Aug-sept-oct 2011 newsletter

The University of South Carolina has appointed Anna Scheyett as the new Dean for the College of Social Work. Dr. Scheyett, the former Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the UNC College of Social Work, took over the reins at USC on August 1, replacing Dennis Poole.

Scheyett, 52, earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and English from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from Memorial University of Newfound-land, an MSW degree from the Uni-versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Science, Master of Philosphy degree from the Yale University Human Genetics Dept.

She is the recipient of numerous

awards, including the “Most Crea-tive and Innovative Teaching Award” UNC School of Social Work (2007), the North Carolina NASW Social Worker of the Year Award (2007), and the Most Sup-portive Professor Award, UNC School of Social Work (2006). She was the North Carolina recipient of the community advocate “Heroes in the Fight” award, spon-sored by Eli Lilly Foundation in 2005.

Dr. Scheyett also brings to her new role many years’ experience as a social work administrator, supervi-sor, and field instructor. In addi-tion, she has worked as a mental health practitioner, specializing in adults with serious and persistent mental illness: “One of my points of pride is that when I walk down the main street in Chapel Hill, some of the homeless guys or members of the psychosocial clubhouse where I used to work remember me and say ‘hi,’” notes Scheyett. “Those relationships are still important to me.”

In a press release, Dr. Scheyett described her view about social work: “In a good society there are some implicit promises we make to our citizens. You’ll be safe; somebody will help you if you get sick; if you are a child you won’t be hurt; if you are an older adult, we will help you live in your home; if you are in the military, we’ll honor your work.

What’s Inside:

Have You Met: 2

A SW Intern’s Perspective

3

From Where I Sit 4

President’s Letter 5

Medicare Benefits Pt 3 6

Book Review 7

Audit Report 8

Links and Info 9

Anna Scheyett Named Dean of USC College of Social Work

B U S I N E S S N A M E

Chapter Update Newsletter Date

August-September-October

“These are things a decent

society promises its citi-

zens. Social work is the

profession that helps a so-

ciety keep its promises.”

—Scheyett

Call For Abstracts Proposals

SCNASW 012 Spring Symposium:

Social Work Matters

March 11-14, 2012 at the Doubletree Hotel,

Columbia SC

For more information, contact the chapter

office

Chapter Update August-September-October 2011

CHAPTER STAFF

(803) 256-8406

Carla Damron, LISW-CP, Exec Director

[email protected]

Stacie Vandervelde, Finance

Contracted Position

[email protected]

Tonya Fishburne, SW Intern [email protected]

How did you decide to be-come a social worker?

I was born and lived most of my life in rural Navrongo in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Growing up in one of the most economically deprived areas in the coun-try, I have personally expe-rienced most of the prob-lems common to rural peo-ple in a developing country like Ghana, such as limited access to reliable and ade-quate health information and good quality health care (further worsened by the AIDS pandemic), poverty, limited access to good quali-ty education, and a general lack of collective political participation to influence policy decisions.

Conducting health research with the Navrongo Health Research Center (NHRC) in rural settings in northern Ghana brought me even closer to the socioeconomic and health problems of rural people, particularly women and children. These realities have, to a large extent, shaped my life and my edu-cational and career goals. These experiences also fueled my interest in pursu-ing graduate studies in So-cial Work and Public Health.

How long have you been in the field of social work?

I have been involved in so-cial work activities since 1990; my professional so-cial work training started in August 2008 at the College of Social Work at USC.

NASW member since: 2010

Academic-tell us about your education.

Undergraduate--Diploma in Theater Arts (Drama), Uni-versity of Ghana (1997-2000); BA in English and Theater Arts, University of Ghana (2004-2007)

Graduate--MSW/MPH, Uni-versity of South Carolina (2008-2011)

Doctorate--Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), University of South Carolina (2011-Present)

Philosophical-tell us your thoughts on social work

My philosophy is that you should always endeavor to start whatever task you have to perform well ahead of time so that you are not overwhelmed trying to do too many things at the elev-enth hour. Even though I do not consider myself as one the brightest in class, I have always emerged among the top performers in school. I take community services and students’ social activi-ties seriously in order to develop my skills as a lead-

er. I’m always looking for opportunities to serve and help others. The fulfillment of this attitude towards stud-ies and community service was when I was named the MSW Student of the Year for 2011. It made me feel self-accomplished.

