Social Workers

Social workers outperform private firm By GUY FLETCHER Staff Writer State employees at the Washington County Department of Social Services, freed from some bureaucratic restrictions, are outperforming a private contractor in efforts to collect back child support. The county agency expects to increase collections by 13 percent this year, while a pilot program started elsewhere in the state last year by Lockheed Martin IMS will see a 10 percent increase, officials said.

By JENNYLYNN BROWN Staff Writer Getting inmates to change the way they think and to control the way they act is one of the challenges facing social workers assigned to prisons. Dorothy Strawsburg, 52, regional supervisor of the Hagerstown prison complex south of Hagerstown, said social workers usually adopt the mission of their agency, and for those employed by the Maryland Division of Corrections, that mission is to promote public safety. "Our ultimate goal is to reduce recidivism," said Gloria Arnold, 53, Social Worker IV at the Maryland Correctional Institution at Hagerstown.

Social workers protest in front of courthouse By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro CHAMBERSBURG, PA. - About 20 Franklin County social workers picketed in front of the county courthouse Thursday evening, carrying signs demanding pay raises. The Franklin County Commissioners have offered the workers a 3 percent raise per year for each of the next three years but the union, Local 668 of the Pennsylvania Social Services Union, rejected it unanimously.

By LAURA ERNDE Staff Writer Child abuse is on the rise across the Tri-State area. For social workers, the problem may seem overwhelming at times. But a colleague reminded them Thursday that in order to help others they need to take care of themselves, too. "Sometimes your batteries get low. It's OK. You're overworked and underpaid," said Osceola "Ozzie" Edmondson, deputy director of the Maryland Department of Human Resources. "But rebound. It's critical that you stay up for that job. " The help of social workers is even more important now, Edmondson told about 300 people at the Ramada Inn in Hagerstown for the ninth annual Child Abuse Conference.

ANNAPOLIS - Washington County social workers testified Tuesday that angry parents have threatened to kill them. They are asking the legislature for a law to protect them from those threats, which have been idle so far and which police are powerless to address. Debbie Mills, 33, of Clear Spring, told the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Tuesday that she was threatened by a man she had taken to court for an increase in his child support order. "Basically he blamed me for everything that had gone wrong in his life from birth," Mills said.

Four local bills were among those Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed into law Tuesday: EXCISE TAX - Washington County may lift the cap on its excise tax on new residential construction for one year. A task force will recommend a fee based on square footage instead of a flat fee. Sponsored by the Washington County delegation (HB1355) CODE BOOK - Washington County may publish, sell and distribute a current edition of local laws. Sponsored by the Washington County delegation (HB722)

Teaching your child about appropriate touch How to role play with your child By KAREN MASTERSON Staff Writer Parents have every reason to be concerned when entrusting their children to baby sitters, neighbors, other family members and adolescent children in the neighborhood, according to national studies and local social workers. U.S. Justice Department statistics from 1994 indicate that in child sexual abuse cases, children know their abusers 85 percent of the time.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Washington County Public Schools will spend about $1 million over three years on additional social workers and school counselors for the county's most poverty-stricken schools. The money was received through a U.S. Department of Education grant and about $344,000 is expected to be received this year, according to Steve Burnett, supervisor of school counseling for WCPS. More than $337,000 will be received in the second year of the program and more than $332,000 in the third year.

Andrew Serafini is a fantastic choice to replace McKee To the editor: I thoroughly enjoyed the recent series of articles about the appointment of Andrew Serafini to replace Del. Robert McKee. The stories accurately portrayed the essence of the humble, Godly man I have been proud to call friend through his many years of selfless service at Maranatha Brethren Church and Grace Academy. I applaud the Republican Central Committee for their wisdom in selecting such a well qualified man for the job of representing Washington County.

HCC offers basic MDS seminar Oct. 28 Hagerstown Community College is offering a full-day seminar titled "Basic MDS: What it is and how do I do it?" from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at HCC's Valley Mall Center, Room 6. The course is open to nursing home administrators, activity directors, nurses, social workers and long-term care professionals. The instructor is Linda Taylor, a nurse surveyor with the Office of Health Care Quality. Topics include the legislative background and inception of minimum data sets/resident assessment instrument and the importance of accurate assessment.

United Way took its Day of Caring to private homes Wednesday. As part of the United Way of Washington County Day of Caring, workers from Triad Engineering, Inc., helped install a railing on a front porch for Maugansville resident Paulette Wright to keep her disabled child, Hailey, from running off. “She loves the outside, and I've been wanting a porch so that Hailey can enjoy the outside but be contained so that she does not run into the street,”...

