nasw ohio chapter urges ohio government to implement the aca

Transcription

nasw ohio chapter urges ohio government to implement the aca
XXXV, Number 5 • September–October 2012
In This Issue…
President’s Report
2
Executive Director’s Report
3
Legal Corner
8
2012 NASW Ohio Chapter Conference Information
10-15
Regional Reports
16–17
NASW Ohio Chapter Workshops
22-23
Empowering Others,
Empowering
Ourselves: Moving
Social Work Forward
2012 NASW Ohio Chapter
Annual Conference
Registration included in this newsletter
on page 31
Learn More
Health Reform & Beyond
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Nita Carter, LSW
Health Equity Director, Universal Healthcare
Action Network (UHCAN)
Register at www.naswoh.org
For the most up-to-date information
regarding health insurance reform,
tune in for the next Wake Up to Social
Work CEU Series and earn a free CEU.
If you cannot log in during the live
discussion, you can always view it at
your convenience.
NASW Ohio Chapter urges
Ohio Government to
implement the ACA Medicaid
Expansion
In its June 28, 2012 decision on the constitutionality
of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(ACA), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the entire
law, with one important exception. The Court
decided that the federal government cannot
impose penalties to states that do not expand
Medicaid. The requirement to expand still exists,
but states are no longer facing a penalty if they
refuse to do so. Governor Kasich’s administration now
faces the decision whether to implement the
ACA’s Medicaid expansion. NASW Ohio
Chapter urges Governor Kasich to implement the
expansion. We also support the administration
for not rushing its decision, but taking the time
to study the benefits and challenges thoroughly
and making its decision in late November, as
part of the budget process. The ACA Medicaid
expansion, funded primarily by the federal
government, provides a unique opportunity
for an almost unimaginably huge investment in
Ohio that bears careful consideration. By not
expanding Medicaid, Governor Kasich will
miss an opportunity to boost Ohio’s economy
and continue his bold strategic plan to transform
Medicaid and healthcare to a system that
provides better care, better health and lower
costs.
As with any expansion or changes, financial
challenges accompanying the ACA Medicaid
expansion and health insurance exchange launch
deserve consideration. Currently, there are
people who are eligible for Medicaid who are
not enrolled. This can be for a variety of reasons
–they have their own employer-sponsored
insurance, they do not want Medicaid or they
do not know they are eligible. Currently, you are
eligible for Medicaid if you are a(n):
Child up to age 19 and up to 200%
Federal Poverty Level
Pregnant women up to 200% FPL
Parent or caregiver of a child up to 90% FPL
Older adult (65+) and disabled person (any
age) up to 64% FPL
The expansion will add to this list all
uninsured adults with incomes below 138% FPL
who are now not eligible because they are not
custodial parents of children under 19 and they
are not totally disabled or over 65.
The people who are currently eligible
for Medicaid and not enrolled may enroll in
Medicaid today or after the expansion occurs,
and the state will be responsible for its usual
matching rate. For people newly eligible [coming
into the program due to the expansion, so they
were not eligible before and now they are due
to the increase to 138 percent FPL], the federal
government will cover 100 percent of the costs
from 2014-2016. From 2017-2020 the federal
share gradually decreases to 90 percent.
Between 2014 and 2022—the first 9 years,
the federal government pays an average of 93
percent of the costs.
The state is concerned that the number
of people coming into Medicaid (without the
expansion) will be significant in numbers and
if they add even more people through the
expansion then they will not be able to afford
it, even with the federal government’s plan to
decrease the cost to the state over the next
five years.
The Woodwork Effect will occur with or
continued on pg. 28
September–October 2012
1
Victoria
Marion
Rebecca
L. Sanford
Ohio-NASW
President of the Board of Directors
MSSA,
LISW, LCDCIII
A Reflection from the 2012
Leadership Retreat
Ohio NASW Board of Directors
July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013
President Victoria Marion
naswpres2011@gmail.com
President-Elect Tim Moss
tmoss766@yahoo.com
First Vice President Annie Davis
anniedavis44@yahoo.com
Second Vice President Melissa Bilancini
melissa.bilancini@gmail.com
Secretary Emily Panzeri
panzeri.2@buckeyemail.osu.edu
Treasurer Peggy Anderson
peggyanderson@catf.net
MSW Student Representative Danielle Schmersal
dschmers@gmail.com
BSW Student Representative Dorothy Martindale
Martindale.245@buckeyemail.osu.edu
Regional Directors
Region I (Toledo Area) Jessica Demaline
potterjessica@roadrunner.com
Region II (Akron Area) VACANT
Region III (Cleveland Area)
Molly Martin mollymartin.lisw@gmail.com
Region IV (Youngstown Area) Brad Smith
bssmith78@sbcglobal.net
Region V (Columbus Area) Tom Dillard
naswoh05@gmail.com
Region VI (Cincinnati Area)
Kaitlyn Wessels and Leah Taylor
region6@gmail.com
Region VII (Dayton Area) Ebony Speakes
ems150@case.edu
Region VIII (Canton Area) Ruby Gibbons
rlg88@case.edu
2
NASW—Ohio Chapter
A new year has begun for the Chapter. I am constantly writing about how quickly time goes by.
This article is no different. This is the beginning of my second and last year as board president. It
is also the end of the first year with our new executive director and relationship manager. I would
like to take this time to congratulate them both for such a successful year, and congratulations to
our office manager for her ability to adapt to the transition. I would also like to thank the Board
for the wise choices we have made in leadership and the continued support to the Chapter and
our membership.
We held our annual Leadership Retreat in July with a focus on membership. The overall goal
of the chapter is to continue enhancing membership. The Chapter exceeded expectations by a
membership increase of 6 percent this past year. At the Leadership Retreat we strove to obtain
ideas, concerns and commitments from members based upon their desires for the Chapter. Our
attendance was great with members ranging from students to seasoned social workers and past
board members. Our former executive director was on hand to lend her continued support.
This year my focus will be on mentorship and self-care. There are so many qualified and talented
social workers in our chapter. We have many students with great potential. It is our duty to
mentor those talented and future social workers to fulfill the various leadership roles in our
chapter. A mentor is defined as a wise and trusted counselor or teacher; an influential senior
sponsor or supporter. It is our responsibility and obligation not only to fill positions but fill them
with competent and committed social workers. The commitment MUST be for our colleagues as
much as our clients. We are as strong as our weakest link. We must take care of ourselves to be
effective in our profession.
Self-care is an idea that is spoken but not always acknowledged and utilized. We must not get
too busy to care for ourselves. The better we care for ourselves; the better we care for others.
Throughout this next year, I will discuss the various ways we must care for ourselves so we can
enhance our care for our profession. We do not have to burnout or suffer from battle fatigue or
vicarious trauma if we incorporate self-care.
Finally, let us not forget this is an election year. The future and success or failure of our country is
on the line. Many challenges have been tackled these past four years. Our moving forward or
backsliding will be determined by our votes in November. Social services are always the first to
be affected depending upon the rulers of our country. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! Your vote will count.
Read more about voter rights on page 6.
Danielle Smith
MSW, MA, LSW, Ohio Chapter Executive Director
Our imperative as social workers:
Getting decision makers to see us as
our clients do
“I don’t know what will happen if Mr. Greenberg is gone,” testified a young student at the Northwest
School Board meeting just outside of Springfield, Ohio on July 19, “When someone is bullied, he
stops it.” This student was one of more than fifty people who testified in opposition to the school
board’s plan to lay off its one and only social worker, Mark Greenberg, also a NASW member.
I was at the school board meeting to testify in support of retaining him. As I waited my turn to
speak, I listened to the parents and students give impassioned speeches about how this social
worker had changed their lives. One parent said that his child’s behavior issues were almost
gone thanks to the work of Mr. Greenberg. Another parent said she would transfer her child to
another school if they went forward with the layoff. One by one, they testified as to why their
school desperately needed a social worker, many in tears and very angry at the mere notion
of the school board considering his layoff. As each person came forward my planned speech
of technicalities, licensure and education seemed to diminish in relevance by the minute. I kept
thinking, what more proof do you need as to why you should keep your social worker than these
family’s stories and tears?
As I listened, I kept making edits to my written talking points. I scratched out an entire page I
had written about what a school social worker does and the value of having one on staff. That
topic was covered in entirety by everyone who testified before me; speaking eloquently about
our profession’s educational, licensure and ethical requirements. They spoke on my planned
discussion item of the difference between a school counselor and school social worker with ease.
I have never been in a meeting where people knew our profession so well.
In the end I gave a rather fiery speech, fueled by the emotions of the people around me and
fueled by my own pride for social work. I said it was a mistake to go forward with their plan
and it would jeopardize the continued success of the school. I distributed documents outlining
ways the social worker could draw in Medicaid funds and other sources of revenue to offset his
salary costs. I mentioned that a school counselor is not eligible to provide services set in an IEP
like a social worker.
Shortly after I was done the school board members spoke about why they were going to vote the
way they were. One board member, Richard Birt, was a true stalwart of the profession. He talked
about conversations he had with students about the social worker and how he knew it was vital
to keep him on staff. In fact, Mr. Birt was the one who notified me that the planned layoff was
occurring and asked me to testify. All the other board members spoke in support of laying off the
social worker. Much of it was based on financial savings for the district. The school district is in
the process of constructing a new school building that will combine formerly separate schools,
which could allow for staff reductions to reduce redundancies. Although there were no other social
workers on staff, many of the board members still did not truly understand the difference between
a school counselor and social worker and viewed this as a possible redundancy to correct. The
board members said that although the district did not currently have any financial problems and
the five-year forecast was good, you could never be too sure. Some board members stated facts
about social work that were inaccurate and troublesome such as, ‘why is it the role of the school
to provide social services?” When the vote was taken, despite all of the families’ best efforts,
Mr. Greenberg was let go.
continued on pg. 27
Committee Chairs 2012-2013
Ethics Committee
PACE Committee
Martha Lucas
mmlucas49@yahoo.com
VACANT
Legislative Committee
Erin Michel
ErinKMichel@gmail.com
Membership Committee
Nedra Polk
polknr@email.uc.edu
NLIC
Program Planning
& Budget Committee
Peggy Anderson
peggyanderson@catf.net
International Service
Committee
Amanda Stevens
viceabbess@gmail.com
Judi Haberkorn
jhaberkorn@mac.com
Office Staff
www.naswoh.org
614.461.4484
E-mail: info@naswoh.org
Executive Director
Danielle Smith, MSW, MA, LSW
daniellesmith@naswoh.org
Office Manager/Accountant
Marie Milo, BS
mariemilo@naswoh.org
RELATIONSHIP MANAGER
Adrienne Gavula, MSW, LSW
adriennegavula@naswoh.org
Thank you to Idelle Datlof (Region 6) for serving as
a proofreader for the newsletter.
NASW Mission
Founded in 1955, the National
Association of Social Workers (NASW)
is the largest membership organization of professional
social workers in the world, with more than 150,000
members. NASW works to enhance the professional
growth and development of its members, to create and
maintain standards for the profession, and to advance
sound social policies. NASW also contributes to the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities through
its work and advocacy.
September–October 2012
3
The Affordable Care Act
Implications for social workers
By: Adrienne Gavula, MSW, LSW, Relationship Manager, NASW Ohio Chapter
Now that some of the heated rhetoric surrounding
healthcare reform has slowed, it is time to critically
look at the legislation and its effects on social
workers and our clients, especially in Ohio.
The most controversial part of the legislation
is the individual mandate and the penalty or tax,
whichever you would like to call it. Kaiser Family
Foundation has created an easy-to-read diagram
to help you get the facts about what people will
be taxed/penalized if they do not get health
insurance (see graphic to the right).
The next piece that seems controversial is the
health insurance exchanges. There is a detailed
NASW Practice Perspective about them, but
basically they are state-based markets where
individuals and small businesses can purchase
affordable health insurance, all the while ensuring
that each plan meets the federal requirements
(emergency services, maternity/newborn care,
mental health…). You can view the practice
perspective at www.socialworkers.org.
Originally the Affordable Care Act expanded
coverage for low-income individuals with the
expansion of Medicaid up to 133 percent (instead
of 100 percent currently) of the Federal Poverty
Level. The ACA mandate that required states
adopt a Medicaid expansion up to 133 percent
FPL or risk losing all Medicaid funding was struck
down by the Supreme Court. States can still
voluntarily adopt the expansion, but they are no
longer required to do so. Governor Kasich has
not said whether Ohio will adopt the expansion.
NASW Ohio Chapter strongly supports Medicaid
expansion (see front cover story).
Those with incomes between 133 percent
and 400 percent FPL will be eligible for a slidingscale federal subsidy to purchase insurance on
the exchanges. You can see if you are eligible
for a subsidy by using Kaiser Family Foundation’s
Health Reform Subsidy Calculator at http://
healthreform.kff.org/SubsidyCalculator.aspx or
view the tables. To calculate your FPL, you can find
a calculator here:www.needymeds.org/indices/
FPL_Calculator.html.
The idea is that this is one-stop shopping for
health care, and eligibility will be determined
for Medicaid, CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance
Program) and exchanges. There is room for social
worker involvement, and NASW Ohio Chapter
is ready to advocate for social workers and our
clients. States can create their exchanges based
on need and should include representatives from
consumer groups (you and your clients!), health
insurance industry, employers, etc… We can
advocate for social work services to be essential
4
NASW—Ohio Chapter
patient benefits in the plans.
Ohio has until January 1, 2013 to create
a state-based exchange that the Department of
Health and Human Services approves or the
federal government will assume responsibility
for running a health insurance exchange in Ohio
(Kaiser Family Foundation). On July 3, 2012
Governor Kasich said that Ohio will “probably”
let the federal government run the exchanges for
Ohio, and on July 11, 2012 Lt. Governor Mary
Taylor said that the state does not plan to set up
the exchange.
Here are some other provisions that have
either gone into effect or will go into effect
(see also page 18).
If you have a preexisting medical condition
health insurance companies cannot deny you
coverage
If you are age 26 or younger then you can stay
on your parent’s insurance
Health plans are required to spend at least 85
percent of every dollar on your healthcare
If a health plan wants to increase your premiums
they must now justify it and open that justification
up to public comment
No more lifetime limits on how much your health
plan will cover
Health plans must cover preventative care with
no copay/cost. Birth control is now considered
preventative care, and on August 1, 2012 this
provision went into effect. One of the biggest
concerns is that with the focus on primary care/
prevention there may not be a pool of primary
care providers big enough to serve everyone
coming into the healthcare market. Due to this,
there are provisions in the ACA that provide
incentives for doctors and nurses to work in
primary care settings.
The new Community First Choice Option allows
states to offer home and community-based services
to disabled people through Medicaid rather than
institutional care in nursing homes
There are incentives for physicians to join
together to form Accountable Care Organizations
to increase care coordination. You can read
the practice perspective about ACOs at www.
socialworkers.org.
Yo u c a n v i e w t h e A C A t i m e l i n e a t
www.healthcare.gov/law/timeline/.
When I was practicing clinically I worked
with HIV+ individuals. Many of my clients worked
but could not access their employer’s healthcare
because of their HIV status, and the few who
could access healthcare had a hard time with
costs related to their HIV care. The copays for
medication ranged from $50-$300/pill/month
(many were taking three pills/month) and a $50$100 copay for doctor’s appointments, which
were usually every three months. There is no
livable wage and because of that incomes have
not kept up with the cost of healthcare for someone
to fully afford what is needed to keep them and
their family healthy.
For people to reach their full potential they
need access to healthcare. You have to be healthy
to work. You have to be healthy to be a fullyinvested parent in a child’s life. You have to be
healthy to care for your aging parents. And you
have to be healthy to participate and experience
all that life has to offer. The Affordable Care Act
brings us one step closer to ensuring that our
clients get the healthcare they need to reach their
full potential.
Social workers have long been pioneers in the
fight for universal healthcare coverage. Secretary
of Labor Frances Perkins included universal
healthcare on the 12-item agenda she brought to
President Roosevelt in 1933, and that was the only
item on her agenda that did not pass into law.
While NASW will continue to advocate for a fair
and just healthcare system for every American, we
believe the ACA will have a tremendously positive
impact on the future of our nation.
View frequently asked questions about
the ACA on National NASW’s blog at www.
socialworkblog.org.
From the Kaiser Family Foundation
September–October 2012
5
Are you ready to vote?
Are your clients ready? Here is what you need to know for Election 2012!
By: Carrie Davis, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio, Prepared August 2012, cdavis@lwvohio.org
We l c o m e t o
election year in
the great swing state of Ohio. Odds
are you have already been deluged
with political ads on TV, solicitation
emails and polling phone calls.
While all of those politicos are eager
to convince you who to vote for, the
real question on many voters’ minds
this year is how to cast a ballot and
have it counted.
Social workers and others working
in public ser vice are uniquely
positioned to help would-be voters,
especially those most at risk of being
disenfranchised, to navigate the
system and successfully cast a ballot.
Voting is easy as 1-2-3
Elections used to be simple. You
registered, showed up at your
polling place on Election Day, signed
the poll book and cast your ballot.
Then everything changed. States
ushered in new rules on everything
from voter ID to provisional ballots.
So what do Ohio voters need to
know today? Answer: 1, 2, 3.
Step 1: Check and update your
voter registration
Voters often assume that if they
registered once, then they never
have to re-register. But that is not
always true.
If you move—You must update
your voter registration if you have a
change of address. Not only does
this ensure you receive important
updates from the Board of Elections,
it also helps make sure you cast your
ballot in the correct precinct. Going
to the wrong precinct may result in
your vote not being counted.
If you change names – Any time
you change your name, such as with
a marriage or divorce, you need
to update your voter registration.
This helps the Board of Elections
to confirm your eligibility to vote,
because your registration matches
the name in other government
records.
If you complete a prison or
jail sentence—Ohio does not
permanently disenfranchise voters
for having a criminal conviction.
The only time an Ohioan loses his/
her right to vote is while serving
a sentence of imprisonment for
a felony conviction. People with
misdemeanors do not lose the right to
vote. People with felony convictions
may re-register to vote once they are
released from prison or jail.
Instead of asking your clients “are
you registered,” ask “have you
updated your registration.” Many
voters will answer yes to the former
question but not the latter.
You can check your registration
online at the Secretary of State’s
website, www.sos.state.oh.us or
by calling your county Board of
Elections.
To register as a new voter or to update
an existing voter registration, you (or
your client) will need to complete a
voter registration form. Forms are
available at your county Board of
Elections, the Ohio Secretary of
State, public libraries, public high
schools, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
offices, Ohio Department of Job and
Family Services offices and from your
local League of Women Voters.
You may also print, complete and return
this online form to the agencies listed
above: www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/
upload/elections/forms/4010.pdf
Who is eligible to register and vote?
