March is National Professional Social Work Month

The theme “Social Work Breaks Barriers” resonates because Social Workers have enriched our society by empowering individuals, families, communities and our society, to overcome hurdles that prevent them from living life to the fullest. 

• Social Workers have worked for more than a century to improve the human well-being and enhance the basic needs of all people
• Social Workers follow a Code of Ethics that call on them to fight social injustice and respect the dignity and worth of all people
• Social Workers positively touch the lives of millions of Americans each day and in a variety of places, including schools, hospitals, the military, child welfare agencies, community centers, and in federal, state and local government
• Social Workers are the largest group of mental health care providers in the United States, working daily to help thousands of Americans overcome mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety
• Social Workers are on the frontlines of the nation’s opioid addiction crisis, helping people get the treatment they need and prevail over substance use disorders
•  Social Workers have help people cope with death and grief and helped people and communities recover from natural disasters that are increasingly fueled by our warming climate, including hurricanes, drought and flooding
• Social Workers have helped this nation live up to its values by advocating for equal rights for all, including people of color, people who are Indigenous, people who are LGBTQ, or people who follow various faiths
• the Social Work Profession is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States, with about 708,000 social workers today and more than 60,000 more social workers expected to enter the profession over the next decade
• Social Workers have continued to push for changes that have made our society a better place to live, including a livable wage, improved workplace safety, and social safety net programs that help ameliorate poverty, hunger, and homelessness
• Social Workers endeavor to work throughout our society to meet people where they are and help empower people and our society to reach the goals they wish to attain

At Veteran Health Indiana there are over 150 professional Social Workers, and 8 student interns, who are embedded throughout the entire hospital system, offering a multitude of services to our Veterans and their families.  Each day, they break barriers in a plethora of innovative ways to help our Veterans and their families.  Chances are you have witnessed for yourself the “magic” that Social Workers are able to accomplish in very challenging situations.  It is also highly likely that over the course of your lifetime, you, a family member, or a friend will have been helped by a Social Worker. 

During Social Work Month we urge you to educate yourselves about our amazing profession, thank the Social Workers here at Veterans Health Indiana, and help support the profession.