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For Immediate Release
February 26, 2008
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Contact
Allison Nadelhaft
202-336-8228
or
John Stauffer 202-223-4933 |
***MEDIA ALERT***
Civil Rights Icon Dorothy Height Will Support Bipartisan Bill
to Help Nation’s Social Workers, Communities
| WHAT: |
Dr. Dorothy I. Height, one of this nation’s greatest champions of social justice, will join U.S. Congressmen Edolphus Towns (D-NY) in announcing their support for the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act.
Designed to help the nation’s 600,000 social workers better serve families and communities in need, this legislation will establish a Social Work Reinvestment Commission to address recruitment, retention, research, and reinvestment in the profession. It will also create demonstration programs throughout the country to address workplace improvements, research, education and training, and community-based programs.
Original cosponsors include Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA), Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH).
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| WHO: |
Dr. Dorothy I. Height
U.S. Representative Edolphus Towns (D-NY)
U.S. Representative Christopher Shays (R-CT)
Dr. Elizabeth Clark, Executive Director,
National Association of Social Workers
Honored guests and invitees
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| WHEN: |
Tomorrow – Wednesday, February 27, 2008, 11 a.m.
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| WHERE: |
Cannon House Office Building
Outside Cannon Caucus Room 345
Washington DC |
BACKGROUND:
Demand for the services social workers provide is at an all-time high and yet the social work workforce is facing a shortage. The U.S. is experiencing unprecedented levels of human, social service, and health care needs.
A heightened need for social services and issues within the social work profession are making it increasingly difficult for supply to meet demand. Social workers are facing daunting challenges – including competing policy priorities, fiscal constraints, significant educational debt, comparatively insufficient salaries, increased administrative burdens, and unsupportive work environments – that compromise their ability to provide essential services and necessary care. For more information: www.socialworkreinvestment.org.
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