Any Ohioan who is registered by
October 9, 2012 is allowed to vote
in the November 6, 2012 general
election. In order to register to
vote in Ohio, you must meet these
requirements:
League of Women Voters Ohio has teamed up
with OhioVotes to offer a series of voter trainings
throughout Ohio in September. CEUs will be
offered. Visit www.cohhio.org/scratchspace for
6
NASW—Ohio Chapter
1. You are a citizen of the United
States
2. You will be at least 18 years old
on or before the day of the general
election
3. You will be a resident of Ohio
for at least 30 days immediately
before the election in which you
want to vote
4. You are not incarcerated (in jail
or in prison) for a felony conviction
5. You have not been declared
incompetent for voting purposes by
a probate court
6.You have not been permanently
disenfranchised for violations of
election laws
Step 2: Make sure you have one of
the acceptable forms of ID to vote
Ohio’s voter ID law has NOT
changed! While many states have
new voter ID requirements this year,
Ohio is not one of them.
Ohio accepts a wide variety of
documents for voter ID purposes:
A driver’s license or state ID
card with your name and photo
issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor
Vehicles. The card must be current
(not expired), but it can have an
old address
A U.S. Military ID with your name
and photo (address not required)
A government ID with your name,
current address and photo. Note that
student ID is not accepted
An original or copy of one of
the following current documents
that shows your name and current
address: utility bill (including
cell phone bill), bank statement,
pay stub, government check or
other government document. The
document must have a date within
one year of Election Day to be
accepted as current
If you do not have any of the
above, you may use the last four
digits of your Social Security number.
You will have to vote a provisional
details. Get Voter Empowerment Cards for
your agency and clients at The American Civil
Liberties Union of Ohio. They are pocket-sized
cards with all the information you and your
ballot, but it will be counted so long
as the number matches your voter
registration
Do not wait until Election Day. Plan
ahead to ensure you and your
clients have an acceptable form of
ID to vote.
For example, if your client does
not have a driver’s license, do they
receive government benefits? If so,
they can use a recent (within the last
year) government notice or check
stub with their name and address
as their voter ID. Remind them to
hang onto that document, keep it
in a place where they can find it
and bring it with them when they
go to vote.
Step 3: Choose how to cast
your ballot
Ohio registered voters have a
choice on how to cast their ballot.
You have a choice between voting
by mail (“absentee voting”), voting
early in-person at the Board of
Elections of the county where you
registered or voting at your polling
place on Election Day.
1. Vote by mail, by casting an
absentee ballot
You will need to complete and send
in an absentee ballot request form.
The Secretary of State will send
an absentee application to every
registered voter or if you do not
receive one you can request one
clients need to know to ensure every vote is
counted. Contact the ACLU of Ohio at contact@
acluohio.org or 216-472-2200.
Ohio’s voter ID law has NOT changed!
While many states have new voter ID
requirements this year, Ohio is not one
of them.
by calling your county Board
of Elections. Once a voter
has applied for an absentee
ballot, the Board of Elections
will mail you a ballot. Be sure
to follow all instructions and
provide required information
on the absentee ballot
envelope. Absentee voting
begins October 2. The Board
of Elections must receive your
voted ballot by the close of
polls on Election Day in order
for it to count.
2. Vote early in-person at your
county Board of Elections
Registered voters may vote
early beginning October 2nd
and ending at 6 pm on Friday,
November 2 for the November
6, 2012, election. Check with
your county Board of Elections
for early voting hours and
locations, as hours may vary
by county. When you vote be
sure to bring one of the many
acceptable forms of voter ID.
3. Vote at your polling place on
Election Day
Election Day is Tuesday,
November 6, 2012. Polls are
open from 6:30 am until 7:30
pm. By law, if you are in line
at 7:30 pm, the polls must
stay open to allow you to vote.
Contact your county Board of
Elections to find your polling
place and precinct. Note that
many polling locations and
precincts have changed since
the last election, so it is a
good idea to check with your
Board of Elections to ensure
you know your current precinct
and polling location for this
year. Remember to bring one
of the many acceptable forms
of voter ID.
Where to go for help
You have done everything
right, but you or your clients
encounter a problem. Where
do you go for help?
A good first step is to contact
your county Board of Elections.
They can help check the status
of a voter’s registration, answer
questions about where to vote
and what kind of ID is needed.
Look up your county in the state
Boards of Elections directory:
www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/
elections/electionsofficials/
boeDirectory.aspx#dir
The Ohio Secretary of State
has an entire division devoted
to voting and election issues.
A variety of helpful resources
are available on their website,
www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/
or they can be reached by
phone at:
Ohio Secretary of State
Phone: (614) 466-2655
Toll-Free: (877) SOS-Ohio
(767-6446)
TTY: (614) 466-0562
TTY Toll-free: (877) 644-6889
In addition, numerous
advocacy groups, such as
the League of Women Voters,
stand ready to help voters.
League of Women
Voters of Ohio
Phone: (614) 469-1505
Toll-Free: (877) 598-6446 ~
(877) LWV-OHIO
Email: lwvoinfo@lwvohio.org
Web: www.lwvohio.org
Your Local League of
Women Voters
www.lwvohio.org/site.cfm/
About-LWV/Local-Leagues.cfm
www.vote411.org
Voting information for all
U.S. states provided by the
national League of Women
Voters Education Fund
1-866-Our-Vote (English)
and 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota (Spanish)
Election Protection, a
nonpartisan coalition,
provides toll free hotlines
for voting information
or to report problems.
Also available online at
www.866ourvote.org.
Physical and
psychological
benefits of
self-defense
across disciplines
By: Diane Long, member of NWMAF’s Self-Defense Leadership Committee,
kaleidoscopehealingarts@yahoo.com
In July, the National Women’s Martial Arts
Federation held its annual Self-Defense
Instructor’s Conference in Oberlin. NASW
Ohio Chapter offered CEUs for social
workers for some of the workshops.
For me, self-defense has always been
associated with social services. I was
first exposed to self-defense in a two-hour
workshop that was part of a 40-hour
advocacy training for Rape Crisis Services
at a domestic violence shelter in Illinois.
This training heightened my awareness
of violence. The brief self-defense class
offered as part of training gave me some
practical tools to manage the increased fear
and anxiety that arose. The relationship
was direct and immediate. I knew that I
wanted to teach self-defense. Next, came
a six-week introductory course, and I soon
began formal training in martial arts and
self-defense. I was lucky that my initial
exposure to martial arts had a feminist
approach. My teacher, Jacq Madden,
had trained at the Center for Anti-Violence
Education in Brooklyn, NY, one of the
earliest martial arts schools specifically for
women. Self-defense was a regular part of
the curriculum, and training was accessible
to women of all shapes and sizes and all
levels of physical ability.
I was pleasantly surprised that every time
I left class I knew more than when I had
begun, especially since this was not always
the case in my academic studies at the time.
It was even more striking that soon after
I began training in self-defense, I found
myself more able to stand up for small
injustices, whether it was speak out against
a professor’s jokes that degraded women
or to set limits in personal relationships.
The physical confidence I gained in martial
arts carried over into other parts of my life.
About a year into my martial arts training,
in 1992, I attended NWMAF’s (National
Women’s Martial Arts Federation) annual
conference. It inspired me to see so
many powerful women in one place, and
provided me with role models of strength,
exposing me to methods of teaching across
disciplines. The yearly gathering, “Special
Training,” draws women from across the
country and around the world. Originally
it grew out of a need for women from
various martial arts to share resources,
train together and support each other at
a time when women in martial arts were
the exception. NWMAF has now existed
for more than 30 years and spans multiple
generations, continuing to be a source of
renewal for women and girls who attend.
For the past 12 years, NWMAF’s annual
conference has included professional
development for self-defense teachers, in
what is now called SDIC (the Self-Defense
Instructors Conference). Based on what
has come to be known as a feminist, social
justice empowerment model, it teaches core
competencies for self-defense teachers,
which include not only the physical skills
typically associated with self-defense, but
also verbal assertiveness skills, skills to
improve boundaries and self-care and
frameworks for understanding violence
as a continuum. It includes strategies to
address gender-based violence, as well
as discrimination related to race, sexual
orientation, gender identity, age and ability.
Classes include de-escalation and conflict
resolution to help prevent and interrupt
violence early. NWMAF also offers teacher
certification, which includes mentorship
opportunities and serves to build leadership
among its ranks.
Women’s self-defense programs developed
in the same era as social service agencies
such as women’s shelters, with shared
goals of reducing violence and providing
critical services. It has always been a
natural partnership. Language and practice
have evolved over time to reflect current
trends and a growing awareness of how
various forms of oppression intersect. There
continued on pg. 25
September–October 2012
7
The Legal Corner
By: Glenn Karr, Attorney at Law
HIPAA audits/breach notification issues
Under the HITECH (Health
Information Technology for
Economic and Clinical Health
Act) law, passed as part of ARRA (the American
Recovery Act of 2009 - better known as the
Obama Stimulus Bill), was the first major change
to HIPAA since its enactment. Health and Human
Services (HHS), through the Office of Civil
Rights (OCR), was given broad powers to not
only impose very harsh sanctions and monetary
penalties, but also to hire outside contractors to
perform audits, in addition to the investigations
and audits that the government itself intends to
perform. This article will summarize how that
process is unfolding and will emphasize the
importance of coming into complete compliance
with the HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach
Notification rules, with a focus on the Breach
Notification rules.
The initial audit program began in November
2011 and continues through 2012 and will
continue to expand. The accounting/consulting
firm KPMG was hired to conduct the audits and
on the basis of the information obtained, audit
protocols are being developed. The OCR, while
consulting with KPMG to ensure there was no
conflict with other KPMG clients, selected Covered
Entities from a four-tier structure. Providers,
including some small providers, were selected
and audited. In fact, the initial audits showed
that the most grievous and frequent errors and
omissions were found among small providers,
not the hospitals and major healthcare plans or
healthcare information clearing houses, which
were the other types of entities audited. Privacy
Rule problems consisted of some entities not even
distributing Notice of Privacy Practices forms.
More substantial problems involved the Security
Rule and a failure to implement policies and
procedures and a failure to perform an audit of
security practices. There were also problems with
a failure to adopt procedures to handle a breach.
On June 25 OCR posted the 77 protocols it is
currently using when conducting audits at: http://
ocrnotifications.hhs.gov/hipaa.html. It would be
wise for every provider, no matter how small,
to review the protocols and determine whether
they are in compliance. This article will deal with
breach notification issues.
A “breach” for HIPAA purposes is defined as
follows: the unauthorized acquisition, access, use
or disclosure of protected health information that
compromises the security or privacy of the PHI,
except where an unauthorized person to whom
such information is disclosed would not reasonably
have been able to retain such information. Some
key areas involving compliance include the
8
NASW—Ohio Chapter
necessity of having policies and procedures for
determining when a breach occurs and whether or
not there is potential harm from a breach by doing
a risk assessment. If a determination was made
that no notification was necessary, that information
must be maintained on file. There must be a policy
and procedure in place to notify individuals in
the event that current contact information is not
available, as well as a procedure on how to
provide notification to the media when, in the
same geographic area, the protected health
information of 500 or more individuals is involved.
In addition, a policy for notifying HHS when a
breach has occurred must be in place (once per
year if less than 500 individuals are involved,
but immediately when 500 or more individuals
in the same geographic area are involved) and
the provider must ensure that Business Associate
Agreements have breach notification provisions
in place. (The breach notification provisions were
part of the HITECH law and rules were developed
which consist of about 30 pages in the Federal
Register. Those rules may be found at: Federal
Register, Vol. 74, No. 162 (August 2009), with
an effective date of September 23, 2009).
The information listed above merely summarizes
some of the protocols used for an audit on breach
notification provisions. Next I will provide a
real world example of what can happen when
a potential breach occurs and there is a later
investigation. In this situation the OCR entered into
an agreement that included sanctions on Alaska’s
state Medicaid office. Alaska had discovered that
a portable hard disc drive had been stolen. It had
been in an employee’s car when it was stolen.
Although the department was unsure if it contained
any protected health care information, and there
was no indication that any information had been
improperly accessed or misused, the Alaska
authorities nonetheless complied with the breach
notification rules and notified the press, possible
individuals that might have been involved and
the OCR that protected health information might
possibly have been stolen. Upon investigation by
the OCR, OCR determined that the agency did
not have adequate policies and procedures in
place, had not performed a risk assessment, had
not addressed encryption, nor had it completed
training for all of its employees. The agency
maintained that it was working on encrypting all
of its computers and had actually encrypted some
of them, had policies and procedures that were
under review and many were in place, but that
the policies and procedures had not been updated
for several years, although it had otherwise
implemented standards to safeguard information.
It protested paying the $1.7 million fine, but stated
that it would have cost more to fight the federal
government. As part of the settlement it also
agreed to a three-year corrective action plan and
agreed to be monitored in implementing the plan.
What this example shows is that the OCR is no
longer merely bringing providers into compliance
through educational means when a complaint is
filed, but is also issuing substantial fines when
it finds violations, and that those fines may not
necessarily be confined to the original complaint
it receives, but to the lack of preparedness on
multiple fronts with requirements of the HIPAA
Privacy, Security and Breach Notification rules.
So a complaint may result in much more than an
investigation of just that particular complaint, but
also in a review of all aspects of compliance by
the provider with HIPAA rules. With the new audits
taking place, that provides even more reason for
a social worker and the agencies with which they
work to ensure that they are in total compliance
with all HIPAA rules. This is particularly true since
you are now required to report all breaches to
the OCR where the breach may result in potential
harm to a client.
© 2012 Glennon J Karr, LLC
Glenn Karr’s practice areas include: CSWMFT
Board complaint defense; Types of entities
- corporation, LLC, or sole proprietorship;
Independent Contractor vs. Employee Issues;
Leases and Contractual Documents; Practice Forms
Review, including HIPAA issues and audits; Advice
on Duty to Protect, Abuse Reporting Situations;
Other laws and rules affecting your practice;
Employment issues, ADA, Age Discrimination,
Unemployment Compensation; Non-competition
issues; Responding to Subpoenas and Court
Testimony; How to Leave a Practice and Set Up
Your Own; Multi-disciplinary Practice Issues;
Medicare and Medicaid issues; and Dealing with
Managed Care Plans and Insurance Companies.
GLENN KARR is presenting his three-hour ethics
approved workshop: 9 MAJOR PRACTICE
PROBLEM AREAS FACING MENTAL HEALTH
THERAPISTS/ CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY
PROFESSIONALS at various locations throughout
Ohio. Check the NASW Ohio Chapter website
(www.naswoh.org) for details and registration –
the workshop is often coupled with another threehour workshop on supervision. This workshop
qualifies as three-hour ethics credit for Social
Workers, as well as Counselors, M&FTs and
Chemical Dependency Professionals.
MST and child welfare:
Achieving outcomes together
By: Kristen Blaze, MSSA, LISW-S & Nicole Scalish, MA, PCC-S
This topic is the same one the
authors will be presenting on
at the 2012 NASW Ohio Chapter
Conference. See 10 for details.
Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an evidencebased and pragmatic treatment approach
that targets specific areas of a youth’s life that
contribute to negative behaviors. Services are
delivered in the youth’s natural environment (i.e.
home, school, community). Interventions aim
to reduce risk factors and increase protective
factors, hence building resilience in youth.
Goals of interventions often include improving
caregiver discipline practices, enhancing family
affective relations, decreasing youth association
with negative/deviant peers, increasing youth
association with prosocial peers, improving youth
school performance, engaging youth in prosocial
outlets and developing a natural support network
of extended family and community members.
Treatment modalities that have been integrated
into the MST model include empirical-supported
approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy and pragmatic family therapies.
Cuyahoga County’s Division of Children and
Family Services (DCFS) has utilized MST, with
full adherence, as a service-delivery model to
effectively impact youths’ behavior. The MST Unit
at DCFS has served youth ages 12-17 referred
by DCFS since 2008 in order to enhance family
functioning, build resilience in youth and families
and reduce the risk of out of home placement
for youth. DCFS currently has two MST teams
with three therapists on each team and the
capacity to serve an average of 80 families per
year.
The MST Unit at DCFS is the only MST program in
the country housed within a child welfare agency.
This puts the program in a unique position to
impact child welfare outcomes in the county. The
Unit works collaboratively and seamlessly with
DCFS staff to creatively address the needs and
barriers of families. The ability to impact family
dynamics which contribute to youth behavior is
strengthened by the program’s close alignment
with child welfare. Additionally, the MST staff has
joined with DCFS staff to think more creatively
about families and individualize services to
positively affect outcomes for youth. MST is
being recognized on a federal level for having
positive outcomes for youth involved with child
welfare who are diagnosed with Oppositional
Defiant Disorder or Conduct Disorder. While
budgets are shrinking, the MST Unit has been
continually expanding through demonstration of
cost effectiveness, excellent outcomes, advocacy
and low staff turn-over.
For those youth with a history of exposure to
violence, the MST program aims to prevent
repeated exposure to violence by impacting
family dynamics, caregiver discipline strategies,
youth association with negative peers and youth
involvement with criminal activity. Additionally,
when trauma exposure is identified as a
contributing factor to youth’s problem behavior,
cognitive behavioral approaches are utilized
to specifically target a reduction in trauma
related symptoms. Through the implementation
of systemic interventions, MST has proven to be
effective in increasing resilience in youth exposed
to violence, reducing incidence of violence
exposure in youth, as well as reducing aggressive
behavior in youth.
The purpose of Cuyahoga County’s Division of
Children and Family Services is to ensure that
children at risk of abuse or neglect are protected
and nurtured within a family and with the support
of the community. During a presentation in June
2012, the Director of DCFS, Patricia Rideout,
identified safety, permanency and wellbeing as
the cornerstones to the agency’s vision for youth
and families. The agency staff and MST therapists
work together on the shared agency and program
goals. The MST model addresses each of these
three cornerstones in the provision of services to
youth and families.
MST is utilized by DCFS to safely maintain
youth in their homes and communities. MST
prioritizes safety (individual and community)
as an area of intervention in order to decrease
risk of out-of-home placement for youth. MST
emphasizes the use and development of natural
supports to stabilize and maintain youth in the
community. Utilizing natural supports works to
eliminate the need for formal placement, creating
natural, longstanding permanent relationships
for youth and families. In addition, with a focus
on educational, employment and community
success; behavioral and emotional functioning;
and improving the quality of family and prosocial
peer relationships, MST has a significant impact
on improving the wellbeing of youth and families.
The success of the MST Unit is validated through
instrumental and ultimate outcomes collected on
each family served by the program. The following
is aggregate data compiled for both teams on
families served during 2011:
87.5 percent of youth and families completed
a course of treatment in MST
54 cases were terminated and are included in
this data set
Average length of treatment was 141 days
87 percent of youth remained living in the home
or community at time of case termination
87 percent of youth were regularly attending
school and/or maintaining employment at case
termination
97 percent of youth had not been adjudicated
delinquent on any charges from MST intake
through termination
85 percent of youth demonstrated abstinence
from substances for the last four weeks of
treatment
96 percent of parents demonstrated parenting
skills in order to handle future problems
85 percent of families reported improved family
relations
The joint efforts of MST and child welfare have
demonstrated cost-effectiveness and positive
outcomes, and as a result the MST program has
been successful in advocating for the continued
expansion of programming in Cuyahoga County.
