Honoring Social Workers During Social Work Month
Not all superheroes wear capes, nor do they all wear scrubs and lab coats. LifeBridge Health social workers serve as a bridge that connects patients to the care and resources they need to improve health conditions, make better use of public resources and prevent future health issues.
"We know that with social workers and our work with discharge planning, we can prevent many patients from being readmitted to the hospital," says Kris Butcher, director of Social Work and Care Management at Levindale.
In planning for a patient's discharge, hospital social workers collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of doctors, physician assistants, nurses, rehab therapists and nutritionists, who meet with the patient's family members to connect them to services they will need to continue their recovery once they leave the facility. This includes home care agencies, physical, occupational and mental health therapists, medical equipment providers and community-based programs, based on their medical condition, home environment and needs.
Social workers, across a variety of disciplines in LifeBridge Health hospitals like the Emergency Department, Oncology, Maternity Care, Pediatrics, Hospice and others, also assess mental health indicators such as depression, cognitive disorders and suicidal ideation. They also tackle social issues such as homelessness, poor nutrition and mental and behavioral health, unstable housing due to low income and safety concerns such as domestic or elder abuse. They work to ensure that patients can access programs and services based on their social needs, whether shelters, outpatient nutrition counseling, mental health groups, transportation for appointments or assistance programs that help with medications and utilities, for instance.
"One of the most important aspects of our job is listening," says Sallie Parsons, Inpatient Social Worker at Northwest Hospital's Care Management department in the 3D Surgical Unit. "It's my job to ensure that once a patient leaves the hospital, they receive the continued care that they need."
Adds Devino Sinclair, a social worker in Grace Medical Center's Emergency Department, "Patients are often going through way more than what initially brought them to the ED. A patient might walk-in suffering from shortness of breath or fluid overload, but a thorough bio-psychosocial assessment will identify various issues which may impact safe discharge planning. These issues may include problems with medication management and/or access, homelessness or problem accessing community resources. A strength of being a social worker is working in close collaboration with families and community partners to lead patients closer to a path of healing and educate them on how to have a better quality of life."
Social workers also offer emotional support.
"We are ambassadors that nurture relationships, identify resources and also offer coping strategies," says Lisa Friedman, a licensed rehab social worker for the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) department at Sinai Hospital. "The most gratifying part of being a social worker is the emotional conversations, but it's also the most challenging part."
Aubrey Spanitz, a social worker at Carroll Hospital's Inpatient Behavioral Unit who works with both adults and adolescents with a variety of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance abuse disorders and schizophrenia, provides emotional support but also works to equip patients for success once they leave the hospital.
"I like to empower patients to learn different coping skills," says Spanitz. "Many patients come in with trauma, and people underestimate how much traumatic experiences can affect people. One of the greatest rewards is helping patients feel heard."
Shelly Bray, a licensed social worker at Sinai Hospital's Perinatal Depression & Anxiety Outreach Program, focuses on care for pregnant and postpartum mothers, who sometimes experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, and feelings of isolation.
"Our focus is ensuring that moms have the care they need and that they're also prioritizing themselves," says Bray, who follows the mantra "Everyone wants to hold the baby, but who wants to hold the mom?"
Butcher summarizes the value of social workers, and the expertise they bring to their individual departments. "I believe that social workers are considered "˜unsung heroes' because they advocate for the individual. We're promoting them and helping them with what they need. It's a quiet victory."