Hunger in America 2010

From beSpacific:

Hunger in America 2010 National Report, Mathematica Policy Research Inc., February 2010.

"This report presents the result of a study conducted in 2009 for Feeding America (FA) (formerly America's Second Harvest), the nation's largest organization of emergency food providers. The study is based on completed in-person interviews with more than 62,000 clients served by the FA national network, as well as on completed questionnaires from more than 37,000 FA agencies. The study focuses on emergency food providers and their clients who are supplied with food by food banks in the FA network. Emergency food programs are defined to include food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters serving short-term residents. It should be recognized that many other types of providers served by food banks are, for the most part, not described in this study, including such programs as Congregate Meals for seniors, day care facilities, and after school programs.

"The FA system served an estimated 37.0 million different people annually, an increase of 46% since 2005. This includes 33.9 million pantry users, 1.8 million kitchen users, and 1.3 million shelter users. About 5.7 million different people, or 1 in 50 Americans, receive emergency food assistance from the FA system in any given week, an increase of 27% since 2005."

Responding to a Crisis

From CNN: Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- They have come from all over the world, speaking a multitude of languages and representing dozens of countries.

Diverse as the planet itself, they are all united by one mission: to save lives.

The number of relief workers in Haiti is now in the thousands and is expected to increase as Haiti continues to recover from the devastating January 12 earthquake. Relief workers have pulled survivors from the rubble, given them food and water, set up water purification plants and opened shelters. Read more...

Haiti: Bank Team Prepares for Damage Assessment, Recovery Plan

WASHINGTON DC, January 15, 2010 -A team of World Bank experts is starting to prepare for the arduous task of rebuilding Haiti’s economy and infrastructure in the wake of the recent earthquake.

Bank specialists will join a multilateral team—including staff from the UN and the InterAmerican Development Bank—that will go to Haiti in the next few weeks to conduct damage and reconstruction assessments in every major sector, including health, education, water, sanitation, electricity, and roads. Read more...

Older Adults Participating in Social Service Activities Can Improve Brain Functions

From Social Work Today: Volunteer service can help older adults delay or reverse declining brain function, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers found that seniors participating in a youth mentoring program made gains in key brain regions that support cognitive abilities important to planning and organizing one’s daily life. The study is the first of its kind to demonstrate that valuable social service programs, such as Experience Corps—a program designed to both benefit children and older adults’ health—can have the added benefits of improving the cognitive abilities of older adults, enhancing their quality of life. The study is published in the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. Read more...

Facebook: Ethical & Clinical Considerations

Written by Traci Bartley Young, LCSW, from the New Social Worker Online: Facebook permeates everyday social chatter, whether someone is sending a request to join or a friend is posting pictures of family. I had a recent discussion with a friend who joined Facebook as a way to market her growing business and to network. As a social worker, I am always looking at ways to network and thinking about new technologies that may enhance client functioning. The more I considered Facebook and social networking sites in general, the more I realized the ethical implications for social workers who use these sites and the possible clinical impact for our clients. This is by no means an exhaustive discussion of all the things one must consider before using a site, nor does it address all of the ways such use could affect clients. This article is intended to be a snapshot of a few issues social workers should contemplate with regard to social networking sites. The NASW Code of Ethics (1999) will be used as a reference, citing particular standards that provide a guide for each ethical issue. Read more...

World AIDS Day

The library staff recommends that you take a look at the World AIDS day Website. It features stories from people who are living with HIV/AIDS, statistics on the disease, and resources for those who want to help with efforts to combat this epidemic.

NASW Health Care Reform Roundup

From the NASW Advocacy Blog:

Senate Opens Floor Debate on Health Reform

On Saturday, November 21 the U.S. Senate agreed to hold debate on health reform legislation known as the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” (H.R. 3590). The bill is expected to be on the floor for several weeks after Thanksgiving and will require significant changes to clear the filibuster hurdle of 60 votes to secure passage. NASW plans to strongly support passage, but will also support changes in the bill including those that improve coverage and protect against any weakening amendments of women’s rights to reproductive choices. NASW expects to be very actively involved in this debate; members wishing to keep up to date on our activities should visit our health reform webpage here.