Social Work Global Conference Report 2020

Presentation Overviews Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Exploring the Global impact of For - Profit Detention Melody Loya, LMSW - IPR, Department Head and Associate professor, Tarleton State University, Department of Social Work, Texas This presentation explores the connection between the growth in for - profit detention centers and stricter immigration laws. As immigration rhetoric in the United States has heated up, more migrants may be choosing to migrate south fleeing the danger that is often present in their home countries. Using Nicaragua and Costa Rica as a foundation for understanding, we will explore the interconnectedness of U.S. immigration policies on a global stage as well as the danger of immigration policies to the health and well - being of families. Mental Health in the Legislature, the Blurring of the Personal and the Professional, and a Call to Action Mike Schlossberg, Pennsylvania State Representative Mike Schlossberg has been an advocate for mental health for his entire legislative career, advocating for better funding, more access, and conscious efforts to reduce health care disparities while increasing the mental health workforce across all levels. For him, these issues are both professional and personal. Representative Schlossberg has suffered from depression and anxiety issues for his entire adult life, and he has attempted to use these stories to advocate for those who, like him, suffer from mental illness. In this presentation, Representative Schlossberg will give an overview of mental illness advances in the legislature, and where these areas currently stand. He will also discuss his personal story and how it made him a more effective advocate for mental health services, particularly in establishing public policy that reduces obstacles to care for vulnerable populations and to also make it more accessible for those hesitant to seek out support and treatment. Representative Schlossberg is the author of HB1459, which was signed into law by Governor Wolf as Act 69 of July 23, 2020, to facilitate timely access to treatment for first responders in Pennsylvania. Climate Change & Zoonotic Disease: Implications for Social Work Practice Michael Hassler, MSW, DSW Student, Kutztown University Department of Social Work Climate change is a dynamic, complex, comprehensive, evolving, and multidimensional threat to humanity, that is neither theoretical nor distant. Life, as we ’ ve known it, is changing around us. Perhaps no climate - related challenge is graver and more frightening than that posed by zoonotic disease and global pandemic. This presentation will address the reasons for the increase in prevalence as well as the implications for social work practice. What Are Social Determinants of Health? Your health is influenced by a wide range of factors, and the body you were born with is only one of them. Learn about some of the other factors that influence our health and what public health professionals do to address them. https://youtu.be/1iSuZngvCpY