From the Director
Honoring Health Care Social Work
By Elizabeth J. Clark, Ph.D., ACSW, MPH
 I
am always intrigued by the juxtaposition of events that hold significant
meaning for me. Recently, a death, an anniversary and a coming
celebration seem linked in an important way.
On July 14, Dame Cicely Saunders died in the renowned hospice
she founded — St. Christopher's Hospice in London. She was 87
years old. I had the wonderful privilege of meeting Dame Cicely,
as she was known in England.
Years ago, I spent several weeks doing a hospice education seminar
in Great Britain and had the opportunity to visit St. Christopher's.
Dame Cicely was a gracious host, and it was remarkable to walk
through St. Christopher's with the leader of the hospice movement
as my tour guide. As we walked, she explained her philosophy of
St. Christopher's, including the special garden, the artwork and
other touches that seemed so unusual in a health care facility.
Later, as a member of the International Work Group on Death,
Dying and Bereavement, I spent a week at Oxford University where
Dame Cicely was in attendance. Her friendly manner and openness
belied her celebrity.
What many people don't recognize is that Cicely Saunders worked
as a medical social worker in a London hospital in the years immediately
following World War II. Later, at age 33, she attended medical
school and spent the rest of her career promoting end-of-life
care that included the physical, spiritual, psychological and
social. She referred to this type of care as dealing with the
"total pain" of these who are dying.
When St. Christopher's opened in 1967, the modern hospice movement
began. The hospice concept was exported to the United States in
1971. Since that time, many social workers in this country have
devoted their careers to improving palliative and end-of-life
care across the life span and for all populations.
The second linking event for me is the 100th anniversary of the
founding of medical social services, which will be celebrated
this October. In my office, I have a framed invitation to the
50th anniversary celebration, which was held on October 21, 1955,
at Massachusetts General Hospital. The invitation was a treasured
memento of Eleanor Cockerill, a pioneer in medical social work.
She gave it to me as a gift when she retired from social work.
As a medical social worker, I, too, have treasured that memento.
The origin of medical social work in American came in 1905, when
Dr. Richard Cabot, a staff member of Massachusetts General Hospital,
arranged for the employment of a "person of experience in
health and social work" to assist in solving problems of
sickness and ill health related to social work.
The organization of hospital social workers on a national scale
began in 1917, with the American Association of Hospital Social
Workers (AAHSW) formally organized in 1918. In 1934, it became
the American Association of Medical Social Workers, a name it
retain until it joined with six other membership groups to form
the National Association of Social Workers in 1955. This October,
medical social workers will once again gather in Boston to assess
the progress of their field of practice. They will celebrate the
past as they look to the future.
The final significant event seems to be a bridge for the other
two. On October 8, 2005, the first World Hospice and Palliative
Care Day will be celebrated around the globe. The day has been
developed in partnership with the Voices for Hospice organization.
It's important to note that over 50 million people die each year.
Of these, 80 percent are from developing countries, and many of
them have no access to pain control or even basic health care.
The aims of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day are to raise
awareness of the needs of individuals who are living with a terminal
illness and the needs of their families and to increase the availability
of hospice and palliative care throughout the world.
It is also a time to acknowledge and celebrate hospice social
workers, other health professionals, and volunteers who are dedicated
to this field of care. These are the individuals who are carrying
forth the vision of Dame Cicely.
This month, as we celebrate hospice, hospital and health care
social workers, we say, "Job well done." Perhaps, building
on the work of medical social work pioneers, including Cicely
Saunders, we have come full circle.
For more information about World Hospice and Palliative Care
Day: www.worldday.org;
www.socialworkers.org
To comment to Elizabeth J. Clark: newscolumn@naswdc.org
From October 2005 NASW News. © 2005 National
Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News
articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of
copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies
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