If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path?

Yes, because it has always worked for me this way.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

If I have time in life, I would like to venture into Philosophy

What advice would you of-fer someone new to the field of social work?

Get involved and don’t think about immediate re-wards; rewards will always come naturally if you de-serve them.

What abilities or personal qualities do you believe contribute most to success in this field?

Consistency in pursuing knowledge, high motivation to succeed, a keen interest to make a difference in the lives of the poor and mar-ginalized, and good inter-personal skills—building a

Have You Met Chris Alouah?

Chapter Update

“Consistency is the

key to success;

never put off

anything that

needs to be done.

Chris Alouah

Chapter Update

Editorial Committee

Ann Dwyer, Chair

Taryn Dominguez

Carla Damron

Sue Lyman

Sally Hayes, proof reader

make a difference in the lives of the poor and mar-ginalized, and good inter-personal skills—building a good rapport with others.

What do you see as the big-gest challenge facing social workers today?

Low pay and too much workload can detract social workers who enter the field with the intention of im-proving the well-being of people. When people are overburdened with work without a commensurate pay, they experience burn-out and the result is job turnover. This, to me, is the bane of the profession.

Personal-tell us about your non-work self

What is your favorite hob-by/pastime?

Find friends and chat with them or stay in my room and play instrumental mu-sic.

If money/time were no ob-ject, what would be your dream vacation?

I’m a football fiend so I would like to travel to Brazil and Spain to see where some of the players live.

Who is your favorite histori-cal figure?

Nelson Mandela

Who/what is your favorite musician/band/type of mu-sic?

Michael Bolton, Instruments and Jazz

Who/what is your favorite writer/book?

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

What has happened recently in your life that makes you proud/smile?

When I received my MSW and MPH certificates, all the efforts, stress, and persever-ance I experienced during my studies all played out in front of me, and I could hear my own voice saying, “Chris, well done.” It made me smile and it gave me a sense of fulfillment.

What are some “words of wisdom” you like to live by?

Consistency is the key to success; never put off any-thing that needs to be done. You would be amazed how helpful it would be in the long-run just by putting in only 30 minutes to work on an assignment or project each day.

A Social Work Student’s Perspective By Tonya Fishburne, SW Intern I’m a field placement student at NASW South

Carolina Chapter. I wanted to introduce myself and share with you my journey of being a graduate student. I was born in Walterboro, S.C. into a single parent house-hold. I lived with my mother and older brother. When I was thirteen, I moved to Columbia, S.C., where I gradu-ated from Richland Northeast High School. I currently reside in Columbia with my five-year-old daughter. For the past eleven years, I’ve worked as a licensed cos-metologist.

While working and being a mom, I received my under-graduate degree from Benedict College here in Colum-bia, SC and recently completed a Masters in Health Ad-ministration for Webster University. I’m currently at the University of South Carolina enrolled in the one-year advance standing program seeking to receive a Masters in Social Work. After completion of my graduate course, I plan to become a licensed social worker within a medical setting, such as a nursing home, retirement home, hospice facility, or a hospital. My ultimate career goal is to become a nursing home administrator.

I have always had goals set for myself, but it was not until I became a mother that more goals made it to the list. Being a single mother has changed my outlook on life. My daughter is why I am pursuing my education and career goals. I want her to grow and be able to say “my mother was a single mother and she received her cosmetology license, a bachelor’s and two master de-grees.” I also want my daughter to be as proud of me as I am of my mother. I am not one to complain about life. I be-lieve that your life is what you make it to be and if you do not like it, you have to do something to make a dif-ference that would allow you to be happy. Everyone ex-periences some hard times, but I never dwell on the past or my mistakes. Everything in life happens for a reason, even if the reasons are unexplainable. I take everything that I have done wrong in the past and turn it into a posi-tive lesson for the future. For the last twenty-eight years my mom has cared for elderly people--from private sitting to nursing homes

Chris Alouah (cont’d)

August-September-October 2011

Six of us sat behind tele-phones, struggling to ignore the television cameras, the lights, and the news crew in front of us. We were social workers and mental health clinicians invited by Chan-nel 19 to take phone calls. It was one week after 9-11.

