Positive Help: Social work pros help PHP treat the "whole patient"
by Mary-Lawrence Hicks, NP-MS
(This article reprinted from the Spring-Summer 2007 edition of Positive Spin, official newsletter of the Positive Health Program).
What is the mission of the PHP social work team? "To boldly go where no one else wants to go!" says Ali Marrero, SW associate, as her five colleagues laugh and nod in agreement. The PHP social work department is comprised of six members: Rebecca Grey, MSW; Ali Marrero, certified addictions therapist (CAT); Helen Lin, MSW; Hernan Luduena-Segre, MFTI (pictured on the cover); Becca Schwartz, MSW; and Karena Franses, LCSW, staff supervisor.
Who are our social workers? The group represents a rich diversity of heritage and experience. Four are foreign born: Hernan, Argentina; Ali, Puerto Rico; Helen, Taiwan and Karena, England. In addition to Ali and Hernan, Rebecca and Becca are fluent in Spanish. Bilingual Spanish/English social services are available in the clinic at all times. Helen is Asian-American. They previously worked at The Women’s Health Rights Coalition and Berkeley Community Mental Health (Becca), Continuum Tenderloin Social Services and CAPS (Helen), Packard Children’s Hospital and bartending in Guatemala (Rebecca), Huckleberry Youth Programs and New Leaf (Hernan), and Community Mental Health Services and the London Theatre (Karena).
And how exactly do the social workers help people? A partial list of the psych-social services they provide includes: intakes into the clinic with linkages to primary care providers, mental health and substance use assessments, crisis and supportive counseling with linkages to psychiatry, psychotherapy and support groups, ADAP applications, case management services (support with housing, benefits, immigration, legal issues, and transportation) and outreach into the community. They also facilitate communication with providers, pharmacists, probation and parole officers, lawyers and family members. How many patients are being served? Our six fearless social workers see approximately 150-170 patients a week. The annual estimate is 1300-1500 patients (about half of the total clinic population) with an accumulated 7500 patient contacts in a year. "Our approach is patient-centered" says Karena. "We meet patients where they are. Some of them enjoy talking about themselves; others prefer a more task-oriented approach and we respond accordingly." "For those patients who display a need to connect and be known, we make that available. For those who aren’t interested in sharing their lives, we focus on tasks that may help them in all areas of life." Using techniques tailored to individuals, the social work team helps motivate patients to make positive changes and address issues of mental health and substance use.
Upcoming projects in social work include a new program to support monolingual Spanish speaking patients, spearheaded by the bilingual social workers and providers in the PHP clinic. "We have found that many of the monolingual patients know very little about HIV disease and the services available to HIV infected people," says Hernan. "This represents a huge opportunity for us to intervene and inform people who may be unaware of their own HIV status and how to pursue health." The group is currently seeking funding for this program and hopes to formally announce the service in the coming weeks.
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