Medical Social Work

Medical Social Work Services include

• Explaining health-care resources and policies to patients, family and professional staff.
• Assisting with the planning for post-hospital patient needs by arranging services at another facility or in the home. Explaining to patients the environmental risk factors associated with their disease.
• Helping patients and families receive needed follow-up care by referral to health care resources.
• Understanding the social, cultural, and religious variables that contribute to a patient's response to illness and his/her use of health care resources.
• Providing advocacy through appropriate organizations.
• Providing both spiritual and professional counseling referrals.
• Medical social workers may help patients with advance directives and other long-term care issues. They assure the patient's medically related emotional and social needs are met and maintained throughout his/her medical treatment.