence in tens of thousands of rape cases sits on shelves ignored?

What message does this send to the children and women who are the primary victims of sexual assault when law enforcement doesn't take their cases seriously?

When a rape victim undergoes the long, invasive process of collecting evidence from her body, she puts faith in our justice system to find her attacker and prosecute him. When those evidence kits wind up ignored and attackers remain free, other victims of sexual assault are discouraged from coming forward. They don't believe justice will be pursued.

So maybe it shouldn't be surprising that in Illinois, as few as 30 percent of rapes are reported to police, according to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. We can't tolerate a justice system that requires a victim to endure a such a painstaking process only to dismiss her in the long run.

An initiative by my office signed into law July 6 will help assure the system no longer fails these victims. We convened a working group last fall to develop an effective statewide policy for gathering and analyzing evidence in sexual assault cases. As a result, at the beginning of this year's legislative session, we introduced a bill that would make Illinois the first state in the nation to mandate the testing of evidence collected in cases of sexual assault. This measure gained unanimous support in the General Assembly.

Under this new law, investigating law enforcement agencies are required to submit all evidence of sexual assault to the crime lab within 10 days of receiving it from a hospital. It also requires law enforcement agencies to provide the Illinois State Police an inventory of all untested kits in their possession to establish a timeline to complete their analyses.

This law has the potential for ushering in great change. In New York City, for example, when the city's law enforcement agencies instituted a policy in 2001 to test every rape kit that the New York Police Department booked into evidence, rape arrests increased from 30 percent in 1999 to 70 percent in 2007.

In Illinois, we expect similar results. More investigations will proceed, prosecution rates will increase, and victims and their attackers each will receive the justice they deserve. Victims of rape have been traumatized enough. The criminal justice system must offer them hope and closure rather than callous disregard.

The Division of Mental Health of the Illinois Department of Human Services is currently drafting its annual federal block grant application to the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). The application outlines Illinois’ plan for the provision of mental health services to adults, adolescents, and children in need of critical services to recover from severe mental illnesses or emotional disturbances.
Consumers, concerned family members and friends, service providers, and the general public, are encouraged to review the application.  Comments, questions and ideas are welcomed.  The draft application will be available for public comment through August 5th. 

Comments may be submitted to the Division of Mental Health by sending an email to the following address: DHSMH@dhs.state.il.us.  Please enter “Block Grant Comments” in the subject line. 

The application can be found on the DHS web site at About DHS, following the link under the News Section on the right hand side of the screen, FY 2011 Community Mental Health Services Block Grant Application, or by pasting the following link in your web browser: http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=50503&newssidebar=27893
 Thank you for your interest.
 

The Division of Mental Health of the Illinois Department of Human Services is currently drafting its annual federal block grant application to the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). The application outlines Illinois’ plan for the provision of mental health services to adults, adolescents, and children in need of critical services to recover from severe mental illnesses or emotional disturbances.
Consumers, concerned family members and friends, service providers, and the general public, are encouraged to review the application.  Comments, questions and ideas are welcomed.  The draft application will be available for public comment through August 5th. 

Comments may be submitted to the Division of Mental Health by sending an email to the following address: DHSMH@dhs.state.il.us.  Please enter “Block Grant Comments” in the subject line. 

The application can be found on the DHS web site at About DHS, following the link under the News Section on the right hand side of the screen, FY 2011 Community Mental Health Services Block Grant Application, or by pasting the following link in your web browser: http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=50503&newssidebar=27893
 Thank you for your interest.
 

An examination of more than 600 participants in the Chicago Health and Aging Project found little change in symptoms of depression in the six to seven years before Alzheimer's was diagnosed and no change in depression three years after diagnosis.

The findings, published this week in the journal Neurology, suggest that depression increases a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's and not the other way around, said study author Robert S. Wilson, senior neuropsychologist at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center.

For more of this article, Please visit: http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/2471738,CST-NWS-alz07.article

In signing a spending plan for the 2011 fiscal year, which began Thursday, Quinn said his primary objective was to preserve the state's core functions in the face of a suffocating $12.5 billion deficit.

