NASW-IL Web Blog

Our job is never done - Budget Update

Our job is never done.

 

As the State Assembly is currently on break, it will provide opportunities for each of us to get involved. Representatives and Senators should be in their home districts providing a chance for meetings, phone calls, emails and other forms of communication to be made with them. One such opportunity is in Town Hall meetings. Whenever these chances arise, we want you to take the opportunity to attend and to let all of us know about these events so others can also take advantage of them.

 

Such an opportunity is being provided by Rep. Jim Watson on Tuesday April 6, 2010. 6:30 PM at Hamilton's 110 N. East. Jacksonville. http://www.watson.ilhousegop.org/  He is giving his constituents an opportunity to voice their concerns, particularly with the budget and to tell their own stories of how this very serious problem is impacting their lives.

2010 Social Work Month – Week Four

During the last full week of Social Work Month 2010, NASW IL Chapter President Dennis Crowell and I traveled to Urbana and Kankakee for district awards events, while Dennis participated in a Social Work Month event co-sponsored by the East Central District in Normal and I attended the Dominican University’s 3rd Annual African and Latino Social Work Symposium, which the NASW IL Chapter co-sponsored.

On Tuesday evening, the East Central District, chaired by Candi Gray, presented its district awards at Milos Restaurant in Urbana, IL. The Public Citizen of the Year award was presented to Donna Camp, director of Wesley Evening Food Pantry. Her nominator—longtime NASW IL member, former Peoria District Chair, and current co-chair of the chapter’s Legislative/Social Policy Committee—Judith Unger accepted the award in Donna’s absence. Other district awards were presented to Carol Weissman-Acord,, MSW, LCSW, immediate past chapter Treasurer and co-founder of Circle of Friends Adult Day Center & Geriatric Consultants and Care Manages, Inc., in Champaign. The district Social Worker of the Year award was presented to Jeff Scott, research assistant, doctoral student, and adjunct faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign School of Social Work. Jeff currently co-chairs the chapter’s Legislative/Social Policy Committee with Judith Unger. Judith has mentored Jeff in his chapter activities. Jeff is also involved in many other many other volunteer activities in the Champaign area including the Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC) and the Christian Social Action Ministry (CSAM).

 

Dennis and I were in different parts of the state this past Wednesday for Social Work Month events. Dennis was in Normal, IL, for “Preventing Bullying: Building Respectful Communities for Our Children,” a CEU program that the NASW IL East Central District presented together with the Illinois State University (ISU) School of Social Work, the ISU Social Work Club, and Prevent Child Abuse Illinois. Over 200 people attended. 

I was in the Chicago area that day for Dominican University’s 3rd Annual African & Latino Social Work Symposium. The NASW IL Chapter was a co-sponsor of this event. Over 225 people attended this event which featured Stedman Graham and a morning panel on “Building on the Strengths of African American & Latino Communities through Economic and Community Development.” Alex Perez, a reporter for the Chicago NBC5 News, moderated the panel. Two of the panelists included social workers Donald Dew, longtime NASW IL member and President and Chief Executive Officer of Habilitative Systems Inc., on Chicago’s west side, and Adam Alonso, executive director of Corazon Community Services in Cicero, IL.

Dennis and I finished our Social Work Month travels in Kankakee on Thursday evening for the Calumet District (chaired by Chasity Wells-Armstrong) Awards event. District award winners included Public Citizen of the Year Ron Jackson who is director of the Community Resource Center in Kankakee and is a product of the foster care system who over the years has developed a deep appreciation for social workers because he benefited from their investment in his life. District Social Worker of the Year was presented to Jill Skole, MSW, CADC, and executive director of Agape Missions, NFP, in Joliet which provides social services to persons with HIV/AIDS and noninfected individuals. The district’s Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Jan Hockensmith, MSW, ACSW, and former Calumet District Chair. Janice is associate professor in the Department of Social Work in Olivet's School of Professional Studies. She is also the social work field education director. Jan has been active over the years in the chapter’s International Activities Shared Interest Group (SIG).