The shared goals of safety, permanency and
well-being between MST and Cuyahoga County’s
Division of Children and Family Services has
made for an effective partnership in improving
outcomes for youth and families.
September–October 2012
9
2012 NASW Ohio Chapter
Annual Conference
Empowering Others, Empowering
Ourselves: Moving Social Work Forward
November 29-30, 2012
Quest Conference Center, Columbus, OH | 8405 Pulsar Place, Columbus
Earn 12 CEUs:
Social Work and Counselor CEUs available (chemical dependency CEUs pending)
With the national and state conversation
continuously focused on budget cuts with
little regard for improving client outcomes,
it is important for social workers to educate
decision makers and the public about the
power of social work and the positive client
outcomes that often follow. Social workers
become change agents by advocating,
empowering and serving clients in numerous
capacities through case management,
counseling, policy development, public
health and many more. It is important
for social workers to serve clients AND
themselves in an ethical, efficient and
competent manner. This year’s conference
will focus on the dual role of service to
others AND service to one’s self within the
profession of social work (fair compensation,
reasonable caseloads, relieving student debt,
workplace safety). Focusing on professional
health issues like reasonable caseloads and
workplace safety will ultimately improve
client care.
Cost:
Both Days
The conference will be held at the Quest
Conference Center located at 8405 Pulsar Pl #
100, Columbus, OH 43240. The Quest Business
Center is a conference center located just east
of I-71 on Polaris Parkway (very close to the
Polaris mall). The facility features 14 various size
meeting rooms. Guests are supplied with free
onsite parking as they arrive at the facility. The
Quest Center provides for up to 400 attendees
and 45-50 exhibitors. The NASW Ohio Chapter
conference will be the only event at the facility
during the two days. Directions are available at:
www.quest-centers.com/areainfo/location.cfm
Where to Stay
Wingate by Wyndham Columbus-Polaris
8505 Pulsar Pl, I-71 & Polaris Prkwy, Columbus,
OH 43240, 614-844-5888
Ask for NASW discount rate to receive $75
room rate on Wednesday and Thursday
Best Western Plus, 2045 Polaris Parkway,
Columbus, OH 43240, 614-396-5100
Ask for NASW discount rate to receive $89
room rate on Wednesday and Thursday
Hampton Inn and Suites, 8411 Pulsar Place,
Columbus, OH 43240, 614-885-8400
Submit a Poster
Presentation Proposal
$110 for members
$160 for non-members
$40 for students
NASW Ohio Chapter annual conference has
successfully hosted juried poster presentations for
two years. Once again NASW Ohio Chapter is
calling for participation in the poster session for
this year’s 2012 annual conference on November
29, 2012. Posters must be set up by 10:30am at
the Quest Center. Judging will be from 11:00am12:00pm. All presenters will be honored at the
One Day
$70 for members
$100 for non-members
$25 for students
To register
Conference Location
visit www.naswoh.org
President’s Reception at 4:30pm. Student poster
winners will be invited to attend the Awards
ceremony at 5:00pm.
The poster session is open to professionals,
academics and students. Awards and recognition
for the best student poster presentations occur in
the evening. We ask your help in making the 2012
annual conference event a time when social work
accomplishments are celebrated by submitting
scholarly work for dissemination. Scholarship is
broadly defined and includes work such as:
Original empirical research
Secondary analyses
Integrative literature reviews
Field education learning experiences
Case study research projects
We are especially interested in seeing poster
submissions that explore social workforce
issues, including education debt relief, safety,
salary, caseload sizes, etc… To submit a poster
presentation proposal visit www.naswoh.org
Sponsor the 2012 Conference
Meet more social workers in one day than
you could visit on your own at this once-a-year
opportunity. It is the most important event in the
state for anyone who provides social services or
works with social workers. The conference makes
it easy for you to receive name recognition and
place product information in front of the right
audience. Let the National Association of Social
Workers Ohio Chapter bring that audience to you!
For more information on sponsorship opportunities
visit www.naswoh.org or call 614-461-4484.
or complete the form on page 27 of this newsletter.
On the form write the letters of the workshops you want to attend.
10
NASW—Ohio Chapter
Conference Schedule
Day 1—November 29th
9:30am-11:00am
Keynote Presentation #1—1.5 CEUs
11:00am-11:30am
Exhibit Viewing and Poster Session
11:30am-11:45am—Lunch
11:45am-1:15pm
Breakout A—1.5 CEUs
1:30pm-3:00pm
Breakout B—1.5 CEUs
3:00pm-3:30pm
Exhibit Viewing
3:30pm-5:00pm
Breakout C—1.5 CEUs
5:00pm-5:30pm
President’s Reception and Town Hall
5:30pm-8:00pm
Awards Banquet
$30 per person extra
The awards banquet will honor
the 2012 winners:
Social Worker of the Year
Cindy Webb
Lifetime Achievement Award
Gregory Keck
Outstanding Service Award
John Hostetler
Emerging Leader Award
Brad Smith
Public Elected Official of the Year
Representative Denise Driehaus
Public Citizens of the Year
Harriet and Harloe Cutler
MSW Student of the Year
Emily Panzeri
BSW Student of the Year
Samantha Kauf
Day 2- November 30th
9:30am-11:00am
Keynote Presentation #2—1.5 CEUs
11:00am-11:30am
Exhibit Viewing
11:30am-11:45am—Lunch
11:45am-1:15pm
Breakout D—1.5 CEUs
1:30pm-3:00pm
Breakout E—1.5 CEUs
3:00pm-3:30pm
Exhibit Viewing
3:30pm-5:00pm
Breakout F- 1.5 CEUs
Entire descriptions of workshops
and presenter bios can be found at
www.naswoh.org.
Keynote Presentations
Day 1: November 29
Keynote 1:9:30am-11:00am
Empowering Others, Empowering Ourselves
Presenter: Dyann McDowell
Hope is not denial, optimism or simply wishing. Social
Workers help others refocus and restore hope. Compassion
fatigue or secondary traumatic stress, is defined “as the
natural, predictable, treatable, and preventable unwanted
consequence of working with suffering people, that is,
the cost of caring” (Figley, 1995; Stamm, 1999). Social
Workers are change agents that empower, advocate and
serve others but, often do not recognize that advocating
for self is a critical step in empowerment. The keynote
will review the issues and give participants the tools, skills
and permission needed to advocate and empower all.
Dyann McDowell is a Training and Development
Consultant with Training Marbles, Inc. She engages her
audience by provoking thought with insight and humor
that assist others to contemplate the changes necessary
to achieve success. Dyann is passionate about success.
She is recognized as a dynamic trainer and a catalyst for
change.
Day 2: November 30
Keynote 2: 9:30am-11:00am
Hope, Empowerment and Achievement
Presenter: A keynote address from a Paralympic athlete
Professional Development Series
NASW Ohio Chapter is offering a professional
development series during this year’s annual conference.
To coincide with the theme of empowering others,
empowering ourselves, we move social work forward by
providing social workers an opportunity to grow not just
in their clinical skills, but also in their professional careers.
These workshops are for both professionals and students.
As YOUR professional association, NASW Ohio Chapter
hopes to empower and help you reach your professional
goals. Unfortunately no CEUs can be offered for these
workshops.
Getting into a MSW Program
This workshop is geared toward students and professionals
who want to pursue their MSW. This is a panel discussion
focused on ways to increase your chances of acceptance,
preparing you for a MSW program and ways to succeed/
get the most out of your MSW program.
Getting into a PhD Program
This workshop is for those wanting to pursue their PhD in
Social Work. This panel discussion will focus on the benefits
and potential drawbacks of getting your PhD, ways to
increase your chances of acceptance, what to expect in
the program and ways to succeed/career paths available
after you receive your PhD.
Is an online MSW program right for me?
“Can I get licensed if I participate in an online MSW
program?” “Which programs are approved by Council
of Social Work Education?” “What are the benefits of
an online program vs. going in-person to classes?” “Will
I still get field placement experience through an online
program?” Answers to these questions and more will be
the focus of this workshop.
Tools for success:
Finding and getting a social work job
A panel of experts will provide the dos and don’ts in the
interview process, how to best market yourself coming out
of school and or switching professional areas and creative
ways to job search and get the job you want.
Tools for success:
Self-advocacy during the hiring process &
selling the social work brand
We hope to provide you the courage and motivation to
advocate for yourself during the hiring process and how to
sell the social work brand. Come to learn best tips and tools
to market your social work degree and how to negotiate
for salary and other benefits during the hiring process.
Tools for success:
Self-advocacy throughout your career
We will provide you with the needed information and tools
to advocate for yourself and your clients throughout your
career. Negotiation does not just end at the hiring process.
Cuts are often made to programs in which we work and
agency demands sometimes interfere with our client-level
work. This workshop will help you identify steps to take to
ensure that you are advocating for yourself in every step
of your career.
Breakout Workshops
Day 1- November 29
3 Hour Workshops
Breakout A and B—11:45am-1:15pm &
continued into 1:30pm-3:00pm
Workshop 1 (3-Hour Session): Youth with
co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders:
Empowerment through increased recognition
Presenter: Michael Fox, M.A., PCC, CCDC III
The importance and common prevalence of co-occurring
disorders in all populations is being increasingly
recognized. However, research and understanding
of co-occurring disorders in youth lags far behind
that of adults. This presentation will cover current
research regarding the prevalence of adolescent
mental health and substance abuse, the developmental
implications of adolescent substance abuse and the
importance of integrated (addressing both mental
health and substance abuse issues by a single provider)
assessments, treatment designs and community advocacy.
Michael has worked in the addictions and mental
health field for nearly fifteen years. He has provided
therapy in outpatient and home-based settings.
Workshop 2 (3-Hour Session):
Eating disorders and childhood trauma
Presenter: Caelan Kuban, Psy D, LMSW
This workshop discusses the relationship between eating
disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. Learn how
unresolved trauma can drive eating disorder behaviors.
Examples of activities to incorporate into trauma
intervention are presented. This workshop frames eating
disorders and trauma from a “what has happened?” rather
than a “what is wrong with you?” perspective.
Caelan Kuban, LMSW, is director of The National
Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC), a program
of the Starr Institute for Training.
Workshop 3 (3-Hour Session):
Being productive and safe on the job
Presenter: Dan Elliot, B.A.
This workshop will help to increase awareness of and
choices in dealing with emotionally charged situations
by focusing on core principles of interpersonal safety
awareness, de-escalation and organizational safety.
For almost 20 years, Dan Elliot has been training
and consulting individuals and organizations on issues of
communication, human behavior and violence prevention,
both nationally and internationally.
Workshop 4 (3-hour Session –
Qualifies for ethics requirement): Ethical Practice:
A Social Worker’s Best Defense Against Malpractice
September–October 2012
11
Presenter: Carole Maw Olson,
ACSW, LICSW
This session is sponsored by NASW
Assurance Services, Inc. (ASI) of
Frederick, MD, and describes the most
significant malpractice risks in social
work today and numerous methods
of mitigating and reducing one’s risk
of being sued for malpractice. The
presentation is intended for social
workers in all settings and positions,
not just the clinical, therapeutic mental
health setting. A free attendee toolkit
will be distributed at the workshop.
Carole Mae Olson, a longtime
member of NASW, is a former Trustee
of the National Association of Social
Workers Insurance Trust. She recently
retired after thirteen years as executive
director of Episcopal Community
Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Workshop 5 (3-Hour Session):
Giving social workers what their souls
need: What we are learning from
current research about burnout
Presenter: Melanie Zuk
Even the most devoted and motivated
individuals can burn out. Burnout leads
driven professionals to disengage,
become cynical and question their
ability to remain in the profession. It
effects individuals’ mental, emotional
and physical health and strains
personal relationships. The workshop
builds on the extensive and valuable
research that has been done on the
management of the detrimental effects
of burnout.
Melanie Zuk, LCSW, practiced
until 2008, when she left the field
completely due to burnout. Soon after,
she started to research and develop
her methodology to reduce burnout for
social workers. She has now re-entered
the field by sharing valuable research
with others.
Workshop 6 (3-Hour Session –
Qualifies for supervision requirement):
Expectations of the training
supervisor: Responsibilities and duties
to the trainee
Presenter: Cynthia Webb, MSSA,
LISW-S
Do you know the difference between
clinical super vision and training
supervision? Clinical supervision is
the supervision that is required by
agencies to review client’s progress
and notes. This workshop will focus on
the requirements, responsibilities and
duties involved in training supervision.
Cindy has practiced on a micro
and macro level. Presently she is
working in private practice using
hypnotherapy, CBT and mindfulness
modalities, teaching online and faceto-face classes.
Breakout A—11:45am-1:15pm
(1.5 hours)
12
NASW—Ohio Chapter
Workshop 7:
Social work and spirituality
Presenter: Sherri Harper Woods, D.
Min. (June 2012), MSSA, LISA
The workshop will examine the
integration of spirituality into the
treatment process. Spiritual
competencies of (1) culture and world
view, (2) counselor self-awareness, (3)
human and spiritual development, (4)
communication (5) assessment and (6)
diagnosis and treatment as defined
by the Association of Spiritual, Ethical,
and Religious Values in Counseling
(ASERVIC) will be reviewed.
Sherri Harper Woods, LISW,
serves as Formational Counselor at
Mind, Body and Soul Raphe Care
Center. She is a counselor, adjunct
faculty at Youngstown State University
in the Social Work Department.
Workshop 8: Bullying and
intellectual/developmental
disabilities: Vulnerability, social pain,
resilience and prevention
Presenter: Lara Palay, MSW, LISW-S
Children and youth with developmental
disabilities, including autism, are at
higher risk of bullying and victimization.
The workshop will review the incidence
of bullying and other forms of abuse for
this population and the vulnerabilities
that place them at higher risk. The
presenter will discuss trauma and social
pain from emotional and neurological
perspectives. She will describe the
effects of small-traumas from daily
stressors and unseen oppression. The
workshop will introduce recent brain
science and neuroplasticity and key
factors of resilience and Post-Traumatic
Growth (PTG). The workshop will
conclude with an overview of successful
anti-bullying programs, such as Roots
of Empathy in Canada.
Lara Palay is senior fellow at the
Center for Systems Change, a social
and disability policy think tank.
Workshop 9: What happened to you?
Understanding trauma-informed care
Presenter: Rachel Ramirez-Hammond,
MA, MSW, LISW
This training will provide attendees with
the opportunity to learn about trauma
and the ways in which experiencing
trauma and stress impact the lives of
individuals. We will define traumatic
stress, understand the way in which
the body and the brain responds to
stress and learn ways to make our
interactions with trauma survivors
helpful and supportive by shifting the
question from, What’s wrong with you?
To What happened to you?
Rachel Ramirez-Hammond is
the training coordinator at the Ohio
Domestic Violence Network and the
co-author of Trauma-Informed Care:
Best Practices and Protocols for Ohio’s
Domestic Violence Programs.
Professional Development
Workshop 1:
Getting into a MSW Program
No CEUs are available for this
workshop. See description above.
Breakout B—1:30pm-3:00pm
(1.5 hours)
Workshop 10: Managed longterm care: Ethical implications for
elders and their social workers
Presenters: Amanda Ripke, MA,
MSW, LISW-S & Sarah Tarrant, MSW,
LSW
This workshop explores the potential
consequences of the managed care
model of service delivery on individuals
who receive long-term services and
supports in Ohio. An overview of the
current trends in service delivery will be
provided along with a basic foundation
of the practices, principles, and issues
related to the managed care system.
The role of social workers in the forprofit system will be addressed with
an emphasis on the ethical implications
that might arise.
Amanda Ripke, MA, MSW,
LISW-S has worked for the Ohio
PASSPORT Program as a case manager
and supervisor. She currently is the
non-institutional care coordinator
for the Columbus VA. Sarah Tarrant,
MSW, LSW is a recent graduate from
OSU. She has interests in gerontology,
research, advocacy and public policy
and is an active member of NASW
Ohio Chapter.
Workshop 11: Empowerment
and human needs: Towards a unified
concept of practice
Presenter: Michael A. Dover, BSW,
MSSW, Ph.D. (LCSW, Louisiana,
LMSW (M/C), Michigan)
This workshop will present a
conceptualization of social work
practice that links two concepts central
to social work: empowerment and basic
human needs. Social work’s primary
mission involves both empowering
individuals to address their own needs
and working for a social environment
that is responsive to human needs.
A unifying conceptualization of
social work practice is presented for
discussion that focuses on the role of
social workers as we stand side by
side with clients and communities at
the point of intersection of individuals
and the social environment.
Michael Dover is college
associate lecturer at Cleveland State
University School of Social Work. He
serves as coordinator of the Cuyahoga
County Conference on Social Welfare
and editor of Reflections: Narratives of
Professional Helping.
Workshop 12:
Working with veterans workshop
Presenter: Tim Moss
Professional Development Workshop
2: Getting into a Ph.D Program
No CEUs are available for this
workshop. See description above.
Breakout C—3:30pm-5:00pm
(1.5 hours)
Workshop 13: Risks, prevention, and
effective interventions for children
and adolescents with disabilities at
risk for juvenile court involvement
Presenter: Christopher A. Mallett,
Ph.D., Esq., LISW-S
This workshop will present the risks
that children and adolescents with
various disabilities have for juvenile
court involvement. The goal is to
provide an overview of these childhood
and adolescent disability risks and
a thorough presentation of effective
prevention and interventions that can
be pursued by the social work and
related professions.
Christopher A. Mallett, Ph.D.,
Esq., LISW-S is licensed in Ohio as
a social worker and attorney and
conducts trainings nationwide for
juvenile court judges and attorneys in
the area of disabilities and law.
Workshop 14 (Qualifies for
1.5 hours of ethics requirement):
Ethics: What will you do?
Presenter: Linda Gatten Butler, MSW,
ACSW, LISW-S
This workshop offers new insight, small
group practice and discussion of one of
social work’s core values for beginners
to seasoned professionals. Through
networking, applying and challenging
our actions, ethics can become
an integral part of empowerment,
advocacy and every day practice as
facilitated by an experienced presenter.
Linda Gatten Butler, MSW, ACSW,
LISW-S, is senior fundraising consultant
and president of Butler Consulting.
Workshop 15 (Qualified for 1.5
hours of supervision requirement):
How supervisors support the ethical
integration of spirituality in social
work practice
Presenter: Jerry Jo M. Gilham, Ph.D.,
LISW-S
The workshop will focus on the benefits
of including a client’s spirituality in
practice; examine how a clinician’s
spirituality impacts the integration of
spirituality; discuss the supervisor’s
role in facilitating the integration
process; and outline principles to
guide supervisors to ensure that they
behave ethically and effectively, along
with outlining agency and policy
implications.