"This is a day-by-day, case-by-case, agency-by-agency, program-by-program enterprise to make sure we still deliver the basic services to the people that they need: schools, health care, public safety," Quinn said.

Of the $1.4 billion that Quinn vowed to cut -- part of nearly $3 billion he said he has trimmed since taking office in January 2009 -- he included $891 million in reductions that he did not identify. He said he will make those on his own, using extraordinary budget-cutting powers given to him by state lawmakers this spring.

The cuts Quinn did outline will mean significant spending reductions in human-services programs and education.

"I've got to adopt a budget for our state that still invests in Illinois, the important things, and cuts back everything that's not a priority," the governor said.

For more of this article, please go to: http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/2456898,CST-NWS-gov02.article

It's built around borrowing and whacks people who can least take the hit. The latest victims are people with developmental or other disabilities and those seeking mental health services.

If you're not Medicaid eligible and you received state-funded counseling in June, you'll probably be cut off soon.

If you're not dirt poor and disabled, you could be out of luck if you need rehabilitation services.

And the pain you'll suffer really gets Illinois nowhere.

Even with these cuts, the state will remain massively in the red. The accumulated debt -- half owed to struggling agencies that already have provided day care, foster care and other badly needed services -- is at least $12 billion.

For more of this editorial, Please go to http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2455774,CST-EDT-edit02a.article

The Illinois Department of Human Services lost $312.6 million, much of it for programs not covered by Medicaid, which brings federal reimbursement.

Taking a hit was the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The clinic serves about 1,000 mostly minority and uninsured families grappling with developmental disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome. The clientele will need to be cut by more than half, "and that's on top of the long waiting list we already have," said Tamar Heller, the institute's director.

For more of this article, please visit: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-quinn-state-budget-mentalhealt20100701,0,6390512.story

Gov. Pat Quinn slashed $241 million in public school funding Thursday, reducing financial support for student busing, reading programs and textbook loans.

Spending for transportation fell by $84 million, or 24 percent. The $68.5 million for reading improvement grants was canceled completely. And the state education agency saw its administrative budget trimmed by 8 percent.

The news wasn't all bad, however.

Quinn maintained the current level of funding for general state aid, the money that flows directly to school districts based on student enrollments, as well as for special education and early childhood programs.

For more of this article, please visit to: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-quinn-state-budget-education-20100701,0,4919820.story

Public universities are losing $86 million that last year went to pay employees. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale officials said the cash was federal stimulus money they figured would run out, so they didn't count on it in their budget.

Community colleges are getting $14 million less in grants that were used to help students with physical and developmental disabilities.

"It would be nice to have, certainly," said Steve Morse, spokesman for the Illinois Community College Board. "But given the circumstances, we figured something was going to have to go, so it's not money that schools were budgeting into their plans."

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-quinn-state-budget-highered-20100701,0,6877933.story

SPRINGFIELD — —

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Gov. Pat Quinn has approved a new state budget that cuts spending by $1.4 billion, but also increases debt.

Quinn made his announcement at the Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St., at 10:30 a.m.

Thursday is the first day of the state’s new fiscal year. Quinn was given the choice of cutting spending, borrowing money and delaying bills to keep state government afloat.

“There are some tough decisions and there will be cuts,” Quinn said earlier this week. “We’re going to have to tighten the belt as tight as it can be.”

Quinn was also expected to use the occasion to pressure lawmakers to return to Springfield and approve borrowing about $4 billion to make the state’s annual contributions to government pension systems. Without permission to borrow the money, Quinn will have to find it elsewhere, meaning deeper cuts throughout the budget.

Quinn argues borrowing is the best of a bunch of bad choices, but Republicans in the state Senate are blocking the legislation.

Illinois is expected to see a roughly $7 billion gap between likely income and expenses in the coming year. Add in unpaid bills from the previous year and Illinois has a total deficit of about $13 billion.

That shortfall equals half the budget’s general funds, where state officials have broad authority to raise or lower spending.

Quinn proposed raising income taxes to help reduce that gap, but legislators ignored the idea. He pushed to borrow money by selling bonds, but that failed too. Lawmakers did give Quinn permission to take $1 billion from special funds supported by fees, with a promise to repay the money later.