Dennis and I attended many Social Work Month events and met many social workers making a difference in communities around Illinois. As the month ends, one small story stands out as continued inspiration for the profession. Prior to the Calumet District event which was held at the Kankakee Public Library, a young library employee approached Dennis and me inquiring about the event and his interest in the profession. He is currently a student at the local community college in Kankakee and plans on transferring to Governors State University to study social work. We discussed the many rewards the profession provides. We look forward to his eventual entry into the profession.

Whichever holiday you observe this week, be it Passover, Easter, or another festival, enjoy.

 

Social Work Month Week Three: Chicago, Rock Island, Northbrook, Lt. Governor vetting, state budget

Close to 300 social workers attended the NASW IL Older Adults SIG workshop at the 2010 Annual Conference of the American Society on Aging  (ASA) that took place in Chicago last week.  The ASA conference, held in conjunction with the National Council on Aging Conference (NCOA) brings together social work leaders as well as other leadership in the field of aging from Illinois and around the country.  Our SIG’s workshop featured a keynote presentation by Pat Volland, senior vice president of Strategy and Business Development at the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) and director of NYAM’s Social Work Leadership Institute.  Responding to Pat’s address were Phyllis Mitzen, co-director of the Center for Long  Term Care Reform at the Health and Medicine Resource Group, and Dan Kuhn, director of the Professional Training Institute for the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, based in Chicago.  Dan ably filled in for Marcia Spira, associate professor at Loyola University Chicago and the director of Loyola’s Institute on Aging and Intergenerational Study and Practice and chair of the NASW IL Older Adults SIG.  Marcia had to have emergency surgery shortly before the ASA conference.  She is doing fine. The workshop included a panel moderated by Dan Kuhn that featured Robyn Golden, LCSW, director of Older Adult Programs, Rush University Medical University, W. June Simmons, MSW, the CEO and president of Partners in Care Foundation, Elaine Jurkowski, MSW, PhD, associate professor, Graduate Program Director, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, School of Social Work, Jeannine Melly, MPH, deputy director, Social Work Leadership Institute, New York Academy of Medicine.  I want to thank the NASW IL Older Adults SIG for putting together this informative workshop and “getting the word out” about the group’s work here in Illinois. Detailed information about the Older Adults SIG is available on its blog at, as well all the presenters’ bios and pictures that presented at the ASA workshop.

Dennis Crowell and I hit the road again, first on Wednesday evening at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, for an event sponsored by the NASW IL Mississippi District.  Longtime NASW IL member Vicki Sommer, PhD, ACSW, professor of Sociology, Anthropology, & Social Welfare, and department chair of the Women's & Gender Studies Program at the college, pulled the event together that featured a CEU presentation on Development Assets.  Several NASW Iowa members from the western side of the Mississippi River attended the event, including former longtime social worker and senator from Iowa, Maggie Tinsman.

 

From Rock Island, Dennis and I traveled back to the Chicago area to attend the Northeastern District’s CEU and Awards Event held in Northbrook.  Kathy Marshall Emerson, executive director of the National Resilience Resource Center presented, “Tapping Natural Resilience.”  It was very interactive and experiential presentation.   Ruth Lipschultz received the district’s Social Work of the Year Award.  Ruth is currently the chair of the National NASW Committee on Ethics and has served on the Illinois Chapter’s Committee on Ethics and is one of the chapter’s more frequent ethics trainers.

You may recall the elected Democratic candidate for Illinois Lieutenant Governor (a post Governor Pat Quinn held for six years until he was appointed Governor in February 2009) Scott Lee Cohen resigned under pressure after issues in his past regarding domestic violence  surfaced.  As a result, the Democratic State Party’s Central Committee conducted a statewide call for candidates for the position.  Over 270 aspiring candidates responded and this past weekend, Democratic Party officials picked seventeen finalists to be interviewed in Springfield next Saturday.  One of those 270 candidates was Kyle Hillman, CMP, NASW IL Chapter’s Manager of Financial Services and Conference-Special Events and a resident of Rogers Park’s 49th ward.   Kyle came just a vote short of being one of the seventeen finalists to present in Springfield this Saturday.  He noted that the process was very open and transparent and appreciated the seriousness in which the committeemen and women took their responsibilities.   State Democratic Party Chairman and Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives was one of the panelists.   A complete list of finalists can be found here.