“Callers are invited to dial the numbers on your screen to talk with a mental health professional about any is-sues you might have relating to recent events,” the news anchor said. “This has been a stressful time for all of us.”

A “stressful time” was a bit of an understatement. The entire country—if not the whole world—felt the bur-den of what had happened. Perceptions had shifted; what was safe was not … what was constant was not. As a traveler scheduled to fly home on Sept 11, I grap-pled with my own new awareness of how our world had changed. For five days, I worried over cancelled flights, obsessed about the news, and asked the ques-tions we were all asking: Were my family and friends safe? What would happen next? What world did we live in now?

In the studio, the first phone rang, then the second. We didn’t stop answering until

an hour after the broadcast ended. I talked with a young mother whose five year old had developed night terrors. An elderly woman who was petrified to leave her home. A veteran reliving his Viet Nam experience as though he was in the jungle again dodging snipers. “Will I ever get over this?” one young man asked me.

“I don’t know,” would have been an honest reply.

We gave out crisis numbers, mental health contacts, and referrals to local Emergency Departments. We told the callers to turn off the news. For weeks to come, social workers, counselors, physi-cians and clergy across our country did our best to help others recover from the trau-ma. This was not an easy task; we were recovering ourselves.

In the ten years that have passed since 9-11, our coun-try has faced Katrina, near financial collapse, and an environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. We have proven to be resilient. We have honored those we lost. But I worry that these disasters have hardened us. Current political rhetoric attacks services to our most vulnerable citizens. Disaster response agencies—and

those tasked with rebuilding--- face dire funding cuts. In South Carolina, our health and mental health systems struggle to meet a growing demand for treatment while budgets shrink. The very people who take care of the victims of disaster are be-coming victims themselves--of job cuts.

Yet despite these setbacks, social workers and other human service professionals persevere. We do more with less; we take care of those who need us. If 9-11 taught us anything, it blurred the line between “us” and “them.” Any one of us can find ourselves a victim, needing support, or housing, or just an ear to hear our story. I’m honored to be a social worker; when disaster strikes, we will be among the those who step forward. No matter what may come, social work remains the pro-fession of hope, resiliency, and recovery.

(a version of this article ap-

peared in the STATE newspa-

per, 9/12/11 )

From Where I Sit … Carla Damron, Executive Director

Chapter Update

SW Student cont’d

..and retirement facilities.

Watching how she cares for the elderly is what initiated my desire to help people. I want to care for people but just not in the physical, hands-on way my mom does. My mom is my motivation.

She’s shown me what I

want to be in life. Maybe I

can be the same for my

daughter.

On August 26, 2011 the Board held its orientation to welcome new and returning Board members. Richard Loomis of NASW Chapter Services facilitated the ori-entation. Richard’s presen-tation was informative and motivational. Of particular interest to me was his dis-cussion regarding the four keys of organizational suc-cess – nothing new but a new meaning as I think of our Chapter. He noted the Chapter as an administrative unit of the National Organi-zation and that its structure and programs are designed to encourage and facilitate member participation at the local level. I have reflected on his discussion of the four keys of organizational suc-cess - members/volunteers, programs, money, and skilled staff- not necessarily in that order. In light of the many challenges the Chap-ter encountered during the past year. I would like to share my reflections with you at this time.

Members – The Chap-ter’s membership has in-creased through member-ship renewals. This in-cludes members whose memberships lapsed for a time and new members. WELCOME! So now I’d like to challenge EACH member to bring in some-

one new! As the chapter grows, so does our impact.