Rather than spell out which programs will get money and which won’t, legislators opted to approve large lump sums and give Quinn the power to decide how it’s spent. With money scarce, that inevitably means he’ll have to cut somewhere.

Quinn also could allow even more of the state’s bills — for services such as day-care for poor families and aid for the disabled — to pile up unpaid until next year.

Quinn’s office would say little Wednesday about what the governor planned to do. Even the amount of money Quinn has to chop was kept quiet.

Earlier, Quinn said he would try to spare key areas of the government, which also happen to be where much of the spending takes place.

“The decisions I’m making right now are designed to definitely make sure we protect our education as much as humanly possible, that we maintain our health care safety net for everyday people and then also make sure we have good public safety,” he said.

In mid-April, the state quit paying service providers and let bills begin piling up just to maintain the day-to-day functioning of the government. Because of that, for some agencies, the damage is already done.

In Chicago, the Jewish Vocational Service had to shut down a behavioral health program and let go of staff at a vocational training facility in the West Rogers Park neighborhood after the business day Wednesday.

In Daley Plaza Wednesday, local leaders warned that two other agencies – both of which are dedicated to stopping violence – would shut down at the end of the day without new funds. Project CeaseFire and the Safety Net Works are in jeopardy without funding.

“We’re moving into the Fourth of July – which is known to be the bloodiest weekend of the year in many cases – this is not the time to draw back. It’s the time to put up!” the Rev. Patricia Watkins told a crowd.

She stood in front of 102 pairs of shoes, representing the number of people who have been shot in Chicago in the past two weeks.

The state’s inability to pay bills also affected schools and universities, some of which warned of steep tuition hikes. Earlier this month, Quinn authorized a new law to let universities borrow against the money the state has promised them.

Quinn is up for reelection in November against Republican Bill Brady, who has called for a 10 percent reduction in government spending to help balance the budget.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

© MMX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Interactive

BILL UPDATE
“Sexting” Bill Sent to Governor
House Bill 4583 grants the authority under the Juvenile Court Act to have a minor adjudicated in need of authoritative intervention (MRAI) if the minor is found to have engaged in an activity commonly known as “sexting”. Sexting usually involves sending or re-sending nude or sexually suggestive photos of minors to others via cell phone, PDA, or other electronic means. The bill unfortunately would still allow criminal prosecution for indecent exposure or a similar offense at the discretion of the local prosecutor. However, the final version of the bill does not make this type of activity a sex offense, so mandated registration and reporting is not part of the bill. The bill was sent to the governor on May 26, 2010. Sponsors were Senator Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago) and Representative Darlene Senger (R-Naperville).

Governor Signs Emergency Budget Powers Act for FY 2011
As expected, the governor has signed SB 3660 into law. The bill gives the governor extraordinary powers during the fiscal year that began July 1, 2010, to deal with the state’s current budget crisis. For example, the bill allows the governor to disregard any Illinois statute, administrative rule, or executive order in order to address the budget crisis. For example, he could, while this law is in effect, limit eligibility for the state’s daycare assistance program in order to save money. The bill also would allow state agencies under the governor’s control to issue emergency rules, which go into effect for 160 days without JCAR approval, without a showing that the rule is necessary to address a public health or safety risk. It makes all state entitlement programs “subject to appropriation”, meaning that the right to such a program or the services created by the program exists only to the extent funds have been appropriated for the program. This takes away the ability of individuals to sue by claiming that they have been denied an entitlement under state law. The only entitlements that would be left intact are those created by federal law. The new law also gives the governor the authority to make additional budget cuts and to order state agencies to reserve up to approximately $2 billion more. Emergency budget authority under SB 3660 automatically terminates on January 9, 2011, the day before the newly-elected governor will be sworn in.

Suicide Prevention Bill Signed into Law
The governor signed HB 4672 into law on June 28, 2010. HB 4672, now Public Act 96-951, expressly requires school social workers who work with students in grades 7–12 to receive in-service training on suicide prevention. Previously, the school code only required guidance counselors , teachers, principals, and “other personnel” to receive the training. The bill also makes suicide prevention instruction a requirement for college students in teacher preparation curricula. The new act became effective immediately. Sponsors of the legislation were Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago).

