In the News: Social Workers and the Coronavirus Pandemic

collage of social workers in different work environments, wearing protective face masks

Read media coverage related to social workers and COVID-19.


Featured Articles

Schools seek ways to provide mental health services during pandemic

Minnesota Public Radio - Aug. 28, 2020
“Unfortunately, school mental health is chronically underfunded and understaffed,” said Sharon Hoover, who co-directs the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland. “So a lot does fall on the shoulders of our educators when we don’t have the proper student instructional support personnel in place.”


Anxiety, depression among North Carolinians has ‘tripled’ during pandemic, health leaders say

WBTV - July 30, 2020
Victor Armstrong, director of the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse Services, says leaders must enhance outreach efforts to marginalized communities.“During the COVID-19 pandemic, symptoms of depression and anxiety have tripled,” said Victor Armstrong, director of the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse Services. Armstrong is working with the state to increase access to mental healthcare. “We have also seen a 15-percent increase in emergency department visits visits of opioid overdose.”


Will We All Have PTSD from Dealing with COVID-19?

Philadelphia Magazine - July 9, 2020
Anxiety is skyrocketing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 30 percent of Americans say the crisis is having a “serious impact” on their mental health. Trauma therapist Shari Botwin, LCSW, says that the social upheaval and anxiety from the virus may have long-term effects on our mental health, including causing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).


Connect to end COVID-19, overlapping speech bubbles

Join NASW’s national Connect to End COVID-19 effort, a CDC-funded initiative to support social workers and their clients in informed vaccine decision-making. Complimentary webinars and CEUs available. Learn about Connect to End COVID-19


woman stands looking at a huge coronavirus molecule

Crisis Impact: Social Workers Confront Pandemic While Caring for Others

Social workers continue caring for their clients during this pandemic, and many are on the front lines in hospitals or nursing homes, helping the families of those who are ill as well as the doctors and nurses who treat them.

Read "Crisis Impact"