Banging on a Locked Door: The Persistent Role of Racial Discrimination in the Workplace.

Workplace discrimination continues to limit both the workforce participation and satisfaction of many Americans. Whereas many minority groups experience discrimination in the workplace, African Americans often experience the cumulative effects of multiple forms of discrimination. The levels of discrimination that African Americans face not only impede their ability to gain employment, but also negatively affect their career mobility.

The National Association of Social Workers' commentary on "joint principles: integrating behavioral health care into the patient-centered medical home".

The "Joint Principles: Integrating Behavioral Health Care Into the Patient-Centered Medical Home" provide a unique opportunity for increased collaboration in delivering health and behavioral health services. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) provides commentary on these important principles.

Social workers and workplace bullying: perceptions, responses and implications.

Objective: This non-experimental, cross-sectional study examined social workers' perceptions of bullying work relationships and their ability to construct effective coping responses to perceived workplace bullying.

Methods: Quantitative data were gathered through the use of a mailed questionnaire, and qualitative data resulted from semi-structured individual interviews.

Participants: The quantitative sample consisted of 111 social workers from the metropolitan, Washington, DC area, who were employed in organizations.

Preventing falls in older people: assessment and interventions.

Falls can have a devastating effect on older people. Physical injury and fear of further falls may restrict social and physical activities, leading to a lack of confidence and social isolation. Nurses need to assess patients who have fallen to identify injury as well as to instigate appropriate interventions to reduce the risk of further falls.

Parity and the use of out-of-network mental health benefits in the FEHB program.

Two current congressional bills mandate parity for benefits for mental disorders with benefits for medical/surgical conditions in private insurance when mental health benefits are provided; the bills differ in regard to benefit levels and access to out-of-network coverage. This study assessed clinicians' and beneficiaries' participation in managed care networks in the national capital area under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) parity program. Approximately one-third of the clinicians studied participated in FEHB networks, and only 44 percent of FEHB patients received care from network clinicians.

Developing practice tools for social workers in end-of-life care.

This article describes the National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) strategies for providing social workers with important practice and policy information about palliative and end-of-life care. With funding from a Soros Foundation's Project on Death in America grant, NASW developed practice standards, a Web-based continuing education course, and drafted a new policy statement to guide social workers in end-of-life care practice. The article provides an in-depth view of the development and scope of these resources for professional social workers.

Social workers in the substance abuse treatment field: a snapshot of service activities.

This article describes the results of the first Practice Research Network (PRN) survey conducted by the National Association of Social Workers, a collaborative project funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. The objectives of the PRN survey were to develop broad knowledge about social work practices and more specific knowledge about social workers' involvement with substance abuse services. Although 71 percent of the employed social workers reported taking some action related to substance abuse diagnosis and treatment in the preceding 12 months, 53 percent reported receiving no training in substance abuse during the same period.