Skilled staff – Welcome, again, and accolades to Carla Damron, Executive Director. At the direction of the Board, Carla has made significant strides to stabilize the Chap-ter’s infrastructure. Carla has demonstrated vision for the Chapter, she is energetic, and goes beyond schedule work hours to get things done. I hope you read her article “The emotional Toll of 911” which is reprinted in this newsletter.

Money – The Chapter is moving toward financial sta-bility. Thanks to the efforts of the Financial Committee, Board and Chapter staff to monitor revenue and expend-itures, we have a balanced budget going into fiscal year 2011 and 2012.

Lastly Programs and Vol-

unteers. These two are our nemeses. Our committees have not been active and vol-unteers to serve on the com-mittees have been sparse.

My vision for this term of my presidency is to work with the Executive Director and Board to vitalize our committees and volunteers. To do that we need your help! For example, to en-

sure that the Chapter is addressing social and po-litical issues we need an active Governmental Af-fairs Committee and chair.

If we do not have pro-grams of interest or are not addressing issues of concern to you, that is because you are not in-volved. I encourage you to get more involved in the chapter by calling Car-la to volunteer and/or sign up for a committee. We need you!

The President’s Letter by Shirley Furtick, MSW, ACSW, LISW-AP/CP


‘Get more involved in

the chapter by calling

Carla to volunteer and/

or sign up for a

committee. We need

you!

Come visit our new office at 2537 Gervais

Street! We’re usually there Mon-Wed.

Last month, we discussed the benefits of Medicare Extra Help for Low Income Beneficiaries and how it can save a patient several hundred dollars a year on their medicines. This month, I would like to tell you The Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiaries (SLMBs) Program. The website, ht tp://www.scdhhs.gov/InsideDHHS/Bureaus/EligiblityPolicyAndOversight/Spec.%20Low%20Inc.%20Medicare%20Beneficiaries%28SLMB%29.asp defines the program as follows: “A SLMB is an indi-vidual who: Is entitled to Medicare Part A hospital insurance;

• has countable income greater than 100% and less than or equal to 120% of the Federal Poverty Level ($1,083 for an individual and $1,457 for a couple); and

Have countable resources below the limit ($6,600 for an individual and $9,910 for a couple).

Supplemental Security Income financial policy is used to determine eligibility with the following exceptions:

• In-kind support and maintenance is not counted as income; and

The value of a home, household goods, and personal effects, one motor vehicle, life estate interest in prop-erty and undivided interest in heirs' property are not counted as resources.

Benefits For a SLMB, the Medicaid Program is required to

pay the Medicare Part B only. These individuals are NOT entitled to any other Medicaid benefits; there-fore, they do not receive a Medicaid card.” T h e a p p l i c a t i o n , l o c a t e d h e r e : http://www.scdhhs.gov/QandAResults.asp?formID=FM%20910&IncomeID=slmb, can be filled out by the patient and sent to the appropriate Medicaid worker.

This means that if your patient has Medicare and has an income of $1,083 for an individual and $1,457 for a couple; and has countable resources below the limit ($6,600 for an individual and $9,910 for a couple);

they can potentially have the state of South Carolina pay for their Medicare part B. Premium. Although, Medicaid suspends this program from time to time, IT IS WORTH APPLYING FOR TO HELP YOUR PATIENT! I hope that these series of resources can help your uninsured, underinsured or low-income Medicare patients. I believe that discussing these hidden gems are great ways to cut costs and utilize resources that have been put in place for individuals and helping professionals. If you have any questions regarding any of the articles about prescription assistance, Medicare Extra Help for Low Income Beneficiaries, or the Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiar-ies (SLMBs) Program, please contact me:

Taryn Dominguez Chapter Southern Unit Representative at [email protected]

So there you have it folks, I gave you three awe-some resources to help you help others. Now it is your turn. Let us know if some of your strategies on getting resources for your patient. Again, to expand our profession, we need to expand the circle of minds that are used for this newsletter and for the state. Therefore, PLEASE do not hold back and let us know your thoughts!

Do we have your current information?

Updating your member info is easy! Go to http://

www.socialworkers.org/

At the upper right corner, click on the gold “log in”

button. Fill in your user name and password (if you

don’t know them, see right hand side for info).

