PRINTER'S NO. 3205
No. 589 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY BENNINGTON, GALLOWAY, GIBBONS, SAINATO, SOLOBAY,
O'NEILL, MARSHALL, SANTONI, McILVAINE SMITH, DePASQUALE,
FREEMAN, BRENNAN, BAKER, YOUNGBLOOD, SWANGER, BISHOP, BEAR,
BOBACK, BUXTON, WAGNER, CLYMER, DALEY, EVERETT, FABRIZIO,
FAIRCHILD, FRANKEL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHART, HARKINS, HELM,
HERSHEY, HESS, HICKERNELL, JAMES, KORTZ, KULA, MANDERINO,
MANN, McGEEHAN, MENSCH, MILLARD, MUNDY, PALLONE, PARKER,
PHILLIPS, RAMALEY, READSHAW, ROEBUCK, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH,
M. SMITH, SONNEY, STURLA, WALKO, WHEATLEY, J. WHITE,
WOJNAROSKI AND MILNE, FEBRUARY 11, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
FEBRUARY 11, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating March 2008 as "Professional Social Work Month" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, The primary mission of social workers is to help
4 people who need assistance with social issues; and
5 WHEREAS, Social workers have the education and experience to
6 guide individuals, families and communities through complex
7 issues and choices; and
8 WHEREAS, Social workers hold bachelor's, master's or doctoral
9 social work degrees and have attained a minimum number of hours
10 in supervised fieldwork to become a licensed social worker; and
11 WHEREAS, More than 600,000 people in the United States hold
12 social work degrees; and
13 WHEREAS, Social workers connect individuals, families and
1 communities to available resources; and
2 WHEREAS, Social workers can be found in hospitals, police
3 departments, mental health clinics, child welfare agencies,
4 military facilities, adoption agencies, drug and alcohol
5 treatment facilities, schools and corporations; and
6 WHEREAS, Professional social workers are the nation's largest
7 provider of mental health services; and
8 WHEREAS, The Department of Veterans Affairs employs more than
9 5,000 social workers to assist veterans and their families with
10 individual and family counseling, client education, end-of-life
11 planning, substance abuse treatment, crisis intervention and
12 other services; and
13 WHEREAS, Social workers are dedicated to improving the
14 society in which we live; and
15 WHEREAS, Social workers are positive and compassionate
16 professionals; and
17 WHEREAS, Social workers endeavor to make sure everyone has
18 access to the same basic rights, protections and opportunities;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, Social workers help people help themselves, whenever
21 and wherever they need it most; and
22 WHEREAS, Social workers are often the driving force behind
23 important social movements in the United States and abroad; and
24 WHEREAS, According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
25 need for social workers is expected to grow twice as fast as any
26 other occupation, especially in gerontology, home health care,
27 substance abuse, private social service agencies and school
28 social work; and
29 WHEREAS, With approximately 12% of social workers planning to
30 leave the work force in the next two years and the increasing
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1 need for social work services, there will not be enough social
2 workers to meet the needs of their clients; therefore be it
3 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate March
4 2008 as "Professional Social Work Month" in Pennsylvania and
5 call upon all citizens to join with the National Association of
6 Social Workers, Pennsylvania Chapter, to celebrate and support
7 social workers and the social work profession.
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