Students Lobby State Senator in Columbus
Social work students at Wilmington College joined their counterparts from other Ohio institutions earlier this month in Columbus for a hands-on learning experience in lobbying their elected representatives "on issues and bills that affect our clients, communities and profession," according to Wendy Grab, assistant professor of social work.
PICTURED: Social work students from Wilmington College are pictured with Ohio Sen. Bob Hackett following their discussion about issues facing the social work profession and their clients and communities.
They participated in Advocacy Day 2023 sponsored by the Ohio Chapter of the National Assoc. of Social Workers earlier this month, which included training sessions and meetings with legislators.
While topics included advocacy for paid internships, student debt and relief, social work salaries and increased interstate licensures, the WC contingent placed special efforts on lobbying against House Bill 68, the so-called Ohio Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act. "This will ban all gender-affirming medical/mental health care for LGBTQ+ youth as well as Medicaid coverage of all trans medical/mental health treatment," Grab said.
The NASW, which calls this bill "Criminalization of Social Work Practice," claims its enactment would prevent social workers from providing the best evidenced-based care for their clients and introduce disciplinary action for social workers who provide this care.
The group also addressed Ohio's major social work/behavioral healthcare workers shortage. Grab cited 2021 reports from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services that demand for these services increased by 353 percent between 2013-2019, while the available workforce only increased by 174 percent. "This issue has been worsened by substance abuse crises and the COVID-19 pandemic," she added.
The students shared several ideas with Ohio Senator Bob Hackett (R-10th District) that would address this issue and bring more people into the social work field. These included raising the Medicaid reimbursement rate by 10 percent, creating loan forgiveness programs and funding for paid internships in the social work field.