Governor Signs Bill to Combat School Bullying
Senate Bill 3266 (now Public Act 96-952) was signed into law by the governor in late June. The bill amends a section of the school code that dealt with anti-bullying policies and gang-resistance education. It adds a comprehensive definition of “bullying” and provides examples of bullying for illustrative purposes. The new law applies to public elementary and high schools in Illinois and also applies to private nonsectarian schools. It expressly prohibits bullying during any school–sponsored education program or activity, while in a school or on school property, on school buses or other school vehicles, at school bus stops or at school-sponsored events, or through a transmission using a school computer, school computer network, or other electronic school equipment. The new law also creates a new School Bullying Prevention Task Force consisting of fifteen members appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. The task force is responsible for submitting a report to the governor and to the Illinois General Assembly on any recommendations for preventing bullying in Illinois schools by March 1, 2011. Sponsors of SB 3266 were Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Westchester) and Representative Karen Yarbrough (D-Maywood).

CHICAGO – June 27, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law that is aimed at reducing bullying in schools. Senate Bill 3266 expands the definition of bullying, requires gang prevention training in Illinois schools, and creates the School Bullying Prevention Task Force to examine the causes of bullying.

“Students do their best in school when they are able to focus and concentrate on their studies. Students who are being bullied for any reason are not able to do their best,” said Governor Quinn. “This new law helps schools protect students so they can succeed both inside and outside of the classroom.”

Bullying can severely impact a student’s mental health and can impede their ability to participate in extracurricular activities. The new law expands the definition of “bullying” to include any communication made through writing or electronic means such as text messaging, e-mail or social networking Web sites. Anything from race, gender, religion, a physical disability or sexual orientation can be targets for school bullying.

Each school district and private school will now be required to develop and maintain a policy on bullying that must be updated every two years. Public schools are already required to have such policies in place.

Additionally, the legislation creates the School Bullying Prevention Task Force, which will be comprised of 15 members appointed by the superintendent of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The Task Force will investigate the causes and consequences of bullying in schools. The Task Force will develop strategies aimed at preventing bullying in schools and will submit a report by March 1, 2011.

Senate Bill 3266, sponsored by Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Westchester) and Rep. Karen Yarbrough (D-Broadview), received widespread support from groups such as the Illinois African-American Commission, the ARC of Illinois, the ACLU, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, ISBE and others. The legislation passed through the Illinois General Assembly nearly unanimously.

The new law also requires school districts and private schools to develop plans for bullying and gang prevention. Schools will join with the state and local law enforcement agencies to educate students about conflict resolution, cultural sensitivity, personal goal setting and resisting peer pressure.

Governor Quinn signed the legislation at the Nettlehorst School in Chicago where students were celebrating Kids’ Pride Fest. The law goes into effect immediately.

Gary began his remarks by noting that IFSW is a global community of friends who show mutual respect for each other and for the profession of social work around the worldGary emphasized that he stands on the shoulders of giants and outstanding social work leaders like Dr. Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr.

Gary said he felt quite humbled to be given such a leadership opportunity, and he quoted Civil Rights legend Whitney Young when he assumed his new role: “The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to someone else.. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self.”

A Past-President of NASW, Gary is the first African-American president of IFSW. He said he is used to “firsts” and described his heritage as a major factor in his achievements. He noted that as the great-grandson of slaves, and as the son of parents who worked under very difficult and harsh conditions in the south, Gary learned both the need and the obligation to help others. He ended his address with his favorite quote by Tagore: “I dreamt of joy. I acted and behold, service was my joy.”

Two previous NASW leaders held the office of IFSW President. Chauncey Alexander, an Executive Director of NASW, and Susan Dworak Peck, a former President of NASW, both played pivitol roles in the development and advancement of international social work. Sue Peck is the lifetime Ambassador to IFSW, and she was present at the meeting. Current NASW President Jim Kelly and NASW Executive Director Betsy Clark also attended the event.

NASW congratulates Gary on this wonderful achievement.

For more information about IFSW, please visit www.ifsw.org.