Dr. Gilham is a professor of
social work at Franciscan University of
Steubenville.
Workshop 16: What is a social
worker doing in a law firm?
Presenters: Rachel Kabb Effron, Esq.
CELA; Kathy VanDoros, LSW, CECC;
& Jamie Olderman, MSW, LSW
The workshop will focus on the aspect
of the social worker role in an elder law
firm describing how an attorney and
a social worker can successfully work
together toward the same goal. It will
focus on the Life Care Planning model
used by the firm to ensure the legal,
financial and care needs of clients are
met. It will discuss the conflicts that can
arise due to different ethical standards
set out by the NASW and the Bar
Association.
Rachel A. Kabb-Effron, Esq.,
Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA),
is a partner in the Kabb Law Firm in
Beachwood, Ohio specializing in
Elder law and concentrating in Social
Security and Veteran s benefits. Kathy
VanDoros, LSW, CECC has over 25
years’ experience in the Long Term
Care Industry in the areas of Nursing
Home and Assisted Living management,
marketing, program development,
case management, resident advocacy,
training and start-up. Jamie Olderman
MSW, LSW has experience working
with a range of clients in the field of
social work.
Workshop 17: Cultural
competency / cultural sensitivity - An
academic & reflective review: How
not to fuel the ugly American image
Presenter: Vincent Costello, MSW,
LISW-S
This workshop will use academic and
personal reflective information to put
forth the importance of knowing basic
information about the cultural group
you are working with when engaging
international clients. The workshop
will discuss the critical need to take
into account the differences in culture
and customs when working locally and
internationally.
Vince Costello, director of
International Services, Cincinnati Area
Chapter American Red Cross, has 39
years of experience with the American
Red Cross. He has years of family
linking / tracing experience locally,
nationally and internationally with the
International Committee of the Red
Cross, ICRC in Geneva Switzerland
and is considered an expert in family
reunification.
Workshop 18:
Social work survival kit
Presenter: Xan Boone, MSW
This workshop will use interactive
scenarios and lecture to discuss
concerns of burnout and survival in
the profession of social work. It is
meant to be used for new and veteran
social workers to rethinkt the work and
the clients.
Xan Boone has been a child
welfare social worker for 24 years. She
has worked with clients in the field as a
caseworker a supervisor and a coach.
For the past five years she has been a
field service assistant professor at the
University of Cincinnati in the School
of Social Work.
Workshop 19: Empowering clients
through teaching self-compassion
Presenters: Ellen Seigel, LISW-S &
Cynthia M. Webb, LISW-S
Social workers teach clients to utilize
resources, set healthy boundaries, the
importance of balance and self-care.
We teach this to clients while we are
nobly putting ourselves to the side
in order to serve others, as many of
us have an overdeveloped sense of
responsibility-- finding it much easier
to be concerned with others than
ourselves. This begs the question: How
can we be fully present to serve others if
we are not nurturing ourselves? Explore
elements of self-compassion, how to
use it with self, and effectively teach it
to your clients.
Ellen is trained in Spirituality,
Hypnotherapy, EMDR and HMR. Her
new book, “Be Happy No Matter
What” invites readers to let go of
obsolete and self-sabotaging beliefs,
ideas and behaviors.
Workshop 20: Empowering
patients and social workers in ohio’s
new integrated care delivery model
for older adults and people with
disabilities on Medicare and Medicaid
Presenters: Cathy J. Levine, BA, MA,
JD & Octavia (Nita) Carter, BS, LSW
In this interactive workshop, we will
examine Ohio’s proposal for enrolling
dually-eligible older adults and people
with disabilities in managed care
plans, identifying potential benefits
and pitfalls. Then, looking at several
nationally acclaimed programs, we
will identify design elements needed
to empower patients and members of
the care team, including social workers.
Cathy Levine is executive director
of UHCAN Ohio, a non-partisan,
nonprofit organization advocating for
consumers in health care reform. Ms.
Levine coordinates the Ohio Campaign
for Better Care. Nita Carter is the health
equity director of UHCAN Ohio.
Workshop 21:
Clinical issues in adoption/foster care
Presenter: Deborah Merchant,
MSW, MA
We will review the clinical issues
unique to adoption/foster care youth
and explore effective support structures
for parents who have adopted and
means to improve education for and
collaboration with related service
providers such as teachers
Deborah Merchant earned her
MSW in 1987 as part of fulfilling a
lifelong interest in what enables people
to fulfill their potential, to be resilient, to
evolve beyond limitations.
Professional Development
Workshop 3: Is an online MSW
program right for me?
No CEUs are available for this
workshop. See description above.
Day 2- November 30
3 Hour Workshops
Breakout D and E—11:45am1:15pm & continued into
1:30pm-3:00pm
Workshop 22 (3-Hour Session –
Qualifies for ethics requirement):
9 Major practice problem areas
facing mental health therapists and
chemical dependency professionals
Presenter: Glenn Karr
If you have ever made a decision in an
ethical dilemma and wondered:
“Am I going to be liable for this?”
“What steps can I take to avoid having
licensing Board complaints filed
against me?”
“What are the current Counselor, Social
Worker, and Marriage and Family
Therapist Board rules which apply to my
practice and how does HIPAA impact
my practice?”
Then this workshop will prepare you to
avoid problems. And you will receive
a 50-page workbook.
Glenn Karr, an attorney with
decades of experience working in the
health care field and with mental health
therapists. He also writes The Legal
Corner, see page 8.
Workshop 23 (3-Hour Session –
Qualifies for supervision requirement):
Issues in social work supervision
Presenter: Linda Helm, LISW-S
This three-hour workshop will provide an
explanation of the Ohio Licensing Law
and procedures for LISW-S (supervision
designation); the need for supervision;
a framework for understanding the
basic three functions of supervision
(education, administration and support);
the role of the supervisor within these
functions; the use of self and emotional
intelligence in supervision; setting up
a supervision contract; and the role
of evaluation.
Breakout D—11:45am-1:15pm
(1.5 hours)
Workshop 24: She’s pregnant
again!?! Exploring the connection
between intimate partner violence
and reproductive health
Presenter: Laura Schumm, MSW, LSW
This workshop will introduce participants
to the issue of reproductive coercion;
explore the intersections of intimate
partner violence and reproductive
health and introduce participants to
Project Connect, an evidence based
intervention that improves the health
and safety of women and girls in all
settings.
Laura Schumm is the
projectcConnect coordinator at the Ohio
Domestic Violence Network. She holds a
Master of Social Work from the University
of Toledo and is a former advocate.
Workshop 25: Life after loss:
Offering the option of organ and
tissue donation to a grieving family
Presenter: Melissa Holiday, RN
Our goal is to empower the audience
with a strong understanding of the role
of the family services coordinator in the
organ and tissue donation process. Our
presentation will cover the following
areas: 1. LifeCenter—Who are we,
what do we do? 2. When does a
hospital contact LifeCenter and our
family services coordinators? What is
our role and how do we get involved
with families? 3. How are we introduced
to a family? 4. Communication with a
grieving family—how do we broach
the subject of organ and tissue
donation? 5. Working through myths
and misconceptions about donation.
7. Caring for the family—how do we
support our families? 8. Facilitating
communication between the donor
families and recipients. 9. Follow up
and caring for a family post donation.
Melissa Holiday has been a
Registered Nurse since 1989. She
began working for LifeCenter in 1993
following the unexpected death of her
sister, Dee Dee. Her family made the
courageous decision to donate after
learning that she was brain dead.
In doing so, her sister saved 4 lives.
Melissa’s family was approached for
donation in a “less than sensitive”
manner and she made the commitment
that she wanted to come to LifeCenter
and be a facilitator to change in the
process.
Workshop 26: Getting your
groove back: Helping individuals to
find it
Presenters: Danielle Ruben,
MSW, LISW-S & Lora Fish, BSBA
Certification in Leadership in Human
Services Management
Over the past years social work has
been changing with cuts in funding
and increased need for ser vices.
Agencies need to be creative in the
way they are serving their community,
and individuals seeking support. At
Jewish Family Services we recognized
this and started an educational/
support group for our unemployed
and uninsured consumers. The group
Getting Your Groove Back empowered
the participants to move forward in their
job readiness and empowered staff to
take action to address client needs by
combining resources and expertise.
This workshop provides information
about this eight-week group and how
you can implement it at your agencies.
D a n i e l l e R u b e n , M . S . W. ,
LISW-S, a therapist at Jewish Family
Services, has more than 10 years of
experience assisting individuals with
crisis stabilization, financial stability
planning, community resource linkage
and individual counseling. Lora Fish,
program coordinator with Jewish
Family Services, has 22 years of
September–October 2012
13
experience in workforce development.
Workshop 27: Breaking the
addictive cycle: A journey through
empowerment
Presenter: Carole Stokes-Brewer, PhD,
LISW-S, LICDC
Can empowerment techniques interrupt
addiction? Whether an addiction is
with alcohol and drugs, gambling,
eating disorders, sex or the Internet,
the numbers continue to accelerate.
An examination of the brain’s reward
paths and the individuals strengths,
lend further understanding of how
empowerment can facilitate new
patterns of behavior. Using elements
of various social work theorists,
participants guide an illustrated case
through the empowerment stages.
Following, the group will individually
devise their personal plan for
empowerment.
Dr. Carole Stokes-Brewer is
director of field education at the Union
Institute & University s Social Work
Program.
Workshop 28: Empowering persons
with disabilities: A call to action
Presenters: Linda McArdle, MSW,
LISW-S & Michele Thornton, MSW,
LSW
This empowerment workshop will
identify factors related to the medical
profession’s view of problems of
disability as the inability of a person
to perform certain activities of daily
living (ADLs). This perspective
locates problems within the person
as inabilities and clients ultimately
vie: (1) rehabilitation professionals
as experts, (2) their condition as
undesirable and (3) work toward
recovery defined for them. Workshop
will emphasize empowerment through
self-determination of disabled persons
rather than reliance on medical experts.
Linda is a faculty member with
the University of Akron. Her practice
included medical social work in acute
and skilled settings. Michele is also a
faculty member with the University of
Akron. Her practice included long-term
care, hospice and PASSPORT.
Workshop 29: MST and child
welfare: Achieving outcomes together
Presenters: Kristen Blaze, MSSA,
LISW-S; Patrick J. Kanary, M.Ed.;
Pamela J. Mitterling, MAEd, RN,
PCC-S, LSW, LICDC; & Nicole
Scalish, PCC-S
The workshop will include: A brief
introduction to the MST model; MST
and implications for child welfare Youth with Conduct and Oppositional
Defiant Disorder; description of
Cuyahoga County’s DCFS program
and what makes it unique; program
outcomes; using MST to reduce out
of home placements/aggressive
behavior/safety concerns/violence
14
NASW—Ohio Chapter
exposure through specific interventions,
collaboration and advocacy; MST and
the provision of intensive supervision
and support to therapists to assist them
in doing the work; and advocacy
efforts that have resulted in expansion
during times of shrinking dollars.
Kristen Blaze, MSSA, LISW-S is a
program administrator for Cuyahoga
County’s Children and Family Services.
She oversees the MST Program and
has extensive experience working
with youth and families in the area of
behavioral health. Patrick J. Kanary is
the director of the Center for Innovative
Practices at the Begun Center for
Violence Prevention at CWRU. Patrick
has extensive experience in children’s
mental health issues at local, state and
national levels. Pamela J. Mitterling,
MAEd, RN, PCC-S, LSW, LICDC is an
MST expert for the Center for Innovative
Practices at CWRU. Nicole Scalish,
PCC-S is a social services supervisor
for Cuyahoga County’s Division of
Children and Family Services.
Workshop 30: Practicing self-care
for effective practice
Presenter: Priscilla R. Smith, Ph.D.,
MSW, LISW (Missouri)
This workshop will describe and
demonstrate a variety of self-care
practices for social workers. It is
appropriate for both micro and macro
level practitioners. Among the practices
covered are breathing techniques,
centering/grounding, progressive
relaxation, and meridian tapping (EFT).
Dr. Priscilla Smith has taught
social work for 25 years. In 2006,
she was honored with a Lifetime
Achievement Award from NASW Ohio
Chapter Region 2.
Professional Development
Workshop 4: Tools for success:
Finding and getting a social work job
No CEUs are available for this
workshop. See description above.
Breakout E—1:30pm-3:00pm
(1.5 hours)
Workshop 31: SBIRT in the
healthcare setting: Implications for
prevention and intervention
Presenter: Geneva Sanford MSW,
LSW, LICDC
Workshop will provide an overview
of SBIRT (Screening Brief Intervention
Referral Treatment), an evidence-based
approach designed to identify patients
at risk for alcohol and/or drug use
problems. This intervention has been
proven to be effective with patients in
the healthcare settings.
Geneva Sanford, LSW, MSW.
LICDC works at Grant Medical
Center where she has designed and
implemented a substance abuse
program for patients whose injuries
are directly related to their abuse of
alcohol and/or drugs.
Workshop 32: Understanding the
EMDR approach to psychotherapy:
‘With and without all that ‘BLS’”
Presenter: Roy Kiessling, MSW, LISW,
ACSW
Yes: EMDR, while controversial in
some professional quarters, is an
evidenced-based psychotherapy
intervention that empowers the client
to process traumatic events on their
own terms. Understanding what
EMDR does and does not offer is not
only empowering to the client, but
also to the social worker considering
potential therapeutic interventions for
their clients.
Roy received his MSW from the
University of Kentucky in 1988, and
his LISW and ACSW in 1990. He was
trained in EMDR in 1995. Since 2000,
he has served as the Senior Trainer
in EMDR for the two largest EMDR
training organizations in USA.
Workshop 33: Social work’s new
role: Advocating with clients in an
age of privatization
Presenters: Alice Davis Skirtz, PhD/
LISW-S & Melissa M. Bilancini,
MSSA/LSW
This workshop examines current and
emerging social policies that promote
inequality. Participants will discuss
its impact through real-life examples
from local and state actions that
privatize social services and shift
policy decisions to public private
partnerships and private corporations.
Finally, participants will identify ways
social workers and NASW can work to
prevent and reverse inequality.
Alice Skirtz has forty years social
work experience in direct practice,
supervision and administration working
with economically poor populations,
shelter for homeless singles and
families, emergency services and
teen pregnancy prevention programs;
Lifetime NASW Member; and
community activist. Melissa Bilancini
is policy coordinator for the ACLU
of Ohio. A member of the legislative
team, she identifies key elected officials
to engage, integrates volunteers into
the organization’s legislative efforts
and supports statewide advocacy
campaigns. She is also coordinator of
the ACLU of Ohio’s Stern Institute.
Workshop 34: Wellness
counseling: Moving social work
forward
Presenters: Jonathon C. Siehl, MSW,
LISW; Paul F. Granello, PhD. LPCC;
Marybeth McDonalth, MSW LISW;
David Cunningham, B.S., CCHt; &
and Laura Lewis, M.A. LPC
This workshop will inform the
participants regarding the use of
a wellness model as the basis for
structuring client care. Wellness
will be discussed as the paradigm
for behavioral healthcare. Social
workers are uniquely qualified to
deliver therapy from this holistic
approach both in private practice and
institutional settings.
Jon Siehl has been practicing
social work, counseling and
psychotherapy for 34 years. Jon
has cultivated a holistic approach to
counseling over the last two decades
in his private practice in Worthington
- now known as the Wellness Institute
- in partnership with Dr. Paul Granello.
Dr. Granello is associate professor of
counselor education at The Ohio State
University. He is also the author of a
text on Wellness for Pearson publishers.
Workshop 35: Assessing and
promoting resilience in families:
An empowerment approach
Presenters: Dr. Lonnie R. Helton,
Ph. D., MSW, LISW-S, ACSW &
Dr. Shirley M. Keller, Ph. D., MSW
LISW-S, ACSW
This workshop defines and examines
resiliency in families. External and
internal assets of family members
are examined, and special attention
is given to risk and resiliency factors
in clinical social work assessment.
A conceptual model of resiliency is
presented along with a framework for
understanding resiliency in relation to
client self-esteem and well-being.
Dr. Lonnie R. Helton, professor
of social work and interim director at
School of Social Work at Cleveland
State University, has written textbooks
on practice with diverse families,
children and adolescents in clinical
practice settings. Dr. Shirley M. Keller,
professor of social work at Youngtown
State University, has completed
research on conceptual models for
empowerment practice with a focus
on women’s issues.
Workshop 36: Consumers,
workers, and other decision-makers:
Bringing action and advocacy tools
to your practice
Presenters: Michel A. Coconis, PhD,
MSW & Terry Cluse-Tolar, PhD, MSW,
LISW
Participants will consider the
interrelationship of advocacy, critical
thinking, cultural competence,
empowerment and transformational
change through up to 12 active learning
activities ranging from interactive letter
writing to storytelling with Theatre
of the Oppressed. Participants will
consider situations in which they might
incorporate each activity, engage
in the activity to see how it is done,
observe how it is facilitated and
receive written information from the
agenda, rationale and descriptions.
Michel Coconis, MSW and PhD
(The Ohio State University) has taught
in several BSW and MSW programs
over the past 24 years while providing
mitigation investigation services and
board and other advocacy work in
several areas including feminism,
poverty, media and criminal justice.
Terr y Cluse-Tolar, LISW, is MSW
director at University of Toledo and
former chair of the Ohio Counselor
and Social Worker Licensing Board.
Workshop 37: Bullying in and
out of school: School social worker’s
roles
Presenter: Nicole Stacey, MSW,
ACSW, LISW-S
This workshop is a comprehensive view
of the role of the school social worker
and bullying. Over the last 20+ years,
this topic has been brought to the
forefront of social awareness due to
media attention and lawsuits against
individuals and schools. Bullying
impacts a school climate as well as
students’ attendance and academic
success.
Nicole Stacey is currently the
president of the Ohio School Social
Worker Association and Midwest
School Social Work Council Member.
Nicole has been a school social worker
for 18 years.
Professional Development
Workshop 4: Tools for success:
Self-advocacy during the hiring
process
No CEUs are available for this
workshop. See description above.
Breakout F—3:30pm-5:00pm
(1.5 hours)
Workshop 38: Child-centered
custody evaluations by Ohio social
workers
Presenters: Ken Lewis, PhD & Merle
Chorney, MSW
When marital discord evolves into
distrust, many couples are quick to see
divorce as their best option. Divorce
may be an easy way out for the couple;
but it wreaks havoc on the children.
Ohio judges welcome professionals
to guide them in custody arrangements
that are best for the children. This
workshop will offer four reasons why
Ohio social workers are well-suited to
guide the judges. It will demonstrate
how to conduct a comprehensive
evaluation that is child-centered.
Dr. Lewis was a social work
professor at several universities
in the 1970’s. He has published
extensively about children of divorce,
including “Child Custody Evaluations
by Social Workers” (NASW Press).
Merle Chorney has limited her work
exclusively to custody matters during
the past ten years.