Click on gold “Member Center” button (top right).

From there, you can update your address and email,

or change your password. Since we download mem-

ber info from the national site, this will update your

info here at the chapter.

Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiaries (SLMBs) Program

Chapter Update

Some colleges assign “common reads” to incom-

ing freshman—books that all students are re-

quested to read over the summer prior to start-

ing their first year of college. The students are

expected to prepare to discuss the reading dur-

ing their first week on campus. Typically the

books assigned have themes that touch on a di-

verse amount of college studies. A recent com-

mon read that has been assigned is The Immor-

tal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

(2010, Crown). Ms. Skloot became interested in

this subject after learning about “HeLa” cells in

her college biology courses. She wanted to un-

derstand more about the woman who originated

this valuable cell line that has been used and

continues to be used in research all over the

world.

The completely non-fiction book entwines biog-

raphy and science as it recounts the experience

of an African American woman, Henrietta

Lacks, who is diagnosed with cervical cancer

and the ramifications her treatment had beyond

her short life. It explores the intricacies of when

bioethics, race relations and medical research

collide.

The book begins with the early years of Henriet-

ta Lacks, who was born in 1920 in rural south-

ern Virginia and grew up working in the family

business of tobacco farming. After marrying, she

and her husband relocated to Baltimore, MD for

a brighter economic future. During the same

years that Henrietta was growing up in Virginia,

much attention and research was beginning to

be given to cell research. Scientists and doctors

understood the great potential cell research had

on medical science and public health care. At

age 30 Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical

cancer and was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospi-

tal in Baltimore. During the course of her treat-

ment, some tissue from her tumor biopsy is giv-

en to a medical researcher without Henrietta’s

or her family’s knowledge or consent. The cells

are the first human cells to survive and thrive in

a culture, away from their host. Henrietta died

of cervical cancer several months later leaving a

husband and five

small children.

The cell line that sur-

vived from Henrietta’s

tumor cells was

dubbed “HeLa”, the

first two letters of

Henrietta’s first and

last name. HeLa cells were distributed all over

the world to research labs and used in thousands

experiments including testing the efficacy of the

polio vaccine, effects of radiation on human cells,

preliminary explorations into in-vitro fertiliza-

tion, cellular cloning and stem cell research to

name a few. The use of HeLa cells was so wide-

spread it is estimated that there have been over

50 million metric tons of the cell line grown in the

sixty years since it was first taken from Henriet-

ta. Throughout all of this research, Henrietta’s

widow and five children have no knowledge that

her cells have been taken and used for research.

When they find out, almost 20 years after her

death, they are understandably confused, angry

and desire answers. The author, Rebecca Skloot

spends a decade first gaining the family’s trust

and then helping them and getting help from

them in telling their mother’s story. Ms. Skloot

preserves the voices of the people she inter-

viewed, using direct quotes, journal passages

whenever possible. She sensitively portrays Hen-

rietta’s family while accurately depicting the

harsh realities they face. In one poignant mo-

ment, one of Henrietta’s now-adult children won-

ders aloud about her mother’s cells having such a

profound effect on medical research when the

children themselves lack health insurance.

The book’s account spans events between the

1920’s and the early 2000’s, and does a great job

of ordering the science side of the story with the

human side of the story. The writing style is in-

formal and captures richly the relationships of

Henrietta’s children, grandchildren and great-

grandchildren. It is a very accessible read and

very relevant to social work practice.

Review by Ann Dwyer, LISW-CP

Book Review: Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks


INTRODUCTION:

The following summary re-port is from the “Independent Auditors’ Report” for the year end June 30, 2010. It was received by the Chapter on June 27, 2010. This report will review the auditor’s opinion, will outline salient data from the financial state-ments ending in June 2010, and will provide some analy-sis as to implications for the Chapter.

AUDITORS’ OPINION:

From a legal stand-point the following statement is the key finding of the audi-tors’ review:

“In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above represent fairly, in all material respects, the fi-nancial position of the South Carolina State Chapter of the National Association of So-cial Workers as of June 30, 2010, and the changes in their net assets and cash flows for

the year then ended in conformity with accounting,principles generally accepted in the United States of America”.