The National Association of Social Workers developed this law note to aid social workers who work with children and families. For social workers providing professional assistance to children, it is helpful to have a general understanding of the legal issues that underpin the determination of a child’s rights. Because family law is primarily state law, this law note highlights the various approaches taken by states concerning children’s legal rights.

First, this document addresses the legal status of a child, and how age affects a child’s rights, including: the right to sue, the right to make treatment decisions concerning the child’s care, the right to contract, the right to educational services, and the right to be free from abuse and neglect. Next is a discussion of the ways in which a child’s legal status relates to the child’s family and relationships. The complex legal issues surrounding a determination of what constitutes a “family” or a “child” in the 21st century are also reviewed, as are adoption laws, the foster care system, divorce and child custody, visitation, and support.

This law note also includes a discussion of the admissibility of social workers’ testimony on child custody at custody hearings, and also provides social workers with information concerning the family court processes in which they might find themselves interacting with child-clients. Finally, five appendices are included at the end of the law note, providing:

    * State-by-state information about a minor’s ability to make decisions regarding healthcare;
    * The right of non-custodial parents to access a child’s health records;
    * A state-by-state summary of child custody laws;
    * A state-by-state summary of guardianad litemstatutes; and
    * A summary of state laws regarding a minor’s competency to testify.

The information and resources provided in this document offer an introduction to various legal issues affecting social workers’ practice with children and families. The discussion is not exhortative, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with an attorney in the jurisdiction in which the child or family is located. Additional information about legal issues of interest to social workers can be found on the Web pages prepared and updated by the NASW Legal Defense Fund at: http://www.socialworkers.org/ldf/default.asp

Price List and Ordering Information
(pdf document)

NASW's Public Comments and Testimony
Education Policy Statements
Latest News
Coalition Partners
Take Action

The National Association of Social Workers is sending this response to Huffington Post:

 The National Association of Social Workers is concerned with salary information posted in the Huffington piece, which cited Payscale data. Payscale, which limited its data collection to social workers with bachelor’s degrees, listed the starting median salary for a social worker at $33,400 and $41,600 for a mid-career social worker.

However, those median salary levels are below those in a new National Association of Social Workers Compensation Study, which includes data from social workers with master’s degrees. That study puts the median annual salary for all social workers at $55,000 a year.

Social workers with less than five years experience earn a median annual salary of $43,700; those with 10- 19 years of experience earn a median annual salary of $52,000; and those with 20 -29 years of experience earn a median annual salary of $60,000, according to the NASW study.

To read a summary of the salary report click here.

You can find social workers in all areas of society. For instance, they help veterans who have risked their lives for our nation get the benefits they need, counsel families in crisis, and help keep children safe. Many social workers say the good they bring into the lives of others is far more important than getting rich.

However, there is no question social workers should be paid more for the invaluable work they do. That is why NASW supports Congressional passage of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young Social Worker Reinvestment Act, which would secure federal and state investment in the social work profession.

We would also like to point out that social work is one of the fastest growing fields in the United States, according to Labor Department data. And a May U.S. News and World Report article said medical and public health social work will be one of the 50 best careers in 2010 and beyond.

Judgments on the monetary value of certain careers are always subjective. Thank goodness many people continue to choose life-affirming careers such as social work despite the naysayers.

Sincerely,

Tracy Whitaker, DSW, ACSW
Director, Center for Workforce Studies and Social Work Practice
National Association of Social Workers

Around the state today, the Responsible Budget Coalition (of which the NASW Illinois Chapter is a member) is holding press conferences in eight different cities throughout Illinois. The RBC brings together many diverse organizations that represent and serve millions of Illinois residents. The NASW Illinois Chapter, along with its fellow members of the RBC, is committed to building the support needed to solve Illinois' budget crisis, prevent harmful cuts to essential public services, save jobs, eliminate the state's long-term structural deficit, and make taxes fairer. The message at today’s Press Stand-Ups is simple—Go back and do the job right. Pass a responsible budget. The alternative is unacceptable. NASW Illinois members are participating in these conferences taking place in Chicago, Rockford, Moline, Peoria, Quincy, Decatur, East St. Louis, and Vienna. I attended the Chicago news conference in which a wide variety of agencies were represented including Lutheran Social Services, Erie Neighborhood House, Heartland Alliance, and others. Long time NASW Illinois member and school social worker, Galen Thomas, spoke at the Vienna news conference this morning in southern Illinois. The following are his remarks:

