Social Justice Award
Mental Health Social Work Team
Grey Nuns Community Hospital, Edmonton
What do we do when there is a patient or resident who cannot speak up to be heard? We act.
Social justice is about being that voice for those without words, and it is about seeing beyond our differences no matter the situation.
At Covenant Health, many of our staff and physicians advocate for vulnerable people every day, and our Mental Health Social Work Team at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital is a living testament to our core values for stronger social justice for all. This team has impacted the Mental Health program with their persistence to do the right thing.
They continually seek equality within our walls and in the community, and they inspire a desire in others to work equally hard. They share information, processes, successes and failures with social workers and staff at the Grey Nuns as well as other sites, so others can be helped as well.
Recently, one of the social workers sought coverage for a young man needing an expensive injection on an ongoing basis. When drug schedules from Alberta Health Care Insurance and Blue Cross would not allow for payment, this social worker was able to speak to the enormous social costs to this man and his family if his psychosis were left untreated. The social worker simply would not accept the injustice of living with acute psychosis when successful treatment is available.
“This team is really energized and follows the patient from start to finish throughout the patient’s time with us,” said unit supervisor Chris Jackowich. “Patients and their families are so very grateful for the Social Work team’s persistence, determination and tenacity.”
“Our biggest issues aren’t clinical in nature. They’re often related to housing, addictions, income support connections to community agencies, and a neverending bureaucracy, which is difficult to navigate when you are not well,” said Karen Harrison, a social worker on the team. “Sometimes we even have to challenge our own processes, like we recently did with a postpartum mom who had no one else to care for the baby while she was in our care. An innovative solution to keep the baby upstairs achieved good results as mom and baby were together as much as possible as mom received the care she needed.”
Another social worker shepherded an acutely psychotic and chronically ill woman through a challenging immigration process. The social worker advocated internationally with the mother of this patent and healthcare professionals in her home country to arrange for her care upon her return to Poland. The level of involvement the social worker took with this patient was outstanding, as he was able to access the Cable Fund to have her return home to her family.
This team has a huge sense of satisfaction in what they can accomplish. The synergies they have built with other units, hospitals, community agencies and organizations to serve complex cases so the patient’s voice can be heard is nothing short of remarkable.
