skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Texas Joins National Spotlight on Social Workers

play audio
Play

Friday, March 1, 2019   

AUSTIN, Texas – March is National Social Work Month, and a rally is set for Thursday on the steps of the Texas State Capitol to highlight the ways social workers help Texans of all ages overcome obstacles and reach their full potential.

Miriam Nisenbaum, executive director of the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, says many people associate social work with child protective services. But she points to two U.S. senators – Debbie Stabenow (D) of Michigan and Kyrsten Sinema (D) of Arizona – along with a number of House members, who are former social workers.

"Actually, social work is in every fabric of life,” says Nisenbaum. “We are in health care, in hospitals, hospice, home health. We provide services in the schools. We provide services on a policy level; we are legislative and policy directors for elected officials."

It takes years of education to become a professional social worker, and organizers of the rally are also drawing attention to salaries that are far below similar professions, including registered nurses, psychologists and teachers. State officials frequently cite budget limitations for underfunded agencies that hire social workers, including Health and Human Services.

Nisenbaum says most people drawn to the work have made helping others a priority – but they still have bills to pay, and deserve a wage commensurate with their education levels. She also argues that up-front investments in Health and Human Services would end up saving taxpayers money.

"If you can do more health care and preventive services and other programs, you pay a lot less on the front end than to address a massive opioid crisis on the back end, as one example,” says Nisenbaum.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 100,000 additional social workers will be needed in the U.S. in less than a decade to address a host of challenges, including caring for the nation's aging population. For more information about how social workers touch the lives of millions of people, look online at 'socialworkers.org.'



get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021