Suchergebnisse

AbstractOral health remains underutilized within both integrated service delivery and educational settings. Advancing social workers' roles in the education of oral health providers is one strategic way to expand oral health and social work integration. Although the involvement of social workers in dental education is not new, fewer than 18 percent of the country's 68 accredited dental schools have active social work departments or services. This exploratory study sought to determine how, as of 2021, social work has been integrated into U.S. dental education programs (N = 13). Findings offer an overview of current social work programs in existence, roles social workers have in addressing social and behavioral health needs in dental education settings, and barriers to and facilitators in developing and sustaining integrated partnerships. This article discusses ways social work and oral health educational settings can mutually benefit from developing and/or strengthening their integrated collaborations. It also addresses a comparison of educational missions, clinical learning opportunities across both professions, and how patient care can be improved by expanding oral health and social work integration.

Over the past decade, the Latino population in North Carolina has increased 111%. More than half of North Carolina Latinos are foreign-born and most face issues related to immigration, acculturation, and often, discrimination. This article provides a brief overview of the historical context in which social workers engaged with immigrant communities, and argues that the profession brings strengths and unique skills to address North Carolina's Latino immigrant population, historically, and within the current context. Key social demographics of Latino populations, sociopolitical realities, as well as theoretical and methodological issues related to the complex needs of this diverse population group are addressed. Two examples of Latino vulnerability in North Carolina, HIV/AIDS and discriminatory local immigration enforcement practices, are discussed to further highlight the unique strengths and challenges social workers in North Carolina and the New South face when working with Latino immigrants.