Starting on Monday, March 29, 2010, the Illinois General Assembly will be on spring recess. We need social workers to contact their House members to encourage them to raise revenue to at least the levels proposed in HB174.  Only through comprehensive tax reform, will we be able to raise the necessary revenue required to ensure a future healthy Illinois economy.  Budget cuts and governmental reform will not allow us to provide vital services for our most vulnerable Illinois residents.  More information will be forthcoming in a Capwiz alert to membership at the end of this week.

Social Work Month Week Two: Chicago Blues, Budget Blues and more…

A myriad of events highlighted the second week of 2010 Social Work Month in Illinois, highlighting the community service theme of this year’s Social Work Month. On March 9th, the professional staff and several Chicago area members participated in a day of service at the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD). I have always been aware of the incredible work that the GCFD conducts in the Chicago area, but was never aware of how massive an operation it truly is. GCFD is located in a factory area on the southwest side of the city covering a four block area. Our assignment that afternoon was to work in the “clean” room, which meant we were repackaging elbow macaroni on this particular day. We were joined by an energetic group from Tilden High School. All in all, we packaged as a group 1,560 bags of elbow macaroni totaling 3,724 pounds. 

That evenin g the Chic ago District held its awards event at Kingston Mines, a renown Chicago blues  ba r.  Having a n awards event at a blues bar is unique enough, especially when one of the awardees, the district’s Public Citizen of the Year Dr. Daniel Ivankovich, is the guitarist for the Chicago Blues All Stars. Dr. Ivankovich was recognized for his service as a surgeon to the underserved in Chicago and most recently in earthquake-torn Haiti.  For more information about his work, go to the Bone Squad Web site.

Longtime NASW IL member Hazel Vespa received the district’s 2010 Lifetime Achievement  Award. Hazel has been with Children’s Memorial Hospital for over forty years. H azel has spent her time a Children's Memorial Hospital meeting the psychosocial needs of the hospital’s complex populations, particularly children dealing with phenylketonuria (PKU). She has participated in research, clinical work, and advocacy for her PKU patients, as well as working with an interdisciplinary team to ensure the most comprehensive care available. She is recognized nationally as a psychosocial expert on PKU and has helped to set the standard of care for these patients.

 

Blues of another sort was in store on March 10th for the governor’s budget speech in Springfield. The governor outlined his plan to attack the state’s $13 billion deficit, which is a result of our structural deficit, skyrocketing pension costs, plummeting revenues, and unpaid bills. He stressed the amount of feedback his office has received by posting parts of the budget online and asking Illinois citizens for comment.  In fact, we alerted the NASW IL membership of this opportunity as well.  Governor Quinn’s five pillars of recovery include:

1.    Creating jobs
2.    Cutting Costs
3.    Strategic Borrowing
4.    Continued Federal Assistance
5.    Increase State Revenues. 

He also outlined cuts, as well as a proposed 1% education surtax to help avert cuts in the state’s education budget. As you can imagine, the human services sector takes an enormous hit in this proposed budget. For example, a sampling of the cuts to the Department of Human Services (DHS) budget are in many areas:

1. Mental Health: Proposed $90 million in cuts to community mental health centers
2. Community Health and Prevention: 10% across the board cuts for all CHP programs
3. Developmental Disabilities: 2.5% rate cut for community providers and elimination of all grants serving non-Medicaid clients.
4. DASA: 8% cut in grants

During the DHS budget briefing, Dr. Lorrie Rickman-Jones of the Division of Mental Health became quite emotional as she outlined the projected cuts. An estimated 3,800 jobs in mental health will be eliminated following these cuts. 

