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Twenty first century health issues are complex and multidimensional, requiring innovative responses across professions at all levels of society. Public health social workers draw on the rich traditions and complementary methods of these two fields to enhance effectiveness and promote health. In hospitals, schools, government agencies and local community-based settings, public health social workers make the connection between prevention and intervention from the individual to the whole population. Get a glimpse of a day in the life…

What Is Social Healthcare Center?

Public health is the art and science of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research on disease and injury prevention. Public health helps improve the health and well-being of people in communities and across the nation (whatispublichealth.org). At the heart of public health is a commitment to social justice, “based on the compelling desire to make the world a better place, free of misery, inequity and preventable suffering…” (Krieger & Birn, 1998).

Social work is  a profession dedicated to the restoration and enhancement of human social functioning and the promotion of change in social conditions to reduce human suffering (International Federation of Social Workers [IFSW], 2000; National Association of Social Workers [NASW], 1996). Social work is based upon core values of respect for equality, worth, and dignity of human beings, and uses a human rights and social justice orientation to address the complex needs of people in their environments (Marsh, 2003).

Public health social work is a contemporary, integrated, trans-disciplinary approach to preventing, addressing, and solving social health problems. Over a hundred years old, it draws on both social work and public health theories, frameworks, research, and practice.

  • It’s about prevention, not just intervention after problems have occurred;
  • It uses multiple methods, including research, policy, advocacy, clinical and macro approaches;
  • It works across population levels, from individuals to groups, communities and whole populations;
  • It’s strengths-based and emphasizes resilience and positive factors to promote health and reduce risk.

The Impact of Social Healthcare Center

Historical Impact

Many advances in health and social justice can be traced back to the intersection of  social work and public health. The establishment of maternal and child health clinics in the early 20th century, the beginnings of child abuse and neglect prevention, the humanization of treatment of people with mental illness, and the passage of Medicaid and Medicare are all examples of public health and social work collaboration (Ruth and Sisco, 2008).

Current Impact

Every day, over 500,000 social workers are at work in the United States, and half are employed in health care and health-related settings (Whitaker et al). Social workers are now the leading providers of mental health services in the country (Weissman et al). And the outlook for Social Healthcare Centerers is strong: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for Social Healthcare Centerers will grow faster than average through 2016.

Want to see the impact first-hand? Learn more about a day-in-the life of a public health social worker…