Lead, Advocate, Champion: ​Social Workers Talk Issues at the Capitol

Lead, Advocate, Champion:  Social Workers Talk Issues at the Capitol

Social workers share their experience being on the frontline of pressing issues

LANSING – More than 40 social workers were in the Capitol in Lansing on Wednesday to share their experiences with lawmakers and to ensure that elected officials know what social workers on the frontline are seeing when it comes to the state’s most pressing issues. The visit to Lansing comes during Social Work Month which is observed across the country for the month of March.

“Social workers are involved in the everyday lives of hundreds of thousands of Michiganders including in healthcare, mental health, substance abuse and more,” said Allan Wachendorfer, director of public policy for the National Association of Social Workers – Michigan Chapter (NASW-Michigan). “We are here in Lansing today to make sure our elected representatives know what’s going on so that they can work to put forth the best policies to tackle the issues impacting millions more across the state.”

There are more than 22,000 licensed social workers in the state of Michigan, occupying every one of the state’s 83 counties. Social workers are also the largest group of mental health providers in the nation.

During their Capitol visit, the group talked to elected officials in both the state senate and house of representatives about topics such as the opioid epidemic, criminal justice, issues facing the LGBTQ community, mental health access, and more.

“As a clinical and macro social worker, today provided an opportunity to blend the two and help policy makers recognize the impact legislation has in the lives of the clients social workers serve,” said Maxine Thome, executive director for NASW-Michigan. “We need change and we need advocacy on every level.”

In addition to meeting with state lawmakers, attendees watched Wednesday’s Michigan State House of Representative’s session from the House Gallery and was recognized by representatives. Earlier this month, the body passed a resolution recognizing March as Social work Month.

Social Work Participants:

Legislators Met with: 

** A special thank you to Senator David Knezek for his sponsorship of the event.

Thank you to the Schools of Social Work across the State of Michigan who sent staff and students to support Capitol Action Day. Your support is what makes events like Capitol Action Day possible.

• Central Michigan University

• Eastern Michigan University

• Grand Valley State University

• Madonna University

• Michigan State University

• Oakland University

• Saginaw Valley State University

• Spring Arbor University

• University of Michigan

• Wayne State University

• Western Michigan University

To few all of the pictures from the 2018 Capitol Action Day, click here.