The state of Illinois currently owes Williamson County Special Education over $2 million in special education funding. We provide all the special education services to the five school districts in Williamson County. Herrin School District, where I provide most of my social work services, is owed over $800,000 in state funding. My director, Stephanie Dillard, informs me that our region has the highest poverty rate in the state of Illinois at 40%, and we have the highest percentage of our students receiving special education services. But our region receives the least amount of state education funding per capita. Chicago receives $4300 student special education funding per capita while our region receives only $2100. When the funding formula actually cuts funding to impoverished districts like Cairo, something is very wrong.

Our students suffer every time they cannot find a dentist because the state funding has been delayed so much it is hard to find a dentist to take the medical card. They suffer when they have to be put on a waiting list because the budget has been cut at the community mental health program. They suffer when they cannot get enrolled in a pre-kindergarten program to prepare them to learn when they reach mandatory school attendance age. And the list goes on.
   
Personally, when I retire this year, my position will not be filled because of budget shortfalls. I feel sorry for the remaining school social workers and psychologists who will have to figure out how to provide services to the five schools that I have been serving. But some school districts are cutting positions even more drastically up and down the state.

Some people are upset that the legislators cut the spring session short rather than stay in Springfield and work on the budget. I would recommend that the legislators not return to Springfield until both Republicans and Democrats are ready to pass a fair, responsible budget. How much money could be saved if they simply stayed in their local districts where they would be more readily accessible to their constituents?

Thank you for the opportunity to express these comments.

With the increasing growth of America’s older adult population, this is a critical time to assess our healthcare system’s capacity to meet the needs of our elders, their families and our aging communities. Many current factors are adversely affecting the provision of high quality geriatric care, including workforce shortages in both general and specialty health professions, retirement rates that exceed the rates of new professionals entering the field, insufficient geriatric training for all health providers and inadequate numbers of teaching faculty in disciplines such as medicine, nursing, social work, low Medicare reimbursement rates, and escalating costs in a fragmented health care delivery system.

There are three important new initiatives which illustrate and address some of the critical issues facing our aging society and models of care. I am proud to say that the field of social work has indeed been at the table in developing these initiatives.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has undertaken a study titled, The Future Healthcare Workforce for Older Americans, released in March 2008. The study determined the healthcare needs of the rapidly growing and increasingly diverse older population, and proposed steps to address those needs through initiatives in education, training, modes of practice, and financing of public and private programs.

Many other IOM studies, such as those focused on nursing home regulations and healthcare quality, have led to significant healthcare reforms, particularly when followed by a major effort to implement study recommendations. Some leaders in the field believe the IOM report will provide a basis for significantly improving the quality of healthcare for older adults only if there is a broad-based coalition of groups committed to educating the public and political leaders about the IOM findings and advocating for the recommended changes. The Atlantic Philanthropies and The John A. Hartford Foundation have asked Meridian Institute to explore the advisability and feasibility of convening a National Alliance to Improve Healthcare for Older Americans (hereafter referred to simply as The Alliance). As conceived by the funders, in collaboration with representatives of the American Geriatric Society, the broad goal of The Alliance would be to ensure that all older adults receive high quality, patient-centered care. In pursuing this goal, The Alliance could work to implement or refine the recommendations made by the IOM Task Force. It is very exciting that social work has been and will be a participant in this important endeavor as it unfolds.

Another initiative is the Practice Change Fellow: Leaders in Geriatric Care Project. Currently, few health care organizations have effective leaders or “champions” promoting new geriatric programs and services that meet the needs of older adults. Without a strong voice for practice change, these organizations will retain their traditional orientation towards acute problems, despite the fact that chronic problems underlie the vast majority of illness and mortality suffered in this country. Wide gaps remain between the existing evidence, nationally recognized best practices, and current care delivery for many conditions that disproportionately affect older adults such as diabetes, hypertension and depression. Few mechanisms are in place to support health care professionals to meet the unique needs of older patients or coordinate their care across different health care settings. As a result, care delivery is often fragmented and quality of care compromised.