FINANCIAL POSITION FOR YEAR:

It should be noted we came into this fiscal year with net assets of nega-tive ($5,396).

ANALYSIS:

From a financial standpoint this was not a good year for the Chapter. Based on this experience the Chapter Board took the following steps to redress the fiscal issues:

• Took actions to move to a Chap-ter staffing plan which could be supported by our level of reve-nues.

• Cut back in a number of ex-penditure areas including volun-teer travel and food expense.

• Changed office arrangements which ended up savings us monthly utilities and telephone expense.

Autism Spectrum and Vulnerable Children Friday, October 7, 2011 at the DJJ Bill Rogers Community Connection

Center, Columbia SC

Cost $40.00

Participants will receive six social work contact hours

For more information and to register, go to www.scyouthworkers.org

Training Opportunity!!

Chapter Audit Report 2010 , Ron Green, JD, ACSW SCNASW Treasurer


Revenue: Dues, grants &rebates $80,628 Symposium 52,057 Continuing education 8,397 Newsletter 843 Unit income 2 ,843 Investment income 136 Other 459 Total revenue: $145,363

Expenses: Gener admin $132,882 Continuing education 4,082 Symposium 35,565 Total expenses: $172,529 Decrease in net assets: ($27,166) Net assets begin year: ($ 5,396) Net assets year end ($ 32,562)

• Negotiated a $25,000 loan from National which is being repaid at a monthly rate under our current budget and will be repaid in approximately 2.5 years.

Given these actions the Chapter will be able to maintain its current level of operations with the expec-tation that we will be able to ex-pand supported activities after the 2.5 year payout period.

We love your stories!

Primary Business Address

Address Line 2

Address Line 3

Address Line 4

NASW’s New Online CEU Pro-

vider

CEUSchool’s goal is to provide you with quality on-line course content in a format that is conven-ient to use, affordable, and relevant for today's social worker. Their site offers fully accredited

NASW classes that meet all of your CEU needs. You will receive the same academic benefits that you would enjoy at an onsite facility, along with the flexibility and self-paced learning that comes

with an online education.

Register with CEUSchool through NASW South Carolina and you will automatically receive 3

FREE credits !!

The PACE online fundraising tool has been officially

launched! It can be found at :

http://socialworkers.org/pace/default.asphttp://socialworkers.org/pace/default.asphttp://socialworkers.org/pace/default.asphttp://socialworkers.org/pace/default.asp

There’s also a link to it from www. socialworkers. org.

Please remember that all online contributions will be shared

with the chapters, just like contributions we receive

through membership renewals. So it’s in our interest to

promote the new online fundraising capability.

NASW SC encourages everyone to contribute noteworthy information for Chapter Update. All material should be typed and emailed to the Chapter Office. Chapter Update is published by the National Association of Social Workers South Carolina Chapter.

Advertisement space and fees: 1/4 page, 1/2 page, full page: $125. Members seeking employment may advertise at no cost. Rental of membership labels is available for a one-time user fee of $95 plus S&H. Position vacancies may be adver-tised at a flat rate of $25 (not to exceed 15 lines). Members may run camera ready business card ads for $20. SC NASW reserves the right to accept, reject or edit advertisements and notices of events based on publication schedule, space limi-tations and appropriateness. The views expressed in Chapter Update do not necessarily represent positions of NASW. Because of the commitment of NASW to nondiscriminatory personnel practices, advertisers in NASW publications, by action of the NASW Board of Directors, must affirm that they are equal opportunity employers. For violations of profes-sional ethics or personnel practices, a person may file a complaint with the NASW SC Chapter Committee on Inquiry. For information, write the Chapter Office at 2537 Gervais Street, Columbia SC 29204 or call 803-256-8406. For infor-mation regarding: Social work licensure, call or write the Board of Social Work Examiners, PO Box 11329, Columbia,

Aug-sept-oct 2011 newsletter

Documents

Transcript of Aug-sept-oct 2011 newsletter