Pregnant, with Cancer: An Agonizing Decision
from The Chicago Tribune
One of every 1,000 pregnant women in the U.S. has cancer, a relatively rare but stark convergence of life and death. For these women, treatment is possible. But it comes with a host of terrifying decisions for the family. More

A Rare Opportunity...Dr. Frederic Reamer at 2009 Conference
from NASW IL
It's not every day that one has the chance to listen and dialogue with the preeminent expert on social work ethics. But on Friday, Sept.11, Dr. Frederic Reamer will headlining the 2009 Statewide Conference closing plenary. Not only can you take care of your three CEU hours ethics requirement, but you will able be to listen and learn from Dr. Reamer who will discussing, "Difficult Ethics Cases in Social Work: Managing Ethical Dilemmas and Managing Risk." More

Why We Need Health Care Reform
from The New York Times
Our nation is now engaged in a great debate about the future of health care in America. And over the past few weeks, much of the media attention has been focused on the loudest voices. What we haven’t heard are the voices of the millions upon millions of Americans who quietly struggle every day with a system that often works better for the health-insurance companies than it does for them. More

Mental Stress Training is Planned for U.S. Soldiers
from The New York Times
The Army plans to require that all 1.1 million of its soldiers take intensive training in emotional resiliency, military officials say. The training, the first of its kind in the military, is meant to improve performance in combat and head off the mental health problems, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide that plague about one-fifth of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. More

Methadone Clinics Rise in Number, Raising Flags
from The Chicago Tribune
Two private methadone treatment clinics, which opened within walking distance of each other last year in Waukegan, Ill., are a testament to growth in the heroin addiction market. The clinics dispense doses of the prescription narcotic methadone, with the goal of weaning substance abusers off opiates such as heroin and painkillers. The process can take years and is attracting newcomers to the treatment field. More

Connecting with the Person Inside Alzheimer's
from Social Work Today
Judy desperately shouted, “I’m here, in ‘ere,” every minute or two during the final hours of sunset. Every day, she sat with others around the nursing station in the late afternoons, but that did not seem to help comfort her, as “I’m here, in ‘ere” continued to pierce through everything else. Judy, who earlier in the day was laughing and blowing kisses, was now locked inside her devastating illness, calling for someone to figure out how to find her, help her, be with her. For her, as is true for many, feeling isolated and locked out of the possibility of human connection was a predatory nightmare. More

Teen Pregnancy: The Harder Road
from The Elgin Courier News
In the last six months, Laura Almanza's life has taken a dramatic turn. The 17-year-old senior at Gifford Street High School in Elgin plans to get her diploma, then head off to college in pursuit of a career as a neonatal nurse — all with a child in tow. Laura, six months pregnant, has become part of an increasing trend in teenage pregnancies nationwide. After 14 years of declining statistics, the Centers for Disease Control reports the numbers are once more on the rise with a 3 percent increase in 2006. More

Study: One third of Homeowners in Foreclosure Suffer from Major Depression
from TIME magazine
A full 36.7 percent of homeowners in foreclosure meet the screening criteria for major depression, according to a new study released in the American Journal of Public Health. A further 10.2 percent suffer from minor depression, the study finds. More

Brain is a Co-conspirator in a Vicious Stress Loop
from The New York Times
If after a few months’ exposure to our David Lynch economy, in which housing markets spontaneously combust, coworkers mysteriously disappear and the stifled moans of dying 401(k) plans can be heard through the floorboards, you have the awful sensation that your body’s stress response has taken on a self-replicating and ultimately self-defeating life of its own, congratulations. You are very perceptive. It has. More

Survey Finds Binge Drinking Among Older People, Too
from U.S. News & World Report
Binge drinking isn't just a problem of young people, researchers say. In a nationwide survey of people 50 to 64 years old, nearly a quarter of the men and nine percent of the women told Duke University researchers they had engaged in binge drinking in the previous 30 days. More

Lawmaker urges U.S. Standards for Gang Intervention Workers
from Los Angeles Times
Officials unveiled a federal bill that would create national standards and accountability for gang intervention workers as part of a Los Angeles-based effort to professionalize the growing and controversial field. The bill is the first such national initiative to regulate intervention workers who act as liaisons between law enforcement and communities. Police and intervention workers have a long history of distrust, but authorities have come to rely on intervention workers for such matters as monitoring street gossip and preventing retaliatory shootings. More

Upcoming Events NASW IL Statewide Conference Mark Your Calendar...It's now 20 days away! (9/9/09-9/11/09)