A number of recent developments has made this absence of leadership in health care organizations even more distressing. The nation’s lack of preparation for addressing chronic conditions prevalent with aging is on a collision course with long-anticipated demographic changes. Most notably, the baby boomers are entering their 60’s. New rules enacted under Medicare Part D have created opportunities for the design and implementation of new care models, coverage, and financing under demonstration and pilot programs. The traditional fee-for-service Medicare is beginning to adopt a number of the features of the captivated Medicare Advantage option. While health information technology offers the potential to improve quality and safety, its value to older adults who receive care across multiple settings is only beginning to be recognized. In December 2005, The Institute of Medicine released its report to Congress and CMS on pay-for-performance that specifically addresses a number of areas central to geriatric care. Also in December 2005, the White House Conference on Aging created a number of resolutions aimed at evaluating new payment options to enhance coordination and continuity, supporting family caregivers, and integrating health and health care services.

These developments have heightened the need for health professionals from the disciplines of medicine, nursing, and social work who are not only competent in geriatric clinical care but who also possess skills in strategic planning, design and implementation of innovative programs and services, and the leadership ability to effectuate practice change across a variety of health care organizations.

This program is designed to expand the number of health care leaders who can effectively promote high quality care to older adults in a wide range of health care organizations. Building a cadre of health care professionals who possess the essential leadership skills and understanding of promising innovations in geriatric care delivery will ensure that this country will be prepared to meet the health care challenges of an expanding aged population.

The Practice Change Fellows Program is funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and The Hartford Foundation and administered by the Division of Health Care Policy and Research at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, in partnership with the National Council on Aging. The program is designed to develop health care leaders who can effectively promote high quality care to older adults in a wide range of health care organizations.

Lastly, the Social Work Leadership Institute (SWLI) at The New York Academy of Medicine is a national initiative working to ensure that America’s older adults and their caregivers receive the support they need. In multiple areas, SWLI has initiated programs and policy efforts that help older adults gain access to the comprehensive health and social support services that complement their desire to lead productive, independent lives.

SWLI’s goals are to increase the number of social workers who specialize in aging, advance the field of aging care through research and best practices, forge alliances to advocate on behalf of older adult care and relief for their caregivers, and move policy that will encourage care coordination for older adults. SWLI works with partners across a range of disciplines including academic institutions, governing bodies of social work, aging organizations, public policy institutes, and others to achieve a unified set of objectives.

They are committed to making certain that programs in aging become the norm in social work education, and that public policies support the recruitment and retention of professional social workers who will be prepared to meet the needs of a rapidly aging population.

The SWLI initiative, supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies, is the Center for Aging Policy (CAP). CAP leverages research, public education and advocacy to ensure that the social work profession is an integrated part of care coordination for older adults, and has developed a targeted policy agenda for care coordination supported by standards of care and appropriate reimbursement. In support of these goals, CAP has developed both an evidence-based database and public policy monitoring system to expand the body of knowledge on best practices in aging care and methods for overcoming a highly fragmented health and long-term care system. An additional part of this equation involves partnering with the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of Albany to conduct a pilot study to better understand the supply and demand for social workers in New York State.

As you can see, this is a critical time for aging, and social work is poised to play an integral role in the advancement of our understanding and care for older adults now and in the future. NASW will be partnering with the American Society on Aging (ASA) for their 2009 Aging in America Conference in Las Vegas and we are looking forward to this unique event. ASA is the largest association dedicated to educating professionals in the aging field and this is an exciting partnership.

Locally, the Chicagoland American Society on Aging meets bi-monthly at Rush University Medical Center. We use this time to learn and network with others interested in the field of aging. We also have a SWAT (Social Work Age Training) Initiative for social workers who have not had formal training in older adult issues but are interested and/or are dealing with clients who represent the “graying” of our population”.

Please contact me at Robyn_l_Golden@ Rush.edu if you would like to be placed on our email lists.