Workshop 39: Strategic advocacy:
Building a statewide coalition to
strengthen families and communities
in the next state budget
Presenter: Will Petrik
Social workers become change agents
by advocating, empowering and
ser ving clients in many different
capacities through case management,
counseling, policy development, public
health and many more. Collaboration
is critical in providing wrap-around,
holistic services to families in our
communities. Advocacy, collaboration
and coalition building is the most
effective way to build a message,
increase public understanding and
move public policy and policy makers.
Will Petrik joined the staff of
Advocates for Ohio’s Future in October
2010 as the coalition’s first outreach
director and is now the state director.
Before that, Will served as campus
organizer for Washington Public
Interest Research Group (WashPIRG)
at the Evergreen State College. Will
graduated in 2009 from the College
of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota,
with a self-designed BA in Social Justice.
Workshop 40:
Facilitating forgiveness in end-of-life
care: A case study
Presenter: Marjorie E. Baker, MSW
The importance of addressing
unresolved psychosocial concerns with
dying patients is pivotal to facilitating
peaceful closure in end-of-life treatment.
In this workshop the details of a
responsive and skilled intervention that
resulted in forgiveness and peaceful
closure for a dying patient and his
family are provided and discussed. The
importance of targeted training and
continued skill development for social
workers providing end-of-life care in
treatment settings is emphasized.
Dr. Baker holds an MSW and
Ph.D. from the Ohio State University.
Her book on Forgiveness will be
published in 2013. She has been
writing a monthly column for the
Dayton Daily News since January
2011.
Workshop 41:
Commercial Sex and Its Implications
Presenter: Erin Michel, MSW, LSW
This workshop will explore the framing
of commercial sex as exploitation of
human beings. It will inform social
workers about the implications of
exploitation regarding direct service,
client advocacy, social work ethics and
institutional response.
Erin Michel has experience
with community organizing, event
coordination, advocacy and research
and is a subject matter expert in human
trafficking. Ms. Michel earned her
MSW from the Ohio State University
and dual BA degrees from Loyola
University Chicago.
Workshop 42 (Qualifies for
supervision requirement):
Clinical supervision for the treatment
of eating disorders
Presenters: Samantha Mishne, MSW,
LISW-S, LICDC & Melinda Waggoner,
MSSA, LISW-S
Participants will learn the three aspects
of clinical supervion-1) the advancement
of the supervisee; 2) to help the
supervisee work independently and
learn professional decision making; 3)
help the supervisee develop a personal
style and social work identity. The three
aspects of clinical supervision will be
connected to the evidenced-based
treatment of eating disorders by using
case examples. Potential liability issues
will also be identified given the medical
complications associated with eating
disorders.
Samantha Mishne recently
developed an intensive outpatient
treatment program for multidiagnosed
adolescents blending dialectical
behavioral therapy and family based
treatment at the Cleveland Center
for Eating Disorders. She is also an
adjunct faculty at Case Western Reserve
University. Melinda Waggoner has vast
community mental health experience
from school-based treatment to inpatient
counseling. She is currently running the
intensive outpatient and day treatment
programs for adults at the Cleveland
Center for Eating Disorders.
Workshop 43: An introduction to
position-oriented family therapy
Presenter: Norman Shub, MSW,
LISW, LPCC, IMFT
In this workshop participants will have
the opportunity to understand the
model of family therapy that is easily
accessible, that is easily integrated
into your current clinical practice and
whose theoretical and methodological
approach are not obtuse, but
rather are easy to understand and
clear. Participants will also have
the opportunity in this workshop to
understand the process of positionoriented family therapy, engage in an
experiential, participatory opportunity
to see how the process works, and
further, how to integrate this process
into their current clinical practice.
Norman Shub, author, teacher
and psychotherapist, has worked
around the world. His Working Paper
Series is used in universities and
institutes worldwide.
Workshop 44: Substance abuse
treatment and therapy: The impact of
substance abuse on families
Presenter: Calvin Hall, BSW, LSW,
LICDC, SAP
The impact of substance abuse on
families should be of interest to
anyone who wants to learn about
therapy and substance abuse. The
workshop will: 1. Explore the impact
of substance abuse on families 2.
Discuss approaches to therapy in
both substance abuse treatment and
family therapy. 3. Present discussion
of integrated models for substance
abuse treatment and family therapy.
4. Present background information
about substance abuse populations
and application to different therapy
approaches for substance abuse
patient and their families.
Calvin Hall is founder of The
Options Center counseling center
located in Brunswick, Ohio. Calvin
received his BSW from Capital
University in 1999, LICDC in 1998
and LSW in 2001.
Workshop 45:
Solution building couples therapy
Presenter: Elliott E. Connie, MA, LPC
The so lu ti o n-fo cu sed approach
highlights client strengths and
resources so they are empowered
to use those attributes in their future.
This workshop will demonstrate how
the solution-focused approach can be
used effectively in working with couples
to resolves the issues that frequently
interfere with a couple’s happiness.
Elliott Connie is a psychotherapist
practicing in Keller, Texas. He is
also the founder and owner of the
Solution-Focused Training Institute and
The Uptown Counseling and Family
Therapy Center in Dallas, Texas. He
was also co-editor of the book “The
Art of Solution Focused Therapy,”
and his second book “The Solution
Focused Approach with Couples” will
be released during the spring of 2012.
Professional Development
Workshop 6: Tools for success:
Self-advocacy throughout your career
No CEUs are available for this
workshop. See description above.
To register
visit
www.naswoh.org
or
complete the form
on page 27
of this newsletter.
On the form write the letters
of the workshops you want
to attend.
September–October 2012
15
News from the Regions
Region I—Toledo Area
Regional Director:
Jessica Demaline, LSW
potterjessica
@roadrunner.com
Region III—
Cleveland Area
Regional Director:
Molly Martin
mollymartin.lisw@gmail.com
Join NASW Ohio Chapter- Region 1 (Toledo
Area) for a networking lunch on October 1st
from 12:15pm-1:15pm at the Marsh Center
at Swan Creek Retirement Community. All
social workers are invited to attend. This is
a great way to meet other social workers in
the community for referrals, job opportunities,
consultation, and fun!
Happy Fall! We are looking forward to
a productive autumn, including actions in
support of the Affordable Care Act and
an informational session on resources for
managing student loan debt. The Region
3 Steering and Advocacy Committees
meet monthly and are always looking
for new ideas and energy. See below for
opportunities to get involved!
The networking lunch will be between the
REGION 3 MEETINGS: All are welcome!
Pick One or Take Both–Supervision and
Contact
Molly Martin at Ethics Workshop offered on the same day,
mollymartin.lisw@gmail.com to RSVP
October 1st. The Ethics workshop, Ethics of
Social Media and New Technologies- will
Steering Committee: Help shape
be offered from 9am-12:15pm and the
NASW’s upcoming actions and events in
Supervision workshop, Clinical Supervision- Cuyahoga County!
Opportunities and Challenges in the 21st
Where: Artefino Coffee Shop
Century will be offered from 1:15pm- 1900 Superior , Cleveland, OH 44114
4:30pm. The workshop will be held at the When: Thursday, September 6, 2012
Marsh Center at Swan Creek Retirement
from 8am to 9am
Village- 5916 Cresthaven Lane, Toledo, OH *Steering Committee meetings are held on
43614. The cost for NASW members is $45 the first Thursday of every month
for one workshop, $85 for both. To register
complete the registration form on page 27 Advocacy Committee: Join us as we
continue working on issues important to
of this newsletter or visit www.naswoh.org.
our profession and those we serve. We
are currently focusing our efforts to support
Region 1 Includes: Allen, Auglaize, Defiance,
the implementation of/advocating against
Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Hardin, Logan, Lucas,
Mercer, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky,
repeal of the Affordable Care Act and for the
Seneca, Shelby, Van Wert, Wood, Williams, and
Medicaid expansion (see front cover article).
Wyandot Counties.
Where & Where: TBA (locations alternate
between East and West sides of Cleveland).
Region II—Akron Area
Continue checking your e-mail for details.
The mission of the NASW Region
Regional Director: Vacant
3 Advocacy Committee is to plan
and carr y out activities to move
Region 2 is in need of a regional director!
forward the NASW Ohio Chapter Advocacy
If you want to gain leadership skills, work
to grow NASW in the Akron area and Agenda within the Cleveland area.
become a leader within NASW, please
Region 3 includes Cuyahoga County.
consider becoming NASW Ohio Chapter
Region 2 (Akron) Director. The regional
director position is usually for two terms, but
we are open to someone serving only one
year to fulfill the previous director’s term
limit. Regional directors are responsible
for local NASW outreach—planning
networking events and CEU opportunities
and membership development in your region.
If you have questions or want to be the
NASW leader for Region 2 (Akron), please
e-mail daniellesmith@naswoh.org.
Region 2 Includes: Erie, Huron, Lorain, Medina,
Portage, and Summit Counties.
16
NASW—Ohio Chapter
Region IV—
Youngstown Area
Regional Director:
Bradley S. Smith,
MSW, LSW
bssmith78@sbcglobal.net
Regional meetings will take place on the
third Tuesday of every month at 5pm starting
September. The location will be determined
and forwarded to you via email. If you do not
receive emails from NASW Ohio Chapter,
please log in to socialworkers.org to update
your contact information. Also continue
checking the NASW Ohio Chapter calendar
page for meeting updates. I will do my best
to send reminder emails of regional meetings
approximately a week ahead.
Region 4 Includes: Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana,
Geauga, Harrison, Jefferson, Lake, Mahoning, and
Trumbull Counties.
Region V—
Columbus Area
Regional Director:
Tom Dillard, MSSA
naswoh05@gmail.com
REGION V IS MOVING FORWARD
Region V is the home to a wide range of
human services agencies. Many of these
agencies hire social workers. I have a list
of agencies for each county in Region 5.
If you would like a list contact me at me at
tomdillard@hotmail.com
We are using this agency contact information
to build relationships with the agencies in
Region V by contacting the agency directors
to ask them to encourage their employees to
join NASW.
The benefits to the agency of having their
social workers becoming NASW members
are:
1. NASW member have access to CEUs
online and in person- This suppor ts
professional Development and ensures
access to high-quality CEUs.
2. NASW members have access to resources
and information at the national level on a
wide range of topics—This support quality
of services.
3. NASW members also have access
to professional service like significantly
discounted liability insurance —This reduces
the risk of lawsuits and decreases overall
agency liability when more workers have
liability insurance.
4. NASW members who adhere to the NASW
code of ethics are less likely to make mistakes
than those who do not follow the NASW code of
ethics—Improves the quality of workforce
I am asking each member of Region V to ask
their agency executive to allow NASW to hold a
membership meeting at their agency to expose the
NASW members about the services the agency
offers and to allow staff at that agency to hear
the benefits of NASW membership. We used this
approach in August with Maryhaven, Central
Ohio’s oldest and most comprehensive behavioral
health services provider with a specialization in
addiction recovery. Please contact me to arrange
this—tomdillard@hotmail.com. Thanks and keep
up the good work!
I am asking each member of Region V to ask their
agency executive to
1. Allow NASW to hold a membership meeting
at their agency to
a. Expose the NASW membership about the
services the agency offers
b. To hear the benefits of NASW membership
c. Provide attendees the opportunity to join NASW
We are using this approach with Maryhaven:
Central Ohio Area’s oldest and most comprehensive
behavioral health services provider with a
specialization in addiction recovery
If you want help to get a meeting set up contact
me or the State office. Got question or suggestions
let me know tomdillard@hotmail.com. Thanks and
keep up the good work
Region 5 Includes: Athens; Belmont; Delaware;
Fairfield; Fayette; Franklin; Gallia; Guernsey; Hocking;
Jackson; Licking; Madison; Meigs; Morgan; Monroe;
Muskingum; Noble; Perry; Pickaway; Ross; Union;
Vinton; And Washington Counties.
Region VI–Cincinnati Area
Kaitlyn Wessels,
Leah Taylor,
region6@gmail.com
Hello, Region 6! We are back from the Leadership
Retreat and ready to get to work. First on the
agenda: We need to hear from you! During
August you should have received an e-mailed
survey monkey link. Please be sure to share your
thoughts and ideas on what you hope to see from
NASW and return it to us no later than Friday,
September 21. We will use your feedback to
shape the course of the coming year in Region
6. If you did not receive the survey link, please
don’t hesitate to e-mail us at our new Region
6 address: NASWOhio.Region6@gmail.com.
Next on the agenda: Save the date for our first
Social Work Social! On Friday, September 28
join us for happy hour between 5:00 and 7:30
pm where you can enjoy good drinks and great
conversation with your fellow social workers. Let
us take this opportunity to build relationships and
expand our networks as we head into the new
fiscal year. The location is the Rusty Bucket, 2692
Madison Rd., in Norwood and appetizers will
be included.
For updates check out the regional Facebook
(@NASW Ohio Chapter, Region 6) and
Twitter (@NASWOhioRegion6) accounts!
See you around the region!
Region 6 Includes: Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont,
Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Lawrence, Pike, Scioto,
and Warren Counties.
Region VII—Dayton Area
Regional Director:
Ebony Speakes
ems150@case.edu
Greetings region 7! I am so excited to work with
you to explore ways we can expand our capacity
throughout the state. September and October will
be spent developing relationships among members
by hosting networking events. I will be traveling
to all the counties throughout the region 7 to hear
your concerns and suggestions on how we can
have the most impact in growing our membership
to increase our influence. Our overall goals are
to recruit new social workers and develop ways
to sustain relationships with existing members to
ensure the longevity of our profession.
During our networking events I am requesting
every member try to bring another social worker
who is not a member of the NASW Ohio Chapter.
NASW members who bring non-members will
have their names entered into a drawing and
will receive prizes. Once again I look forward
to meeting with members throughout our region
to cultivate new connections and to strengthen
our capacity to influence change on a local level.
Region VIII—Canton Area
Regional Director:
Ruby Gibbons
rlg88@case.edu
The Leadership Retreat on July 28 in Columbus was
a great success! Thank you to all of the Region
8 members who were in attendance and who
participated to brainstorm excellent ideas. We
discussed the need to unify our region. Region
8 will be looking for volunteers to be the county
liaisons for each of the 11 counties under our
jurisdiction. Please email me at rubyg@circstark.
org if you are interested. Congratulations to
Nancy Udolph who will be our first County
Liaison in Ashland County. The liaisons will meet
with members in their county, and we will have
monthly telephone conference calls for regional
updates. Mark your calendars for a social work
networking event!
The Importance of Social Work in InterProfessional Healthcare Settings
September 6, 2012
1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Expo
2:00 – 3:00 pm CEU (1 FREE CEU)
Union Hospital, 659 Boulevard, Dover, OH
I will be in attendance at the NASW table, and
I am looking forward to meeting more of our
region’s members! Bring a friend. Please let
me know if your places of employment would
like to host a NASW presentation – We will
provide free CEUs. I am currently looking for
a meeting place to hold monthly meetings and
will be sending out a separate email when one
is obtained. I am very interested in all of your
ideas to unify and grow our region so please do
not hesitate to contact me!
Ebony Speakes, regional director, talks to new regional
members at the Region 7 picnic on August 1st
Region 7 Includes: Darke, Champaign, Clark, Greene,
Miami, Montgomery, and Preble Counties.
September–October 2012
17
What does the Affordable Care Act Do?
Cut this page out of the newsletter to give to anyone who has questions about the Affordable Care Act
Adapted from a handout provided by the National Physicians Alliance Foundation
Provisions that began in 2010
Retiree health benefits
Coverage for kids with preexisting conditions and new
options for young adults
Employers can apply for subsidies to help cover
the cost of retiree health benefits, until retirees are
eligible for Medicare. The subsidies can cover up
to 80 percent of retiree costs.
Insurance companies can no longer deny coverage
to children due to a pre‐existing condition like
asthma or diabetes. And young adults can now
stay on their parents’ insurance plan up to age 26,
regardless of whether that young adult is married.
No more lifetime caps and
annual limits
Insurance companies can no longer set lifetime
limits or unreasonable annual limits on the dollar
value of benefits. This is important for Americans
with health conditions that require expensive
medications and treatments. Lifetime caps are now
prohibited effective 2010. And all annual limits
will be completely banned by 2014.
Keeping your coverage when
you get sick
Thousands of people with health insurance have
fallen ill only to find that their insurance companies
suddenly cancel their coverage. This process,
where an insurance company drops an enrollee,
also called rescission, is now prohibited.
Better prescription drug
coverage for seniors
In 2010, more than one million seniors received
$250 checks to help pay for their Medicare
prescription drug coverage. The checks were paid
to seniors who fell into the coverage gap known
as the “doughnut hole.” The doughnut hole will
be eliminated by 2020 (see 2011 for more about
improved drug coverage for seniors).
Tax credits for small businesses
Health Insurance tax credits are now available
for businesses with 25 or fewer employees and
with average wages below $50,000. The credit
will cover up to 35 percent of the employer’s
contribution to employee health benefits. In 2014,
the credit will cover up to 50 percent of premium
costs for participating employers.
No-cost preventive care
Preventive care, like birth control, immunizations,
blood tests and mammograms, is now free of
charge. Medicare and private health insurance
plans can no longer require cost‐sharing, like
co‐pays, for preventive care. By improving access
to preventive services doctors can treat their
patients’ healthcare needs at earlier stages and
better prevent dangerous consequences.
18
NASW—Ohio Chapter
Regulating premium increases
Federal and state governments are now reviewing
annual premium increases. Insurance companies
are required to justify premium increases to
regulators and to post this information on the
web. Insurance companies with unfair premium
increases may be excluded from participating
in the state insurance exchanges, a form of
“one‐stop shopping” for insurance that begin in
2014 (see NASW Practice Perspective at www.
socialworkers.org). The exchanges will offer new
insurance options for families and small businesses.
New option for adults with
costly medical needs
Until 2014 adults who are refused an insurance
policy because of a pre‐existing condition can
purchase subsidized health insurance from a new
nationwide high‐risk pool. Participating insurance
plans must pay at least 65 percent of medical
costs. Starting in 2014, insurance companies will
no longer be allowed to refuse coverage for adults
due to a pre‐existing condition.
Requiring insurance companies
to spend your premium payments
on medical care
Insurance companies must now meet new
efficiency standards, saving you money. Starting
in 2011, if insurance companies spend more than
15 to 20 percent of your premium payments on
non‐medical costs, like administration, they must
offer you a rebate.
Federal Medicaid help for states
and low- income families
States are now approved to provide Medicaid
coverage to adults with or without children up to
133 percent of the federal poverty level. States that
do so will receive current federal matching rates to
cover additional costs. Medicaid is a joint federal‐
state health care program. Ohio must opt-in to this
program. NASW Ohio Chapter is advocating that
this occurs. See front page cover story.
2011 and beyond
Better and fairer insurance
coverage for all Americans
Starting in 2014 insurance companies cannot deny
coverage to anyone based on pre‐existing medical
conditions. They cannot consider your health
status when setting the price of your premiums.
