REVIEW PAPER
The role of Social Work in Health Care for Veterans in the United States of America
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1
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University; dean: Grover C. Gilmore
2
Veterans Affairs Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, Cleveland Ohio: dyrektor zespołu medycznego: Brian Cmolik
Submission date: 2020-05-14
Publication date: 2020-06-24
LW 2020;98(3):199-205
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ABSTRACT
Clinical social work in the American system of health care and its specific features in the Veterans Affairs (VA) of veterans are described in this paper. VA hospitals are the largest employers of social work worldwide. Because health care for veterans is paid for from government funds, VA hospitals are subject to regulations developed on the basis of research into the system’s effectiveness and efficiency. Clinical social workers cooperate with physicians and nurses to comprise an integral part of the health care team. Social workers fulfill the usual tasks related to social well‑being but also act as health educators and counselors. All social workers of the hospital are members of their own division, in which they receive support, supervision, and assistance in further education and professional development. The example of serving homeless veterans in Cleveland, Ohio, is used to describe the function of social workers in VA hospitals.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
No conflicts of interest were declared.