Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Black women in America were three times more likely to die of pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes than white women. Now, the pandemic is compounding inequity even further. Recent data reveals that Black and Latino individuals are twice as likely to die of […]
Issues
Telehealth can help older adults with depression
Telehealth visits by lay counselors may improve depression in older homebound adults, though not as effectively as sessions involving licensed clinicians, a new study led by professor Namkee Choi suggests. In a randomized controlled trial, patient depressive symptoms improved significantly with both lay counselor sessions and clinician tele-visits compared to controls, according to the report […]
Five facts social workers need to know about alcohol and pregnancy
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in nine pregnant women say they have had at least one drink in the past 30 days, and about one third who have had alcohol report binge drinking–for women, this means having four or more drinks at one time. These statistics are especially […]
NASW Leadership Town Hall on Racial Equity
Dean Luis H. Zayas was a panelist in a Social Work Leadership Town Hall organized by NASW on the topic of racial equity on August 14, 2020. Panelists discussed #BlackLivesMatter, what are social work organizations doing to advance anti-racism and answered questions from the audience. Access the town hall recording…
Fall 2020 Class Notes
We are proud of our alumni and the positive impact they are making in their communities. Submit your recent news here. ‘73 Adolfo Reyes, MSSW ‘73, is working on a contract-basis serving hospice and home health clientele in the Rio Grande Valley. He turned 74 this year. ‘78 Chris Finch, BSW ‘78, has spent his […]
A writing dreamscape
Steve Hicks School alumna Heather Jones and her work at the Austin Bat Cave to empower youth to find their voices through creative writing.
The power of human interaction
Against a backdrop of increasing dehumanization of migrating families, Steve Hicks School students and alumni strive to address trauma in a Texas detention center.
More than a diagnosis
A first-of-its-kind Department of Health Social Work at Dell Medical School reflects medicine’s need to see the whole person — and the whole system.
Stories of return
Master’s student Rosa Alvarez Vela interviewed Guatemalan female immigrants who were deported or decided to return to their country.
What are you thankful for?
By Allan Hugh Cole Jr. It’s bedtime for our young daughters, Meredith and Holly. They have taken baths, put on pajamas, and brushed teeth. Their mom Tracey and I have read a nightly lineup of books to them. The smell of lavender baby shampoo, lingering on still damp brown bangs that fall just above sleepy […]