The community you live in is a part of who you are as a person. Even if you do not see your neighbors every other day, you should be aware that your decisions impact those around you. Hence, you are all in it together. To empower individuals and give them well-deserved control over their health, we must empower the community as a whole.
And once established, a healthy community generates participatory energy that makes residents feel integrated and sanctioned. The role players in forerunning this goal are social workers.
Social workers are community-minded people who intervene in all matters concerning health, from child abuse and mental health crises to helping people access child care, food stamps, or other lifesaving resources. Their focus relies on making health care equitable and accessible to all individuals in the community.
Social workers emphasize the importance of a collective effort rather than relying solely on your efforts to turn a life around for good.
Although social workers have a broad category of fields they work in for the development of the community, their work in community health specifically is creditable. With that said, here are some ways you can play your role in improving the health of people at large as a social worker.
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EQUALITY
It is not surprising to see discrimination among people in the health sector. The social workers essentially focus on eliminating these disparities among people and providing for the oppressed and vulnerable people of the community.
They intend to distribute health services with equity and equality. If you are looking for ways to help bring such change in the community, then there is no better way than to become a social worker yourself. What could be more convenient than registering for an online masters of social work program that doesn’t require you to live near a campus or be on a tight schedule?
You will be able to gain all the knowledge you need to improve the quality of life for individuals and underserved populations of the community. It could be your small step towards a substantial change.
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MENTAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
Isolating yourself from people and surroundings is one of the significant signs of clinical depression, which often goes unnoticed. Talking about emotions and seeking help to deal with feelings is considered a stigma in our society. When suffering from depression, the person is discouraged from doing better and refrains from immoral acts.
Aside from advocating for fundamental health rights, social workers help diagnose and treat mental illnesses and behavioral disorders.
They extend support to families and communities to overcome challenges that negatively impact the community’s well-being. Some examples include; assisting individuals to cope with unemployment, homelessness and life-long disabilities, grief, and tragic life events.
All these efforts protect the community from issues on a bigger scale, such as addictions, drinking, vandalism, and other crimes.
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ACCESS TO BASIC HEALTH FACILITIES
Primary health facilities such as vaccinations, nutritional supplements, screening and testing for common diseases, and monitoring birth weights are crucial in strengthening the health system of any community. These facilities may be easily accessible to the fortunate ones; however, it does not seem to be the case in remote rural areas.
Social workers run vaccination campaigns which include door-to-door surveillance, set up walk-in diagnostic centers, and arrange awareness programs for preventable diseases. They get in touch with government officials to make treatment drugs available at a cheaper and more accessible cost.
Their main goal is to ensure that all health needs are met, from individual to community.
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SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
In the states, around 9.5 million people over 18 years suffer from substance abuse disorder and mental illness. These stats indicate that substance abuse is a rising public health concern. Its impact is wide-ranging and staggering. With substance abuse come several crimes, which lead to safety concerns at the community level alongside the inherently attached health exposures.
People need to be in place to help those struggling with such challenges. Social workers empower people through resources, goals, psychological evaluation, and counseling sessions. You may see them working in detoxification centers, serving as therapists, and providing people with evidence-based drug abuse treatment. They also play an active role by working in psychiatric facilities and support groups.
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NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING
Social workers recognize the need for balanced nutrition for all ages and strive to educate the community about it. They consider it essential to their job to work on diverse goals, from forming new health norms to ensuring food safety and security. Since obesity is rising in the U.S., they bring about diet plans and exercise information to people.
The key features of their program are support groups to reassure the individuals that they are not alone in their journey. Community workers from policies such as no smoking in public areas or no drinks allowed in children-friendly parks. They arrange workshops to guide new mothers on breastfeeding and monitoring birth weights.
Social workers also promote an enabling environment where food choices suit the community and its members. They help people make small, gradual shifts in their eating habits
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HEALTHY AND PROGRESSIVE ENVIRONMENT
If an individual’s neighborhood is weighed down with crimes, violence, and immoral practices, it will negatively impact their mental health directly or indirectly in many possible ways. It will lead to high-risk behaviors such as unprotected sex, substance abuse, and being a victim or perpetrator of intimate partner violence.
Social workers aim to get individuals away from the non-progressive, violent environment. They make policies to ensure child and women’s safety by having their teams constantly visit the under observation family and reassure the suspected victims.
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CONCLUSION
Undoubtedly social workers are the silent guardians of our community. They understand the impact of their policies on the individual level. We cannot understate the impact of social workers and their efforts on society, from changes in management policies to the quiet, critical work of supporting an individual’s mental health and safeguarding rights.
However, they are made to shy away from raising their concerns about the unintended consequences of their work. People in authority should make sure the voice of social workers is heard.
Their safety is essential for the benefit of the community and ensures a structural change in governing body. Here we conclude our list of all the ways through which social workers promote community health. If we missed anything, let us know in the comments below.