The maximum time a person will have to wait for
their coverage to take effect will be 90 days. And,
new regulations will require insurance companies
to more fairly distribute costs so that people trying
to buy insurance are not “priced out” of the market.
Health insurance tax subsidies
for families
In 2014, middle income individuals and families
earning less than 400 percent of the federal
poverty level will receive subsidies to help them
purchase health insurance. These subsidies
will lower the cost of premiums. Out‐of‐pocket
expenses will also be reduced for these individuals
and families.
Improving the Medicare Rx
drug program
Medicare enrollees in the “doughnut hole” can get
50 percent discounts on all brand‐name drugs in
2011. The “doughnut hole” – the gap in coverage
in Medicare’s prescription drug program – will be
eliminated by 2020.
Less insurance company
paperwork
Starting in 2013 insurance companies must use
simpler and standardized paperwork. Reducing
and eliminating complex paperwork will improve
efficiency and communications between healthcare
organizations, doctors and insurance companies.
Purchasing health insurance
across state lines
In 2016, two or more states can allow qualifying
health insurance plans to be purchased across
state lines.
New options for insurance
– state health insurance
exchanges
Starting in 2014, states will launch new health
insurance “exchanges” for individuals and small
businesses to purchase health insurance. Insurance
offered in these “exchanges” will meet standards
for benefits, quality and reliability. Consumers
will be able to keep their existing insurance or
purchase new coverage options in the “exchange.”
Members of Congress and their staff will be
required to get their coverage through their state’s
exchange.
NASW endorses...
NASW endorses
Barack Obama for
President in 2012
The National Association
o f S o c i a l Wo r k e r s
enthusiastically endorses
Barack Obama for President
in 2012. President Obama’s
Administration has achieved a
number of critically important
policy goals of significance
to the social work profession.
Bills he has signed into law
include the Affordable Care
Act and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He also worked to
ensure the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
The President has successfully worked to expand protections
for vulnerable populations through programs such as
the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) and
additional protections from hate crimes. He also increased
the value of Pell Grants to $5,000 to aid students who face
daunting increases in the costs of higher education.
President Obama has made important appointments that
affect the social work profession such as Secretary of Health
and Human Services and Director of the National Institutes
of Health. Should his opponent be elected President in
2012, it is less likely that nominees to such posts would be
sympathetic to social work goals and causes.
President Obama attended Columbia University and moved
to Chicago after graduation to become a community
organizer in the hometown of legendary social worker
Jane Addams. He spent several years working to transform
the South Side of Chicago and once noted, “It’s as a
consequence of working with this organization and this
community that I found my calling. There was something
more than making money and getting a fancy degree. The
measure of my life would be public service.”
NASW Ohio
Chapter PACE
endorsed
candidates
for the 2012
Election
The following state-level
candidates were selected for
endorsement by the NASW
Ohio Chapter Political
Action for Candidate
Election (PACE) Committee.
Endorsement decisions were
made based on an interview
process to determine the
candidate’s alliance with
social work values and
policy positions. NASW
Ohio Chapter encourages
you to volunteer on their
campaigns, to vote for them
and encourage others to do
the same.
Connie Pillich
Running for re-election to
the Ohio House of
Representatives for
District 28- Cincinnati
Member of the
Democratic Party
www.conniepillich.com
In order to help find solutions to the problems President
Obama saw as a community organizer, he went on to
pursue his law degree from Harvard Law School and was
elected the first African American President of the Harvard
Law Review. He served in the Illinois Senate for seven years
before becoming a United States Senator.
There are several ways to ensure that social work plays a
prominent role in this campaign and beyond. One of those
ways is to volunteer with the President’s campaign. You
can make phone calls, attend campaign events or work
in campaign offices across the country. Find out how to
volunteer for his campaign by visiting www.barackobama.
com.
*President Obama is not accepting contributions from lobbyists or
political action groups; however, he will be accepting contributions
from individuals. The President’s Super PAC, Priorities USA Action, is
accepting contributions from lobbyists and political action committees
as well as individuals.
Nickie Antonio
Running for re-election
to the Ohio House of
Representatives for District
13- Lakewood and
Cleveland
Member of the
Democratic Party
www.nickieantonio.com
Denise Driehaus
Running for re-election to
the Ohio House of
Representatives for District
31- Cincinnati
Member of the
Democratic Party
www.denisedriehaus.com
Heather Bishoff
Running for election
to the Ohio House of
Representatives for
District 20- East Columbus
Member of the
Democratic Party
www.heatherbishoff.com
Mike Foley
Running for re-election
to the Ohio House of
Representatives for
District 14- Cleveland
Member of the
Democratic Party
www.mikefoley.us
Michael Stinziano
Running for re-election to
the Ohio House of
Representatives for District
18- Columbus
Member of the
Democratic Party
www.michaelstinziano.com
Capri Cafaro
Running for re-election to
the Ohio Senate for District
32- Youngstown
Member of the Democratic
Party
Kathleen Clyde
Running for re-election to
the Ohio House of
Representatives for District
68- Kent
Member of the Democratic
Party
www.kathleenclyde.com
Paul Colavecchio
Running for election to
the Ohio House of
Representatives for District
36- Cuyahoga Calls
Member of the
Democratic Party
Susan McGuinness
Running for election to the
Ohio House of
Representatives for District
61- Lake County
Member of the
Democratic Party
www.susanfor61.com
September–October 2012
19
I nt r o d u cing t h e N e w
NASW Interns
Danielle Schmersal
R e g i s t e r, v o t e ,
advocate, run,
win: Social
workers and the
political process
Hello NASW
members! My
name is Danielle
Schmersal, the
new MSW Student
Representative on
the NASW Ohio
Chapter Board
and an intern since May. After first becoming
involved with the Ohio Chapter last September
when I joined the Emerging Social Work Advocacy
Leaders group—now the Social Work Advocacy
Group - I have long known that I want to center
my social work career on advocacy and social
policy, so the group has been a good fit for me;
I have learned so much about current issues, and
I loved helping out with NASW Advocacy Day
(save the date for March 26, 2013).
But, those of you following the actions of this
General Assembly know that this legislative
climate has been particularly challenging. Good
policies flounder and fail in committee, while
bad ones seem to pass both Houses and land on
the governor’s desk in record time. In addition
to NASW, I also intern with NARAL Pro-Choice
Ohio—a women’s rights advocacy group. Through
both organizations, I have sat through dozens of
legislative committee hearings and floor debates
and have seen responsible, evidence-based
policies and amendments voted down, not for
practical or fiscal reasons, but purely for political
reasons. Once I saw a genuine bipartisan tie on
an amendment vote, the committee immediately
recessed and the Parties retreated to separate
rooms so they could, apparently, whip their
members back into shape.
This severe partisanship affected Ohio social
workers directly this year when the Mid-Biennium
Review removed a rule requiring nursing homes
with fewer than 120 beds to maintain a part-time/
consultant social worker on staff. The majority of
Volunteer
with NASW
20
NASW—Ohio Chapter
Ohio nursing home facilities have fewer than 120
beds, meaning thousands of seniors across the
state could lose the knowledge, skills and support
of trained social workers. Even though members
of both Parties privately expressed support for
an amendment that would have stopped this
change, the amendment failed along Party lines
on the Senate floor. I know; I was there counting
the votes.
This session has served as a stark reminder of why
it is so important for social workers to be involved
in the political process by registering to vote; by
voting; by advocating for our clients and for social
justice through legislative visits, letters, phone
calls, and testimonies; by attending committee
hearings; and by running for political office or
encouraging our fellow social workers to run for
office. We hope to add social workers to our list
of PACE-endorsed candidates someday soon!
Since the early days of the profession, social
workers have been active in politics. One of our
core values as a profession, after all, is the value
of social justice. Yet, a number of social workers
are still not taking advantage of their right to vote.
In 2004, NASW’s national office found voting
records for only 65 percent of their members,
meaning 35 percent of NASW members were
not registered to vote or had not voted in recent
elections. It has also been estimated that nearly
40 percent of social service clients are still not
registered to vote. With most elections these days
being won or lost with a very small percentage of
votes, an increase in the number of social workers
and their clients registered to vote could have a
lasting impact on the political landscape.
Social workers already registered to vote should
maintain familiarity with the voter laws, and
Ohio voter resources to help coworkers, friends
and clients through the registration process.
Participation in the voting process can be a great
way to help clients feel empowered. As Gloria
Steinem has said, “By voting, a welfare mother
can cancel out the recipient of corporate welfare:
A young woman of color can gain an equal voice
with an older white guy.” For social workers who
want to do more, politicians often lack both firsthand experience in social services and the benefits
from the input of front-line workers. Social workers
can also write op-eds for local newspapers, deliver
testimony at legislative hearings, write letters to
their representatives and volunteer for campaigns.
For those social workers who really want to
go above and beyond, we could always use
more social workers in elected office. Social
work education and careers can be the perfect
preparation for politics. As Dr. Nancy Humphreys,
founder of the Institute for the Advancement of
Political Social Work Practice at the University of
Connecticut-School of Social Work, has noted:
“We know about policy, how to do research,
provide services to constituents, build coalitions,
bargain and compromise. Most importantly
we know how to learn what people need and
how to get it for them. We can do all of these
things because we are trained to assess people,
situations, communities and organizations. We
learn active listening and translate people’s
statements into concrete plans of action. We
know how to engage people in focused action,
advocate for the interests of the disadvantaged
and vulnerable. We understand group dynamics
and how to use them and are culturally sensitive
and respectful.”
As social workers, we cannot afford to continue
sitting on the sidelines counting votes. As NASW
Ohio Chapter members, we cannot continue to
depend on the Ohio Chapter’s staff to speak for the
4,000 of us. Earlier I mentioned Advocacy Day,
which is a great opportunity for social workers
to engage in the political process by interacting
with each other and with their legislators. I would
encourage all NASW members and nonmember
social workers to attend on March 26, 2013). Still,
Advocacy Day is not the only day to communicate
with legislators; nor is Election Day the only day
to engage in politics. Political engagement needs
to be an ongoing process for Ohio social workers
and that process needs to start right now.
We are looking for volunteers for our 2012 conference
Volunteer one day, attend for free the next (Earn 6+ CEUs!)
50 people needed, first come first serve basis.
Open to current NASW members only
Sign up at www.naswoh.org
Brittany Wolverton
Brittany Wolverton graduated from Ohio
University with a Bachelor’s degree in Social
Work and a minor in Psychology in 2012.
She will be earning her Master’s degree in
Public Administration at Ohio State’s John
Glenn School of Public Affairs. During her
time at Ohio University, Brittany was an
Appalachian Scholar; an intern at Athens
County Children Services; and president of
F u t u r e Wo m e n o f A p p a l a c h i a , a n
empowerment group for young girls.
Through her work with the region, Brittany
is dedicated to strengthening Appalachia
through community development initiatives.
John Davis
Kudos! Gladys Turner Finney, LISW,
I am originally from Cincinnati and grew up
on the west side of the city. After graduating
from LaSalle High School, I entered the Ohio
Army National Guard to help pay for
college.
After graduating from the University of
Cincinnati in 1992 with a BA in PrePersonnel and Industrial Relations I worked
in the service industry and then moved into
information technology where I became
project manager for a variety of Cincinnati
companies like Convergys.
In 2005 I felt a desire to do more direct service with people in need and
since both my parents were nurses I pursued the medical field becoming a
registered nurse in 2007 and worked as an outpatient psychiatric nurse at
Centerpoint Health/Talbert House. I really enjoyed working long term with
clients and the multi-disciplinary team approach. As I began to contemplate
moving into management, I realized additional education was needed. So,
in 2009 I began the part-time MSW program through Ohio State University,
and in 2011 I started working at Twin Vallye and then moved to Ohio
State’s Medical Center’s outpatient clinic, working on their patient-centered
medical home (PCMH) program and married my wonderful wife Jennifer.
My first field placement was at Kindway, working on prisoner re-entry for
inmates leaving Marion Correctional Institution, and my final placement
is with NASW Ohio Chapter, and I am excited to learn about nonprofit/
association management and advocating for YOU!
was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of
Arkansas at Pine Bluff on May 12, 2012. In her introduction, Chancellor
Lawrence A. Davis said, “She is a person who is passionate about her
profession and about advocacy. She has devoted almost forty years of
service as a social worker…She is not only a professional who gives
of her service, she also gives of her resources, having given more than
$28,000 plus scholarships.” Gladys has authored more than 12 articles
and three children’s books and her recent research area is that of the
strength of the black family. She is a member of NASW, Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, The National Council of Negro Women and University
of Arkansas Pine Bluff National Alumni Association.
Kudos!
Congratulations to
Tim Moss,
president-elect, for his selection as the
2012 VA Under Secretary for Health
Award for Excellence in Social Work
Practice. This is a very significant and
prestigious national social work award
as it is the VA’s highest social work
practice award. Tim was selected out
of a large, nationwide pool of applicants by a committee of his peers
for this national honor. He was selected from a nationwide pool of
applicants.
I am looking forward to working with some of you as the opportunity arises.
September–October 2012
21
NASW Ohio Chapter Workshops
Register for any of these workshops at www.naswoh.org or by completing the registration form on page 27 of this newsletter.
Licensure Review Courses
The in-person workshop is a full-day,
six hour training. Presenters have been
trained by AATBS to prepare you with
the content and strategies that you need
to pass the licensure exam.
September 29—Columbus
Maryhaven, Conference Room D,
1791 Alum Creek Dr., Columbus
9:30am-4:30pm
October 13—Cleveland
Western Reserve Historical Society
10825 East Boulevard,
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
9:30am-4:30pm
October 22—Cincinnati
Brookwood Retirement Community,
12100 Reed Hartman Highway
Cincinnati, OH 45241
9:30am-4:30pm
November 8—Columbus
Jewish Community Center of Greater
Columbus,1125 College Ave.,
Columbus, OH 43209,
9:30am-4:30pm
Cost:
$225–Members of NASW
$275–Non-Members
Learn the content and the strategies
to pass the Bachelor’s, Clinical or
Advanced Generalist exam for social
work licensure!
This six- hour, in-person workshop
provides you with instruction of a
presenter, five volume study guides and
a guarantee that you will pass your
exam so long as you study on your
own! Review materials are through
AATBS–www.aatbs.com and retails
over $300! All of the content has been
revised to reflect the changes in the
Ohio Social Work rules and provides
you access to TestMaster, an online fulllength practice exam.
RECAP: This review will provide you
with four volumes of study materials,
TestMaster login to a full length practice
test—answer key, plus an important
volume on test taking strategies—all for
$225 for NASW Members and $275
for non-members.
Study Guides:
• Direct and Indirect Practice
• Human Development, Diversity,
and Behavior in the Environment
• Assessment and Intervention Planning
• Professional Relationships, Values,
and Ethics
A fifth study volume contains:
• Study strategies that will help you study
the content review volumes efficiently
22
NASW—Ohio Chapter
and effectively.
• Chapter review questions that allow
you to rapidly assess your learning and
comprehension of information after you
study a content review volume.
• An orientation to the examination that
introduces you to the basic format of
exam questions and the kinds of skills
you will need to pass the exam.
• Basic test-taking strategies that will help
you approach the exam with confidence
and improve your ability to choose
correct answers to exam questions.
Advanced test-taking strategies are
available in TestMASTER, our online
mock exam program.
• A comprehensive glossary that helps
you learn key terms and concepts for
the exam.
TestMASTER enables you to take
full-length practice exams over the
Internet and have the exams scored
automatically. You can also view and
print your scores and most importantly,
save valuable study time.
TestMASTER Features:
• Full-length practice exams relevant
to the content and construction of the
actual exam.
• All questions have detailed rationale
(answer key) that explains why the
correct answer is the best one. The
rationales will reinforce what you know
and help clear up any misconceptions
you may have about a topic.
• Exam interface functionality that is
similar to the actual exam to help you
become familiar and comfortable with
a computerized format.
• Multiple exam modes available—use
exam mode to simulate a timed exam
or study mode to view rationales for
each question.
• Search our question database by
key word to find items based on topic,
specific terms, or phrases.
• Exams are scored automatically and
stored in your personal history file.
Your previous exam performance is
analyzed and compared with all other
users—even down to each specific
domain!
• Mark and review challenging questions
to enhance your retention.
• Revision area provides access to the
most current updates as we incorporate
new information based on changes to
the exam.
September 7
Pick One or Both
3-Hour Supervision
Workshop and 3-Hour
Ethics Workshop
American Red Cross,
995 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43205
Take a 3-hour Supervision Course
and/or a 3-hour Ethics course to fulfill
your licensure requirements.
Ethics—9:00am-12:15pm
9 Major Practice Problem Areas
Facing Mental Health Therapists and
Chemical Dependency Professionals
3.0 CEUs for Social Workers,
Counselors and Chemical Dependency
licensees
Presented by Glenn Karr
If you’ve ever made a decision in an
ethical dilemma and wondered:
the supervisor within these functions, the
use of self and emotional intelligence
in supervision, setting up a supervision
contract and the role of evaluation. You
will learn the Ohio licensing law, rules
and procedures for LISW-S (Supervision
Designation); definition of supervision
and the need for supervision; basic
functions of supervision; use of self and
emotional intelligence in the supervisory
relationship; how to set up a supervision
contract; and role of evaluation.
Cost:
Members of NASW: $45.00 for
1 workshop/$80.00 for 2 workshops
Non-Members: $75.00 for 1
workshop/$140.00 for 2 workshops
“Am I going to be liable for this?”
“What steps can I take to avoid having
licensing Board complaints filed against
me?”
“What are the current Counselor, Social
Worker, and Marriage and Family
Therapist Board rules which apply to my
practice and how does HIPAA impact
my practice?”
Then this workshop will prepare you to
avoid problems which can result in a
complaint. Even if you have never been
in a troubling situation with the Board or
your employer, this workshop will help
you solve problems in high-risk settings.
This workshop looks at the highest
risk areas for licensure, ethics and
malpractice complaints. A significant
portion of the presentation is devoted to
current and recently adopted CSWMFT
Board rules as well as new HIPAA rules
and their effects on your practice.
As a participant in this workshop, you
will receive a 50-page workbook,
complete with index, that contains laws,
rules and articles addressing high risk
practice areas.
The course is being taught by Glenn Karr,
an attorney with decades of experience
working in the healthcare field and with
mental health therapists. He also writes
The Legal Corner, see page 8.
Supervision—1:15pm-4:30pm
Issues in Social Work Supervision
3.0 CEUs for Social Workers
Presented by Linda Helm, LISW-S
This three-hour workshop will provide an
explanation of the Ohio Licensing Law
and procedures for LISW-S (Supervision
Designation), the need for supervision, a
framework for understanding the basic
three functions of supervision (education,
administration and support), the role of
September 12th
Pick One or Both
3-Hour Supervision
Workshop and 3-Hour
Ethics Workshop
Brookwood Retirement Community,
12100 Reed Hartman Highway,
Cincinnati, OH 45241
Take a 3 hour Supervision Course
and/or a 3 hour Ethics course to fulfill
your licensure requirements.