The headlines lately have been filled with news of the work of Washington County social workers, but you'll rarely see their names in the news. From cases involving sexual abuse of children to physical abuse, the countless hours, months, even years investigating charges of abuse and neglect are not what make the news. “All our work is confidential,” said licensed graduate social worker Sara Cohick, who is unable to share the details of her work with her husband and family. “They just know when I have a big case coming up,” said Cohick, 28. In fact, social workers tend to keep low profiles, aware that their work rarely generates friends.

Brook Lane Health Services and Meritus Medical Center are co-hosting a seminar on evidence-based treatment of challenging behaviors in individuals with autism from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, May 20. The seminar will be held at Robinwood Professional Center, off Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown. Presenter is Michael D. Powers, a pediatric psychologist and the director of The Center for Children with Special Needs in Glastonbury, Conn., and assistant clinical professor of psychology at the Yale Child Study Center at Yale University.

A program called "Differentiating the Masks of Mental Illness in the Aging" will be from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Friday, April 8, at The Merle S. Elliott Continuing Education and Conference Center at Hagerstown Community College, off Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown. Speakers include:  Dr. Matthew Wagner will speak at 8 a.m. on the topic "Delirium and Dementia, Similarities and Differences" and at 9 a.m. on "Medical Psychiatric Interface in Older Adults. "  Lt. Paul Kifer will speak at 10:15 a.m. on "Handling Behavioral Situations in the Elderly.

For Bill and Sylvia Hunsberger, part of happily living out retirement means helping Bill's fellow mental health professionals. "I know what it's like to be on the front lines," said Bill Hunsberger, 74, from his air-conditioned cabin paces away from his historic Leitersburg home, while his wife, Sylvia, 73, sat nearby. Bill Hunsberger is the former director of social work at Brook Lane Health Services, a mental health facility in Leitersburg. Seven years ago, he and his wife created the William and Sylvia Hunsberger Fund through the Community Foundation.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -- Morgan County Schools social worker Gary McDaniel was chosen as the state's Social Worker of the Year for 2010 by the West Virginia Department of Education for a good reason. McDaniel has introduced innovative programs to help kids succeed, and it's working. He was nominated by Morgan County Schools co-workers, he said. His boss agrees. "Gary's strength is his innovative approach to taking on challenges," said Morgan County Schools Superintendent David Banks.

March was designated National Social Workers Month, and Hospice of Washington County Inc. used the opportunity to thank its social workers for the work they accomplish for patients and families in the Washington County community. The social workers at Hospice are all graduate level social workers who trained to advocate for patients and families facing end-of-life issues. On a daily basis, they assess patients' and families' needs and fears, seeking avenues for resolution of conflicts, reinforcing strengths and answering questions regarding serious illness.

Editor's note: Each Sunday, The Herald-Mail publishes "A Life Remembered. " This continuing series takes a look back -- through the eyes of family, friends, co-workers and others -- at a member of the community who died recently. Today's "A Life Remembered" is about Ann Julie Grasham, who died Oct. 19 at the age of 73. Her obituary was published in the Oct. 21 edition of The Herald-Mail. Ann Grasham came to Washington County in the early 1970s -- a wife and mother of five children.

Hagerstown Community College's Center for Continuing Education is offering a one-day seminar on substance abuse on Fri., Oct. 23, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in The Merle S. Elliott Continuing Education and Conference Center on HCC's main campus. The seminar, entitled "Complexities of Substance Abuse in the Clinical Setting," will cover a variety of topics, including differentiating abuse and dependency, theories regarding the causes of abuse and addiction, common risk factors, behavioral indicators, contributing co-occurring disorders, intervention methods and therapeutic treatment approaches, matching treatment to individual needs, and treating the family, as well as case studies in child, adolescent, adult and geriatric populations.

BOONSBORO -- On Sept. 19, Greenbrier Elementary School held a bake sale and teamed up with a national nonprofit organization, CancerCare, for the sixth annual Cupcakes for a Cause, supporting children affected by a cancer diagnosis. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Greenbrier Elementary participated with its cupcakes event. Many parents baked cupcakes to donate to the cause along with Safron Bakery of Hagerstown, which also donated cupcakes. The children loved the designs of the various cupcakes, and of course, enjoyed each little bite.