The Governor’s FY11 Budget summary can be found here.

Wednesday evening was the Peoria District’s Social Work Month Awards Event.  Pam Briggs, director of the Heart of Illinois HIV/AIDS Center at the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine in Peoria, IL, received the district’s Social Worker of the Year Award.

Keeping with the theme of “Social Workers Inspire Community Action,” I visited Aunt Martha’s Youth Service Center and Health Center on Friday afternoon.  Founded in 1972 as a “drop in” center for troubled youth and staffed by volunteers, the agency has grown to an agency of ten divisions serving over 82,000 individuals in 120 programs in fifty locations and a staff of 900 employees.  Aunt Martha’s has a presence in seventeen counties with a mission “to be a caring community resource for children, youth, and families.”  I had the pleasure of meeting with the agency’s innovative CEO, Raul Garza, and some of his social work staff including Shelly Milosevich, Jerry Lowell, and Greg O’Brien. I had the opportunity to visit one of the seventeen Aunt Martha’s bustling community health centers in Chicago Heights. What is very noticeable is the fact that all types of healthcare, whether it be medical, dental, OB/GYN, or behavioral health, are provided less than one roof.  More information on Aunt Martha’s can be found on their Web site.

Travelin’ the state…2010 Social Work Month begins….

For those in my age demographic, you may remember the 1969 movie called, If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium, featuring Suzanne Pleshette and Michael Constantine among others.  Its simple plot involved a group of travelers from the United States racing through seven countries in eighteen days. In a nutshell, that describes the start of 2010 Social Work Month in Illinois. Chapter President Dennis Crowell and I were in three different NASW IL Districts this week for Social Work Month–related events.  In our case it was, If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Bellville, Chester, or Fairview Heights.

Our trip started off in Carbondale, IL, for the Southern District’s Social Work Day in conjunction with the social work program at SIU–Carbondale.  Ralph Martire (see blog post from February 26, 2010) was the featured speaker at the morning CEU event, followed by an awards luncheon in which Paula England received the Southern District Social Worker of the Year Award and Margie Parker received the district’s Public Citizen of the Year Award. 

Later that evening, Dr. Wayne Paris, NASW IL Southern District Chair and Chapter Board member opened up his historic home in Anna, IL, to students and members alike for an evening of networking and camaraderie.

Our travels on Tuesday took us first to Chester Mental Health Center where NASW IL Board members Travis Nottmeier and Joe Harper both work.  We spoke with about twenty social workers at the facility about the many budgetary challenges the state of Illinois is experiencing. Chester Mental Health Center is the largest maximum-security hospital in the state and is funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Mental Health.  The original name of the facility was the “Asylum for Insane Criminals” which received its first patients in 1901.  The current name, Chester Mental Health Center, was adopted in 1975. Driving into town, Dennis and I were made aware of the fact that Chester promotes itself as “The Home of Popeye.” Chester is the hometown of Elzie Segar, the man who created Popeye. In fact, there is a six foot statue of Popeye on the edge of town. If Social Work Month took place in September, we could have participated in the annual Popeye Picnic.  Later in the evening, Joe Harper received the Metro East District Social Worker of the Year award at a dinner in Fairview Heights, IL.

Following our tour of Chester, Dennis and I visited the Bellville office of Chestnut Health Systems, where we met with Connie McCarthy, MSW, LCSW, QMHP, her staff, and the many challenges they are facing serving clients in a term of expanding need and shrinking resources. The Belleville office social workers we met were very passionate and committed despite the many challenges. 

The week’s travels culminated in a visit to the Jane Addams District for their District Awards and CEU event, which took place in Dekalb, IL, on the Northern Illinois University campus.  Frank Ware, president and CEO of the Janet Wattles Center in Rockford, IL, was awarded the district’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Sheryl Frye, assistant director for Counseling Services in the Office of Advocacy and Support at NIU, was awarded the Jane Addams District Social Worker of the Year.