Social workers are needed on the front lines of a growing women’s health issue: risky drinking. Women’s rates of deaths tied to alcohol increased 85 percent from 1999 to 2017, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. That’s compared to a 35 percent increase among men and a 51 percent overall increase in deaths tied to alcohol. What’s more, research also shows that women who drink alcohol face a higher risk of...

The NASW Iowa Chapter (NASW-IA) worked with the NASW Foundation and the University of Iowa School of Social Work, in 2018-2019, to assess the Iowa social work labor force. The initiative was funded by a generous $50,000 grant from the Telligen Community Initiative.   “We wanted to gather information in a concise and organized way that would allow us to make the case that we need more professional social workers in the state of Iowa and how professional social workers...

September is FASD Awareness Month, an opportunity to highlight social work’s critical role in participating in FASD assessment and referrals, providing FASD-informed services, and advocating for individuals and families living with FASDs. But it is also a reminder and a call to action: Primary prevention of alcohol use during pregnancy can reduce the prevalence of FASDs. Social workers are encouraged to put prevention into practice by screening clients for risky alcohol use,...