CHaSCI presents on social care workforce development initiatives at Health Equity & Social Justice Conference
On August 28, CHaSCI attended the 14th annual Health Equity & Social Justice Conference hosted by DePaul University in collaboration with the Center for Community Health Equity, RUSH University, Sinai Chicago, and Sinai Urban Health Institute.
The conference began with poster presentations highlighting research projects related to health equity, as well as community partner displays showcasing local organizations’ work to advance health equity in Chicago. CHaSCI staff presented a community partner display highlighting our team’s workforce development initiatives.
CHaSCI’s presentation on workforce development
As integral members of health care teams, social workers and other social care professionals address disparities, promote health equity, and provide essential care to underserved populations. However, health care employers report difficulty recruiting and retaining adequately trained social workers. Barriers to working in health care include limited training and educational opportunities in health care and a preference for hiring social workers with advanced licensure, which is time-consuming and costly. To address these issues, the Department of Social Work and Community Health and CHaSCI at RUSH University Medical Center have implemented a variety of workforce development initiatives, addressing 3 main goals:
Educate the social care workforce to increase confidence, effectiveness, and competency providing culturally-responsive social work services within healthcare settings
Support diversity within the social care workforce to better reflect and support the communities that we serve
Prepare future healthcare professionals to be champions for social care, to collaborate effectively with social workers and other social care professionals, and to integrate social care into healthcare settings
At the Health Equity & Social Justice Conference, we highlighted two workforce development projects that CHaSCI is currently working on (SWIHC-TP and AmeriCorps at RUSH), as well as one project currently in progress (Social Work Career Pathway). Read more about each of these projects below!
Social Work in Healthcare – Training Program (SWIHC-TP)
The Social Work in Healthcare – Training Program provided 10 Chicago area social work students or practitioners from underrepresented communities with training and support in healthcare social work.
Applicants/Participants:
SWIHC-TP participants were social work professionals and students who...
expressed interest in working in healthcare
had limited or no experience in healthcare
identify as a person of color, person with a disability, and/or as LGBTQIA+
worked or studied in Chicagoland during the 2023-2024 academic year
We accepted 10 of the 17 applicants.
What we found:
After completing the SWIHC-TP program, participants…
feel more prepared and interested in healthcare
are more likely to pursue a career in the field of healthcare social work
identified that the program met or exceeded their goals and expectations
identified satisfaction programmatic elements, particularly the continuing education course, mentorship, and case studies
would, or already had, recommended this program to a peer or colleague
Additionally, participants stated that SWIHC-TP was beneficial for boosting confidence, increasing self-efficacy, accessing resources, building resumes, gaining knowledge and skills, and gaining insight into their career paths.
Program offerings:
Online asynchronous continuing education (25 CEUs) in healthcare social work
Curated monthly professional development webinars
Monthly case study discussions
Weekly mentorship / career coaching
Three in-person events
Additional supports
Stipend
Books relating to healthcare social work professional development
One year of membership with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
.
AmeriCorps at RUSH
Each year, CHaSCI hosts 4 AmeriCorps Members for a year of service in the Social Work and Community Health department at RUSH.
Our AmeriCorps Members work directly with our Community Practice team of social workers and community health workers to do patient outreach, screen for social needs, provide resources to address social needs, and refer patients to social care for additional support and coordination.
RUSH AmeriCorps alumni go on to pursue careers in fields like:
Social work
Medicine
Public health
Health research
Healthcare administration
Through this program, we hope to educate and empower future leaders in healthcare to be champions for social care, to collaborate effectively with social workers, and to integrate social care into healthcare, health research, and public health.
In progress: Social Work Career Pathway
Despite the ever-present need for social care and the Biden administration’s call to improve health by addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), our nation is experiencing a shortage of social workers. The U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a shortage of 74,000 social workers per year, persisting for the next decade. At the same time, we acknowledge the need not only for more social workers, but for more diversity in the social work field.
To overcome some of the barriers to social work as a career (listed above), CHaSCI is currently working on developing a career pathway resource to increase transparency around the process of becoming a social worker. The pathway provides explanations and examples of:
Education required to become a social worker (including associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and licensure)
Time commitment and financial considerations for each stage of social work education and licensure
Ways to pay back or fund each stage
Types of jobs available to individuals at each stage of the social work career pathway
Interested in collaborating with us on this project? Have feedback about what other information would be useful to add to this tool? We’d love to hear from you! Please contact Emily_Levi-DAncona@rush.edu.
Panel discussion: How free and charitable clinics “meet patients where they are”
Following the research poster and community partner display sessions, the conference hosted a keynote discussion featuring a panel of leaders from four free and charitable clinics in the Chicago area:
Melissa Maguire, LSW – Executive Director, Illinois Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Fatema Mirza, MPA – Executive Director, Be Well Community Clinic
Kamari Thompson – Director of Programs, Mobile Care Chicago
Stephanie D. Willding, MPA – CEO, CommunityHealth
The panelists named several barriers to accessing healthcare, including a lack of affordable options, lack of available transportation to get to healthcare facilities, and inability to take the day off work to seek medical care.
In response to these barriers, panelists described the importance of “meeting patients where they are”: investing in healthcare infrastructure and staff within communities facing barriers to care, rather than expecting patients to jump hurdles to access existing healthcare facilities. The panelists introduced the idea of starting micro-health centers located inside existing community-based organizations, and they noted how the use of telehealth appointments when applicable reduces no-shows due to transportation barriers.
Thompson highlighted how Mobile Care Chicago provides mobile clinics at schools, allowing her team to provide medical care to children without requiring parents to take time off work. Instead, parents can join appointments virtually when needed—making it easier for parents with busy schedules to get care for their children without sacrificing income or career stability.
The panelists also discussed the importance of building trust in the communities they work with, emphasizing how trust can directly influence patients’ healthcare utilization. As an example of how to build trust, CommunityHealth provides all resources in English, Spanish, and Polish—again, “meeting patients where they are” by adjusting their materials to meet the patients’ needs, rather than expecting patients to adjust to existing materials. Finally, panelists named the importance of addressing other social drivers of health—not just treating patients’ medical concerns.
We appreciate the opportunity to share our projects with the broader Chicagoland social care community and learn from leaders in the field at the Health Equity & Social Justice Conference! To learn more about the conference, check out their full program.