Ethics– 9:00am-12:15pm
Ethical Behavior in Crisis Intervention,
and here’s the description:
Presented by Nancy Moore, LISW-S, LCSW
3.0 CEUs for Social Workers
Social workers regularly engage
with clients in crisis situations. These
situations such as suicidal threats, threats
to harm others, violent behavior, sexual
assault, and crisis due to substance
abuse often lead to ethical dilemmas.
This workshop will explore approaches
to crisis situations from an ethical
context in order to improve social
worker approaches to crisis situations
with clients.
Participants will:
• Review social workers values and
ethical responsibilities to clients
• Explore a framework for ethical
decisions
• Apply framework to crisis situations
• Evaluate handling of crisis situations in
an ethical context
• Develop a personal plan for intervening
in an ethical manner in crisis situations
with clients
Supervision- 1:15pm-4:30pm
Refreshing Supervision: Understanding
the Roles of the Supervisor to Enhance,
Presented by Nancy Moore, LISW-S,
LCSW, 3.0 CEUs for Social Workers
Supervising staff at agencies and
supervising social workers for licensure
leads to many roles and responsibilities
for the supervisor and supervisee. It can
be easy to get suck in a rut and make
supervision routine
This training will help you “freshen” up
your supervision time.
Participants will:
• Self assess leadership skills and link
those skills to practice
• Explore multiple roles of supervisors
and how to mange these roles
• Identify elements of good supervision
and how to utilize these elements in
practice
• Identify an interactional approach to
supervision
• Create individual plans for enhancing
and refreshing the super vision
experience
Cost:
Members of NASW: $45.00 for
1 workshop/$80.00 for 2 workshops
Non-Members: $75.00 for 1
workshop/$140.00 for 2 workshops
Supervision Certificate
Program
Are you a LISW seeking to
gain your S?
NASW Ohio Chapter has developed a
9-hour Supervision Certificate Program
that meets the educational requirements
of the Ohio Counselor, Social Work,
and Marriage and Family Therapist
Board for the supervision designation.
Richard Boettcher, PhD, LISW-S and
Linda S. Helm, MSW, LISW-S, ACSW
developed the 3 Unit course Supervision
Certificate Program.
The live-event will be held on:
September 14 & 15
Western Reserve Historical Society
10825 East Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Online opportunities are available. See
below for details.
Unit 1. The Fundamentals of
Supervision
This three (3) hour workshop will
provide an explanation of the Ohio
Licensing Law and procedures for
supervising LISW and the LISW-S
(Super vision Designation), the
need for supervision, a framework
for understanding the basic three
functions of supervision (education,
administration and support), the
role of the supervisor within these
functions, the use of self and emotional
intelligence in supervision, setting up
a supervision contract, performance
evaluation, ethics audit and the
doctrine of vicarious liability.
Unit 2.
The Roles and Functions of the
Social Work Supervisor
This three (3) hour workshop will
provide an opportunity to survey
and elaborate upon the roles that
supervisors play, the responsibilities
which adhere to these roles, the
functions which they must execute,
sources of leadership and influence,
role issues, problems and challenges
and cultural competence for the social
work supervisor
Unit 3: Styles of Supervision
and Leadership
This three (3) hour workshop will
provide a review of how supervisors
get work done through others, how
to exercise “influence” to get others
to do what you want them to do, how
to lead and how to assess personality
and management styles.
You have options on how
you take the course.
Option 1: Take all 9 hours in
person—Total cost: $135 for
members; $225 for non-members.
Unit 1, The Fundamentals of
Supervision, will be provided Day 1
(September 14th from 2pm-5pm)
Unit 2, The Role and Functions
of a Social Work Supervisor, will
be provided the following day
(September 15th from 9:00am12:15pm)
Unit 3, Styles of Supervision &
Leadership, will be provided the
following day (September 15th from
1:15pm-4:30pm)
Option 2: Complete the program
in person in one day! Take Unit
1 ONLINE prior to the workshop
day scheduled for Unit 2, The Role
and Functions of a Social Work
Supervisor, and Unit 3, Styles of
Supervision & Leadership. The cost is
$45 for Unit 1 so it does not matter
if you take the course online or in
person. The total cost of Option 1
and Option 2 are the same. ($135
for members). **Please bring proof
of passing the course with you to the
full day workshop for Unit 2 and Unit
3 to receive your certificate.
Option 3: Take the units individually.
Cost: $45 per workshop for
members/$75 per workshop for
non-members.
Also, Unit 1 can be taken
independently online here.
October 1st
Pick One or Both
3-Hour Supervision
Workshop and 3-Hour
Ethics Workshop
Swan Creek Retirement VillageMarsh Center, 5916 Cresthaven
Lane, Toledo, OH 43614
Take a 3-hour Supervision Course
and/or a 3-hour Ethics course to fulfill
your licensure requirements.
Ethics—9:00am-12:15pm
Ethics of Social Media
3.0 CEUs for Social Workers
Presented by Danielle Smith,
MSW, MA, LSW, executive director,
NASW Ohio Chapter
Use of social media and new
technologies has exploded in the new
millennium. More people than ever
are using the Internet to connect to
one another, which poses benefits and
challenges to the profession of social
work. In this presentation you will learn
about the ethical implications of social
media and new technologies on the
practice of social work. Participants
will learn the website-specific risks,
benefits and strategies to avoid ethical
violations. You will also learn about
social media in an organizational
context and how to discuss social media
use with your clients. Additionally other
technology risks will be discussed
including the benefits and issues
associated with providing therapy and
supervision through technology and
how to use proper methods to ensure
confidentiality and data security in
your work.
Supervision—1:15pm-4:30pm
Clinical Supervision: Identifying
and Addressing Distinctive Issues
in Supervision
3.0 CEUs for Social Workers
Presented by Cindy Webb, LISW-S
Whether you are a novice or seasonedveteran supervisor, you will not want to
pass up this workshop! Regardless of
the length and breadth of your social
work experience, we can all benefit
from exploring the distinctive issues
that arise in supervision, especially
because the relationship dynamics
are different between each supervisor
and each super visee. Under the
experienced leadership of Cynthia
Webb, you will identify your strengths,
limitations, and learning needs in this
workshop. All three primary supervisory
functions (Administrative, Educative, &
Supportive) will be addressed in order
to raise your supervisory skills to the next
level. By taking this workshop, you will
fulfill the CSMFT Board requirement for
three hours of continuing professional
education in supervision during each
renewal period to maintain your LISW-S
licensure.
Ways to
Connect
with
NASW!
Check out the NASW
Ohio Chapter Blog!
It is updated regularly and topics
have included The Politics of Free
Stuff and Healthcare Reform. We
welcome guest post submissions. Please
e-mail adriennegavula@naswoh.org for
details. This is another way to educate
the public about social workers and
highlight social justice issues.
Like us on Facebook
and follow up on
Twitter!
Encourage your friends (members or not)
to do the same. Help build a collective
social work voice!
Update your
communication
preference with NASW!
Be sure that you are receiving the most
up-to-date information by ensuring you
receive e-mails from the Ohio Chapter.
Also, update your member profile with
your birthday. We are offering members
50% off an online CEU during their
birthday month, and we can only offer
it to you if we know in what month
you celebrate. You can check and/
or change your e-mail preference and
update your member profile at www.
socialworkers.org.
Cost:
Members of NASW: $45.00 for
1 workshop/$80.00 for 2 workshops
Non-Members: $75.00 for 1
workshop/$140.00 for 2 workshops
September–October 2012
23
CEU audits:
A survival guide
By: Andy Miller, Certification/Licensure Examiner, CSWMFT Board
Two times in the last year, I have been audited
for my income taxes. A tax audit is an awful
experience for everyone, but it is how the
government makes sure it is appropriately funded
so it can continue providing services on which so
many people rely. Begrudgingly I have done my
civic duty by making copies of my records, stuffing
them in an envelope and sending it with one of
my Amnesty International address labels on the
envelope to remind them that I am a good person
in hopes they’ll be gentle.
We know that no one wants to get an audit, but
we also know that they are essential to ensure the
highest functioning of our social service industry.
Every month, the CSWMFT Board audits 30
percent of license renewals to ensure licensees
are completing their CEUs. Thirty percent does
not sound like a lot, but to put it in perspective,
that is one in three people. Odds are good that
you’ll be audited, and you even could be audited
for two or more renewals in a row. The 30 percent
selection is completely random; unlike the IRS, we
do not send you an audit because we think you
have done something wrong (although we can).
The computer randomly makes the list, and we
send an audit form to everyone on that list.
The very best way to survive a CEU audit is simply
to complete your CEUs. As a social worker, you
will want to search for CEUs that are approved
by the Ohio CSWMFT Board, the Association of
Social Work Boards (ASWB) or the NASW Ohio
Chapter. If you are taking a CEU out of state or
an online course that is not approved by one
of those organizations, you can submit a postprogram approval request right after taking it (any
in-state programs that are not approved by one of
the above groups will not count). The Board can
also grant approval for students taking college or
graduate courses, teachers or CEU presenters who
are organizing their programs for the first time
and authors of journal articles or books. Check
the CEU forms and courses section of our website
for more information.
Social workers can now complete all 30 CEUs
through distance learning, so it is easier than
before to meet the requirements (although, live
CEUs can be a very rewarding experience and
are valuable for networking). And I would be
remiss if I did not point out that the NASW Ohio
Chapter provides CEUs for its members, with
enough programs that you can meet all your
24
NASW—Ohio Chapter
requirements through them alone for the cost of
your membership.
Once you have completed 30 credits of approved
CEUs within a two-year period (three of those 30
being in ethics or diversity, and another three of
those 30 being in clinical or training supervision
if you’re an LISW-S), then you have met the
requirement. Put the certificates in a safe place until
you are ready to renew. When it is time to renew
your license, take out your CEUs and review them
before filing the renewal application. The best time
to review your CEUs is BEFORE you renew; that
way you can make up any deficiencies well before
you have to face an audit. And remember, you
can now bank up to 12 CEUs from one renewal to
the next, so if you have a little extra it won’t hurt.
So, you have been thorough, attended the right
number of CEUs, renewed and you get audited.
What do you do now? You’ll be instructed to make
copies of all your CEU certificates for that renewal
period and send them back with the audit form,
including a copy of your professional disclosure
statement. If everything is okay, then you are all
done. Sometimes, though, even the most careful
person can make a slip; maybe you forgot to
submit a post-program approval, maybe you
inadvertently took an unapproved course, maybe
your calculator deceived you and you only have
28 credits. What happens?
The first thing an auditee might think on discovering
a mistake is: “I’m going to lose my license!” This
is far from the truth. There are a wide range of
disciplinary actions the Board can take, and most
of them are focused on simply making sure you
meet the requirements. If you forgot to submit a
post-approval, we will have you submit that. If
you did not complete enough approved credits,
we will have you make them up. If you just had
major reconstructive back surgery and you cannot
get out of bed to attend a course, we will work
with you. Our goal with these audits is not to
punish delinquents, instead our goal is to ensure
that Ohio licensed social workers are completing
the ongoing education that they need to stay at
the peak of their profession, which is the reason
we require CEUs in the first place. Our mission is,
as always, to protect the public, and the public
is best served when you are at the top of your
game. So if you are coming up short, then we are
primarily interested in ensuring you complete those
education credits in a timely manner.
Where licensees get in real trouble is when they
don’t cooperate. If a licensee is given a second
chance to complete the CEUs, and we never hear
from them again, that is a problem. If we send
an audit form and we are completely ignored or
if we send repeated follow ups through certified
mail and never receive a response, there could be
some major discipline action - up to and including
revocation of licensure. The major message here
is: if you receive an audit, you will want to comply
with the audit. If you receive a letter informing you
that you need to make up 3 CEUs, you will want to
make them up. Noncompliance with CEUs may not
seem like a very grave offense, but if we cannot get
a licensee to even respond to us on a CEU audit,
then what happens when that person commits an
ethical breach with a client? An open stream of
communication with the Board is essential for the
protection of the public and the overall functioning
of the profession.
So again, if you get an audit, complete it quickly
and honestly. If you follow the CEU guidelines
above, you will never have a problem. However,
if while completing the audit form you do notice
an issue, include a statement along with your form
and send it in. If we both know about the problem
up front, we can start working with you right away
to correct whatever you have missed. If you are
diligent about keeping track of your CEUs, audits
can be quick, easy and painless. And if you have
any questions at we are a whole lot easier to get
in touch with than the IRS. Look us up at www.
cswmft.ohio.gov, and we will be happy to provide
any guidance you need.
Physical and psychological
benefits of self-defense
across disciplines
continued from pg. 7
By: Diane Long, member of NWMAF’s Self-Defense Leadership Committee, kaleidoscopehealingarts@yahoo.com
has been a move from “victim” to “survivor,”
encouraging the use of people-first language,
developing terminology to describe interpersonal
violence that is more inclusive and adapting
curriculum to be relevant for diverse groups.
Many self-defense teachers offer specialized
programming geared toward youth, LGBTQ
communities, people with special needs, seniors,
etc… There is also a clear need for violence
prevention programming for boys and men. Like
social workers, self-defense teachers try to respond
to the needs of the communities they serve.
Unfor tunately, self-defense still is often
misunderstood and perceived as victim-blaming.
Many people associate self-defense with physical
defense against a stranger in a dark alley, even
though violence is most often perpetrated by
people we know. Far from blaming the victim,
self-defense based on an empowerment model
helps demystify myths that blame victims, explores
the ways that social conditioning can impact
women’s safety and provides accurate, up-todate information. Knowledge and practical skills
improve present life circumstances while also
helping to change systems that perpetuate violence.
Effective self-defense programs include skills that
build awareness and incorporate verbal as well
as physical role plays. Activities that build intuition
increase people’s ability to trust themselves.
Being able to identify areas of vulnerability and
to anticipate and plan for potentially dangerous
situations ahead of time increase a sense of safety
and control. They allow a person to respond to
threats rather than to react, whether the threats
are physical or emotional. Having more “tools
in the toolbox,” more proactive ways to respond,
from verbal to physical, means people have a
range of choices. This increases a sense of agency
and self-determination and counters feelings of
helplessness.
Verbal role plays help people practice and refine
language to talk about feelings, personal needs
and limits, thereby improving communication.
This makes it easier to connect with others and
build healthy relationships. Physical role plays
and drills in self-defense help create new patterns
of relating and new body memory that positively
affect behaviors, as well as belief systems. When
a person is able to physically defend themself,
in addition to practicing verbal skills, they are
less like to respond out of fear or anger and can
develop better ways to manage conflict. The ability
to regulate emotional reactions, to “de-escalate
from the inside out,” increases self-esteem and
makes it easier to find peaceful solutions. An
embodied sense of personal power can help
reduce fears and increase freedom of movement
and self-expression. These are all tools we want
for our clients, especially when skills transfer into
other parts of life.
Social workers themselves can benefit from the
tools self-defense offers in concrete ways. At this
year’s conference, Clara Porter, MSW, offered a
class on field and office safety. The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ranks
health care, including social work, the third most
violent profession in terms of workplace violence.
Social workers need to make safety assessments of
locations and situations and develop safety plans.
They need to set and maintain clear boundaries
with clients and program participants. Assertive
communication and de-escalation skills are
needed to address inappropriate or threatening
behavior and also for day-to-day interactions in
the workplace. In a way that is similar to Basic
First Aid, simple and effective physical defense
and containment skills increase a personal sense
of security and confidence in one’s ability to
respond in a crisis. This translates into more ease
in daily life.
In recent years in the women’s self-defense
community, there has been more focus on
trauma-informed teaching. The therapeutic
benefits of self-defense become more evident as
self-defense teachers partner more with mental
health professionals to offer workshops for
support groups and staff. Self-defense and somatic
therapies have been an important part of my own
healing, and I am passionate about developing
shared language to talk about the skills we already
teach intuitively. Tools and strategies that have
grown out of the lived experiences of survivors
are supported by current trauma research and
research on brain development that emphasize the
critical role of movement and social connections
for learning and development, as well as healing
from traumatic events.
As mental health approaches become more
integrative, the importance of working with the
body as a complement to narrative therapies
is better understood. We know that martial arts
improve balance and coordination, sensory
integration and bilateral processing. Internal
martial arts, like Qi Gong and Tai Chi, have
proven to be beneficial in reducing anxiety and
improving health and longevity, and, like other
spiritual, meditative practices, such as yoga, are
at the forefront of mind-body healing. Grounding
exercises from martial arts can help people
develop a secure base of support - a sense of
balance, strength and flexibility - within their own
bodies. Simple techniques can be readily shared
with clients in a therapeutic context.
Many NWMAF Certified Self-Defense Instructors
are also social workers, educators or healthcare
providers. Throughout the years, our annual
conference has provided a unique context for
exchange across disciplines, which makes it
easier to connect with people in other fields and
expand self-defense applications. The opportunity
to partner with a professional organization like
NASW whose stated mission aligns so well with
ours helps us to better collaborate and share
resources. To learn more about how martial arts
and self-defense might inform your social work
practice or to find an instructor in your area, take
a look at the NWMAF website: http://www.
nwmaf.org.
Diane Long has taught sex-positive self-defense
for more than 20 years. Trained as a bodyworker
and somatic therapist, she has studied extensively
with Anodea Judith, author of Eastern Body,
Western Mind and in Peter Levine’s Somatic
Experiencing© and the related stabilization
model, Trauma First Aide™. She regularly offers
workshops on Boundaries, Self-Care and Personal
Safety for schools, support groups and shelters,
as well as professional organizations such as the
AASWG (American Association of Social Workers
Who Work with Groups). A Healing Touch™
practitioner and Nationally Certified Massage
Therapist, Diane maintains a small private practice,
Kaleidoscope Healing Arts, in which she combines
techniques from martial arts, yoga, bioenergetics,
ritual and hands-on healing. She has worked as
a French interpreter for mental health services
at The Center for Victims of Torture in Minnesota
since 2003.
September–October 2012
25
Welcome to the
new NASW Members!
Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Craig Bills
Kathlyn Bossetti
Sierra Brown
Ashley Brown
Jordan Harrigan
Jessica Heck
Benjamin Hoffman
Megan Pawlowski
Tracee Perryman
Jacquelyn Rohloff
Region 2
(Akron Area)
Lea Arcuri
Jamie Arnold
Cally Boylan
Justin Brown
Megan Chase
Chris Derry
Samantha Noble
Megan Wilhelmy
Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Dale Goldstein
Jennifer Heberle
Roma Krause
Stephanie Liggett
Charlotte Menefee
Julie Petkovsek
Andrew Steiger
Region 4
(Youngstown Area)
Jennifer Edwards
Audre Grover
Jeannine Hoynes
Mary Newsome
Dorothea Stanley
Region 5
(Columbus Area)
William Baker
Kelly Bonice
Betty Bradford
Mary Brown
Kelly Conn
Katherine Daniels
John Davis
Danielle Douglas
Nicole Egger
Molly Engle
Simone Gabel
Chelsey Getz
Rachel Graves
Danielle Haynes
Tasha Headley
Alexandria
Henderson
Tara Henson
Nichole Hudson
Kristian Hunter
Erin Keller
Jeffrey Koenig
Amanda Kuhn
Kelsey Kunz
Holly Leupp
Eric Maedeker
Kaci McFarland
Mary McGowan
Molly Messerly
Amanda Miller
Tara Molina
Mary Ogier
Julia Postema
Georgia Rauch
Caroline Savage
Jenna Spears
Wendy Starlin
Stephanie Stewart
Megan Sutherland
Emily Vega
Jennifer Westgerdes
Angelina Zarzano
Newly
Credentialed
Congratulations to the following NASW members
who received their NASW certifications! You
should have received an e-mail from us, but we are
offering everyone who received their credential
50% off an online CEU through www.naswoh.
org. E-mail adriennegavula@naswoh.org to take
advantage of this offer.
26
NASW—Ohio Chapter
Region 6
(Cincinnati Area)
Jocelyn Combs
Ellen DeFrance
Stephanie Donahoe
Julia Floyd
Julie Kenniston
Megan Kuhlwein
Sarah Laboiteaux
Whitney Lewis
Brian Lovins
Mary Rehard
Felton Richards
Annie Schellinger
Emily Steinway
Gerik Tatarzycki
Katie Waits
Krista Warden
Crishna Wilburn
Region 7
(Dayton Area)
Elizabeth Goehring
Christine
Montgomery
Timothy Zennie
Penny Zimmerman
Region 8
(Canton Area)
Jody Bowser
Jennifer Finnegin
Kayla Hershberger
Cynthia Hudnut
Jennifer Mann
Diane Soltesz
Mary Wyant
Out of State
Sharon Salyers
New Licensees
Congratulations on receiving your license! You should have received an e-mail
from us, but we are offering everyone who received their license 50% off an
online CEU through www.naswoh.org. E-mail adriennegavula@naswoh.org
to take advantage of this offer.
SWA
Andrew Katusin
Patrick Nearing
LSW
Jana Altomare
Shelby Arnett
Kaitlyn Baker
Shelly Barnard
Tonya Barnes
Amanda Bebeau
Christina Beck
Shaunte Brewer
Patricia Britt
Meagan Buenger
Kayla Burchett
Holly Cantrell
Kara Carson
Amy Chmielewski
Hannah Cleary
Carman Cunningham
Kendra Danzer
Michelle Dismore
Craig Djukic
Misty Droll
Courtney Elrod
Michelle Erford
Tasha Fleming
Joseph Gibson
Brenda Glass
Theresa Guju-Hursh
Lisa Halley-Swearingen
Cecelia Harrison
Jennifer Hartmann
Jessica Heilman
Stephanie Hill
Christie Hite
Megan Huck
Earnesta Ivey
Amanda Johnson
Lenora Johnson
Daniel Justice
Grace Marie Carroll, LISW, C-SWHC—
Certified Social Worker in Health Care
Julia Marie Cooke, LSW, ACHP-SW—
Advanced Certified Hospice & Palliative
Audre Ellen Grover, LSW, CHP-SW—
Certified Hospice & Palliative Care Social Worker
Holly L. Hirsel, DCSW, C-CATODSW—
Certified Social Worker in Health Care
Jeannine M. Hoynes, LSW, CHP-SW—
Certified Hospice & Palliative Care Social Worker
Kelly Kanya
Krystal Kinley
Amber Klein
Elisabeth Korosec
Holly Leupp
Dannielle Lilly
Melanie Luken
Erin Martin
Hannah Martin
Jane Martinez
Amelia Mazzei
Erin Michel
Ericka Middleton
Season Miller
Veronica Miller
Lori Murphy
Karen Nitsch
Joshua Nordstrom
Leslie Omaits
Emily Parker
Colleen Payne
Sara Perrotta
Robert Pliskin
Rose Pollard
Jaime Poston
Laura Ramsey
Brandy Ratliff
Kara Reilly
Lindsy Rivera
Jennifer Robinson
Bridget Roehrig
Kathleen Ross
Jessica Runion
Jesse Schroeder
Heather Schwamberger
Nicole Schwamberger
Elizabeth Sertell
Nicholas Sgobbo
Jenna Spears
Janna Steinhauer
Jessica Sutton
Greg Tackach
Sarah Tarrant
Cherie Thornton
Derek Urban
Jordan Vincent
Autumn Wagoner
Elizabeth Walton
Peijin Wang
Tao Wang
Summer Wiggins
Sharon Williamson
Denise Wittig
Hallie Wood
Heather Wulff
Courtney Young
LISW
Clair Bifro
Cherie Bridges
Kelly Cole
Michelle Coutcher
Christina Daron
Brenda Davidson
Whitney Hill
Tanya Inck-Folger
Sylvia Johnson-Lee
Sharyse Jones
Amy Kovalsky
Heather Luedtke
Jill Miller
Kara Penniman
Pamela Ramsey
Juanita Roller
Glenis Sandusky
Alan Shubert
Sarah Simmons
Gina Stango
Michael Turk
Meghan Weber
Christy Wood
Mary K. Mayer, ACHP-SW—
Advanced Certified Hospice & Palliative
Mary Lynn Newsome, LSW, CHP-SW—
Certified Hospice & Palliative Care Social Worker
Sharon E. Penko, ACHP-SW—
Advanced Certified Hospice & Palliative
Social Worker
Geraldine Lynne Sagan, CHP-SW—
Certified Hospice & Palliative Care
Social Worker
Happy Anniversary!
Our imperative as social workers
Congratulations to the NASW Members who reached their membership milestones! Members who
reach these years will receive a special gift in the mail, so please be on the lookout! Thank you
for your continued support of NASW.
5 Years
Paul Fisher, Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Nicole McAtee, Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Timothy Tyler, Region 2
(Akron Area)
Richard Abrams, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Donna Barrett, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Stephanie Washington
Wardlow, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Daniel Goldstein, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Alicia Supance, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Letitia Clarke, Region 8
(Canton Area)
Elizabeth Warschauer,
Region 8 (Canton Area)
10 Years
Melody Fryling, Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Sara Dunson, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Shirley Eisenberg, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Kristine Krisko, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Kendall Smith, Region 4
(Youngstown Area)
Caroline Coddington, Region
5 (Columbus Area)
Jodi Collins, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
James Durant, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Stephayne Harris, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Emily Lowe, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Roy Merwin, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Kathleen Timmons, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Julie Wenger, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Karla Doerrer, Region 6
(Cincinnati Area)
Pamela Miller-Girton,
Region 7 (Dayton Area)
15 Years
Kimberly Beck, Region 4
(Youngstown Area)
Rebecca Ault, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Claire Cipolaro, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Jeanne Decker, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Ruth Montgomery, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Kelly Field-Jacobs, Region 6
(Cincinnati Area)
20 Years
Kimberly Cohen, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Jonathan Kallis, Region 6
(Cincinnati Area)
Christina Stewart, Region 6
(Cincinnati Area)
Carrilyn Long, Region 8
(Canton Area)
25 Years
Janice Carson, Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Tamara Hartman, Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Lori Robison, Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Anna Callender, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Annette Davlin, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Robert Kubiak, Region 4
(Youngstown Area)
30 Years
Susan Kaufman, Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Sheila Post, Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Charlotte Stoodt, Region 1
(Toledo Area)
Margaret Barbee, Region 2
(Akron Area)
Jacquelynn Gailey, Region 2
(Akron Area)
Betty Rossi, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Merlane Fuller, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Sharon Hanger, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Kathy Jacobs, Region 6
(Cincinnati Area)
Patricia Silagy-Wesson,
Region 8 (Canton Area)
35 Years
Deborah Gibson Goulish,
Region 2 (Akron Area)
Rene Barrat-Gordon,
Region 3 (Cleveland Area)
Jody Bernon-Wainer,
Region 3 (Cleveland Area)
Lisa Cohen-Kiraly, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Joseph Csincsak, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Peter Li, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Elizabeth Tracy, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Constance Wolfe, Region 3
(Cleveland Area)
Virginia Boldt, Region 4
(Youngstown Area)
Warren Galbreath, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Nancy Schleich, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
40 Years
Kenneth Bender, Region 2
(Akron Area)
Zev Compton, Region 4
(Youngstown Area)
45 Years
James Stilson, Region 2
(Akron Area)
Michael Preston, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
Marilyn Pugliese, Region 5
(Columbus Area)
50 Years
Juliet Gonzalez, Region 6
(Cincinnati Area)
continued from pg. 3
I drove home thinking about this disconnect
between what our clients know and what the
decision makers who control our jobs, our
salaries, our safety, our work conditions know
about us as social workers. Granted we have
all had clients who do not know who we are,
the value of what we do and are sometimes
less than thrilled with our role in their lives. But,
for the most part, the people we serve get us.
If those families would have been in control of
the school’s decision the school would employ
an entire department of social workers.
As social workers we have to do a better job
of talking about our value to those who are
in decision-making capacities. At NASW we
view this as our paramount task; vital to our
profession’s future, but we need everyone’s
help in achieving a broader understanding
of social work. Take time to meet with your
decision makers and explain your role. Invite
NASW to meet with your executive director,
your supervisor, your Board, whomever. Or, just
pass along their contact information to us at the
Ohio Chapter. Just as I did at this school board
meeting, NASW Ohio Chapter will support you.
It is our job as your professional association
representatives to be your advocate. Hopefully,
over time and through all of our work, we will
be more successful and prevent issues like this
one with the school social worker from ever
occurring in the first place.
The topic for this year’s conference is
Empowering Others, Empowering Ourselves:
Moving Social Work Forward. This year’s
conference will focus on the dual role of service
to others AND service to one’s self within the
profession of social work (fair compensation,
reasonable caseloads, relieving student debt,
workplace safety). Focusing on professional
health issues like reasonable caseloads and
workplace safety will ultimately improve client
care. See page 10 for details. We hope to see
you there!
September–October 2012
27
ACA Medicaid Expansion continued from pg. 1
without the expansion
People who are currently eligible for Medicaid
and not enrolled may be motivated to enroll due to
increased publicity about the new “Exchange” or
competitive marketplace for affordable insurance
options and the individual mandate – the “coming
out of the woodwork effect.” However, these
people will be screened for Medicaid eligibility
through the health insurance exchanges - whether
Ohio expands eligibility or not.
Health insurance exchanges are state-based
markets where individuals and small businesses
can purchase affordable health insurance. People
who apply for the exchanges will be screened for
Medicaid eligibility. The exchange will produce a
“Woodwork” or “Welcome Mat” effect for Ohioans
already eligible for Medicaid. The state is liable
for the current state match for this population,
independent of the ACA.
However, without the expansion, people with
lower incomes who are not eligible for Medicaid
will find little help. The exchange offers tax credits/
subsidies to people to help buy insurance on the
exchange, but tax subsidies are only available
to people with incomes of 100% FPL and above.
If Ohio does not expand Medicaid to include
incomes below 138 percent FPL, then those who
do not qualify for Medicaid may not be able to
afford insurance. The tax credit/subsidy will likely
be inadequate to make coverage affordable,
leaving them uninsured where they will continue
to seek needed care – in expensive settings, in
uncoordinated ways, when they are sicker and
at considerable expense to taxpayers.
During the fall, advocacy coalitions, including
Advocates for Ohio’s Future and Ohio Consumers
for Health Coverage, will work with the Kasich
administration to arrive at a common estimate
of the costs for covering these eligible but not
enrolled people. We have to consider how many
adults and children are eligible but not enrolled
today, and how many of those will sign up in
2014, 2015, 2016 for budgeting purposes. We
also must research how many eligible but enrolled
people will drop private insurance for Medicaid.
In summary, before deciding to expand Medicaid,
the state has to determine what it will have to pay
for people who are currently eligible for Medicaid
who enroll when the ACA is implemented.
Ways in which the expansion would
benefit Ohio
The Medicaid expansion provides the Office
of Health Transformation with an opportunity to
coordinate the care of an estimated 900,000
Ohioans, many of who have or are at risk of
developing chronic health conditions, enabling
OHT to accelerate its health transformation
payment and delivery reform strategies in order
to provide better care at lower costs. OHT cannot
achieve its transformation goals without bringing
these people into the system. 28
NASW—Ohio Chapter
The Medicaid expansion represents an
amazingly huge investment in Ohio. The federal
government will pay 100 percent of costs for the
newly eligible people for the years 2014-2016.
Between 2017 and 2019, the federal share
gradually decreases to 93 percent. Thus, between
2014 and 2019, the federal government pays,
on average, 95 percent of the costs. Using 2010
figures, Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that
Ohio would receive $17,130,000,000 in federal
funding, and Ohio would pay $830 million.
The Medicaid expansion will produce a
substantial stimulus effect on Ohio’s economy
and create many jobs, many in Ohio’s hardesthit counties. In the past decade, economists have
developed methods for modeling the impact of
federal Medicaid spending on the economy. In
2009, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and
the Uninsured compiled the findings of 29 studies
in 23 states analyzing the impact of Medicaid
spending on state and local economies. They
found:
Medicaid spending generates economic
activity including jobs, income and state tax
revenues at the state level. Medicaid’s economic impact is intensified because of federalmatching dollars—state spending pulls federal
dollars into the economy. Medicaid funding
supports jobs and generates income within the
healthcare sector and throughout other sectors
of the economy due to the multiplier effect.
Using one of the economic modeling tools
described in the Kaiser report, Families USA
developed a “Medicaid calculator” that uses a
state’s federal matching rate to determine the
impact of federal Medicaid funds on a particular
state’s economy. For Ohio, the calculator estimates
that injecting $17.13 billion of federal dollars into
Ohio (the estimated amount the ACA expansion
would generate over six years) will create an
estimated $67.321 billion in business activity
and create 635,523 jobs. Using these admittedly
rough figures, it is safe to conclude that the infusion
of federal dollars more than makes up for Ohio’s
investment in the expansion. One of the studies
cited in the Kaiser report was produced by Health
Policy Institute of Ohio in 2005 by Dr. Anand
Desai and colleagues at the Ohio State University
and examined the economic impact of Medicaid
spending on each of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Many hospitals and outpatient providers see
a high number of uninsured people, and under
the ACA, the federal Disproportionate Share
funds (used in Ohio for the HCPAP program –
the financial program to pay for uninsured care
at hospitals, etc…) are dramatically reduced in
anticipation of the Medicaid coverage expansion.
This reduction happens whether Ohio expands
Medicaid or not. Hospitals stand to lose significant
federal funding to compensate them for care to
low-income, uninsured people. This will have an
effect on uninsured people who do not qualify
for Medicaid due to not expanding it in Ohio
or cannot afford health insurance through the
exchanges. They will continue to seek care at
expensive costs in hospitals, and the hospitals will
have less money to treat them.
The Medicaid expansion may actually
reduce state healthcare spending. By expanding
coverage to nearly 1 million uninsured Ohioans,
Ohio will be greatly reducing the amount of
uncompensated care offered by hospitals and
other providers. These costs are absorbed by
all payers, including the state. There may be
healthcare costs that the state currently pays that
could be transferred to Medicaid through the
expansion – like state spending on mental health
services for people not eligible for Medicaid.
The expansion is a long-term investment
in prevention. If we provide more people with
continuous primary care, Ohio will gradually
realize both a financial benefit and a health
benefit. The Ohio Office of Health Transformation
is promoting enhanced primary care and care
management for people with chronic health
conditions as a way to control health spending.
The Medicaid expansion would spread the value
of OHT’s work to a greater number, reducing
future costs from older, sicker people.
Reducing the uninsured is vital to controlling
healthcare spending. Because the costs of treating
uninsured people are passed on to payers, care
to the uninsured drives up overall healthcare
spending. Uninsured people tend to delay seeking
care until they are sicker and obtain fragmented
care in more expensive settings. By bringing
800,000 additional uninsured low-income adults
into Medicaid, we will be able to improve care
and lower costs for 800,000 people, some of
whom would otherwise present later at great
expense to the system.
If you agree with NASW Ohio Chapter that
Medicaid Expansion is the right move for Ohio
then call or write Governor Kasich at:
Governor John Kasich
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6117
Phone: (614) 466-3555
E-mail: http://governor.ohio.gov/Contact/
ContacttheGovernor.aspx
This article is provided by Advocates by Ohio’s
Future—www.advocatesforohio.org.
NASW Ohio
Chapter Agency
Recognition
NASW/ ODMH
Partnership
Brown Bag
Trainings for the
Downtown Social
Work Community
Schedule
All trainings will be held at the
ODMH Central Offices
30 East Broad Street, 8th floor in
Room 806
9/14/12
12-1pm Criminal Justice & Mental Health
(Presenter: Tereasa Moorman-Jamison,
LISW-S, and other ODMH Office of
Forensic Services staff).
11/9/12
12-1pm: Cultural Competency
(Presenter: Deborah Nixon-Hughes,
MSW, LISW)
*Due to the Nature of the 3/9/12 and
5/17/12 workshops, it will be 2 hours long
instead of the standard 1 hour Brown Bag
Training
This year NASW Ohio Chapter is honoring an agency
that best exemplifies social work values in the field.
The award will be given at the 2012 NASW Ohio
Chapter Annual Conference on November 29, and
the agency will be the recipient of any funds generated
from the conference raffle and given two free annual
conference registrations. You can nominate an agency
by completing the form on the website at www.naswoh.
org. Nominations are due by October 1, 2012.
The agency should:
Promote and uphold NASW standards and Code of Ethics
Develop and implement innovative approaches for the
provision of more effective services
Make a significant contribution to a population of concern to
the social work profession (i.e.—advocacy for consumers or
social workers, impact on social policy, exceptional program
and program creation, excellent administrative development,
innovative research…)
Have a diversity of employees that reflects their clientele and/
or has policy that implements culturally competent practice
September–October 2012
29
30
NASW—Ohio Chapter
September–October 2012
31
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Columbus, OH.
Permit No. 707
33 N. Third Street–Suite 530
Columbus, OH. 43215
614-461-4484
Fax: 614-461-9793
www.naswoh.org
Attend the 2012 NASW
Ohio Chapter Conference
Registration form in this newsletter and online at www.naswoh.org
Earn 12 CEUs in Two Days
Low Cost- High Value
CEUs also available for Counselors and pending for Chemical Dependency Licensees
DISCLAIMER: The Ohio Update of the Ohio Chapter NASW is the primary
means of communicating with membership about association activities and
developments in professional practice and social policy. It carries statements
of opinion by a variety of spokespersons and, as space permits, letters to the
editor. The views expressed do not necessarily represent positions of NASW.
32
16
NASW—Ohio Chapter
17