NASW News

A milestone in civil rights was achieved last May when President Bush signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). NASW and dozens of other health, mental health and civil rights organizations cheered the news that individuals would soon be given federal protections against genetic discrimination in health insurance and employment. While the new law is groundbreaking, social workers and other health professionals are being encouraged to maintain vigilance in protecting their clients' rights in the complex world of genetic science. "Genetic testing is ever-evolving," said Sharon Terry, president and CEO of Genetic A...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   On July 31, Congress passed the Higher Education Reauthorization and Opportunity Act (HEA), which includes loan forgiveness for social workers and other mental health professionals, increases maximum Pell Grant funding, and enhances campus hate crime data collection, among other provisions. President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on Aug. 14. "This is a victory for social workers," said NASW Senior Government Relations Associate Nancy McFall Jean, who has lobbied on this issue. "NASW has worked for many years on loan forgiveness legislation and other initiatives which help students working to...

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Cynthia Moniz, New Hampshire Chapter Executive Director Stephen Gorin and Mary Ann Gaschnig attended the Democratic National Convention as guests of the New Hampshire delegation. (Photo: New Hampshire Chapter) NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark along with NASW staff and members attended the historic Democratic National Convention hosted in Denver, Colo., in August. NASW cosponsored the Women's Equali-tea, a feminist gathering and celebration of Women's Equality Day at the convention and an opportunity to honor women serving in public office. Clark attended two meetings with the Democratic National Convention Women's Caucus. NASW a...

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Clockwise from left: Tennessee delegates Paula Foster, Susan Gray, Bo Walker, chapter Executive Director Karen Franklin, and Vicki Williams participated in the Virtual Delegate Assembly. (Photo: Tennessee Chapter) NASW's 23rd Delegate Assembly took a milestone step with members conducting business in an electronic virtual meeting for the first time. Instead of having participants meet in Washington, D.C., the NASW Board of Directors approved a decision to have the association conduct a Virtual Delegate Assembly Aug. 8 and 9. Delegates were able to communicate with one another, vote and follow the requirements of parliamentary procedure u...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   Diana Ming Chan, a California social worker and NASW Social Work Pioneer® who in retirement devoted herself to increasing the number of school social workers in California public schools, died Aug. 5, 2008. She was 79. Chan and her husband Clarence donated more than $1 million over the past seven years to the NASW Foundation's Learning Springboard Endowment. The Endowment was established in 2000 to promote social work in San Francisco by placing professional social workers in the public school system. "When I first met Diana over 10 years ago, I knew there was something special and wonderful abou...

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Officials with NASW Assurance Services, Inc., announced in August that they have selected a new insurance administrator, AGIA Insurance Services, and a new group insurance company, The Hartford, an A-plus-rated carrier. Tony Benedetto, executive vice president of NASW Assurance Services, said the changes will result in newly enhanced benefits at no additional cost to insured members. Existing insured members should have or will receive new certificates of insurance reflecting the changes, he noted. "Members will not be losing any benefits because of these changes, nor will they see rate increases due to the additional benefits they will be ...

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From the Director A few weeks ago I made a trip to Alaska to attend a meeting. There wasn't much free time, but we decided to fit in a boat tour to see the Portage Glacier. I had been to Alaska two years ago and had visited the glacier then. I was shocked to see how much the glacier had shrunk in such a short period of time. It was a tangible reality check — visible evidence of the effects of global warming. It somehow felt personal. I realized that future generations — my grandchildren among them — might never get to see the natural beauty of a glacier. We have been hearing the message, and the debate, about global warmin...

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Advocates for NASW’s Social Work Reinvestment Initiative celebrated several achievements that took place during the summer. From left, Gary Bailey, Robin Mama, Michael Bird, Rene Bergeron, and the Rev. Sarah Wells, were among the social workers who testified before a U.S. House Subcommittee in July. On July 29, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities held the first-ever congressional hearing on the state of the profession entitled, “Caring for the Vulnerable: The State of Social Work in America.” U.S. Representative and social worker Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) is a member of the subcommittee. G...

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The Touro College Graduate School of Social Work held its first commencement in June. The ceremony saluted an inaugural class of 43 students receiving MSWs. Robert Schachter, executive director of NASW’s New York City chapter, delivered the keynote address. “Because we have a diverse student body that is ready and eager to enter the workforce, Dr. Schachter’s interest in urban and global social work issues is especially significant for our graduates,” noted Steven Huberman, dean of the graduate school. “He inspired and encouraged our students, their families and the entire college community.” In recognit...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   NASW has published two new practice updates for clinical social workers. The documents are posted on NASW’s Website. The Clinical Social Work Practice update “2008 Medicare Bonus Incentive Program for Clinical Social Workers” provides details about the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, which allows for bonus incentive payments for clinical social workers who report quality measures on claims and correctly file those claims for reimbursement. Participation in the program is optional at this time. The practice update explains the six quality measures for use by clinical social w...

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