New resource highlights concerning impact of new Dept. of Education proposed policy on future social work workforce
If you’ve been following the Department of Education’s latest rulemaking, you may have heard about the plan to phase out Grad PLUS loans for all new graduate students. But what’s gotten far less attention is the selection of what counts as a “professional degree” to inform the new loan caps. And that decision could reshape […]
Environmental Inequity: Impacts on Health in Chicago
As an AmeriCorps Member in the Department of Social Work and Community Health at RUSH University Medical Center, I help connect patients to various resources through our system’s Social Determinants of Health Screener. Through this experience, I was inspired to dive deeper into other factors that may impact someone’s health. A healthy environment is an […]
Addressing Stigma and Structural Barriers in Substance Use Treatment
As AmeriCorps members conducting social determinants of health (SDOH) screeners, we’ve witnessed firsthand how structural barriers and health disparities interconnect and compound. From transportation barriers resulting in difficulties accessing primary care to financial barriers preventing medication follow-up, our conversations with patients have illuminated health as a complex environmental web. January is Substance Use Disorder Treatment […]
Mental Health First Aid: A Critical Intervention for Supporting People in Crisis
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time for spotlighting mental health issues, breaking down the stigma around mental health conditions, and acknowledging that mental health is as vital as physical well-being. For Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re highlighting a valuable training opportunity offered both at RUSH and worldwide: Mental Health First Aid. Content warning: […]
Social Workers are an Asset in Dementia Care
Communities throughout the United States are facing the convergence of three trends that must be addressed urgently: Over the last year, CHaSCI and RUSH University Medical Center’s Center for Excellence in Aging partnered with Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) on a CalGrows dementia care specialist project focused on strengthening California’s dementia care workforce. The project goal was to […]
Fluid Like Water: Community Health Workers in the RUSH Cancer Center
The webinar series Social Determinants of Health Screening (SDOH): Navigating to Address Barriers, hosted by the American Cancer Society, highlighted how Community Health Workers (CHWs) conduct SDoH screenings effectively. Through these screenings, CHWs can identify and address barriers to equitable care. The following focuses on two sessions from this series, both featuring the interdisciplinary and […]