Social Services
Who is Social Services?
The Social Services Department at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is staffed by full- and part-time social workers, all licensed and with Master's Degrees in Social Work. Social workers are assigned to every medical floor within the hospital and to most specialty areas.
What can social workers do to help?
The social work staff provides clinical, advocacy and concrete services to all patients and families both during hospitalization and on an outpatient basis. The staff's expertise is available to address patient, parent, family or staff concerns related to issues such as:
- Stress precipitated by the initial diagnosis and / or hospitalization
- Grief / bereavement issues
- Adjustment to hospitalization
- Compliance
- Parent education
- Patient and / or sibling adjustment to illness
- Locating appropriate community and concrete resources (i.e. transportation, housing)
- Maintaining collaborative relationships with community agencies
- Financial impact of illness
- Insurance concerns
- Employment issues
- Parenting
- Discharge planning
- Coordination of care
The Heart Institute social worker is available to provide services to support patients, their parents and other family members' efforts to adjust to the emotional, social, environmental and financial impact of their child's medical diagnosis, throughout their entire involvement with the Heart Insitute.
The Heart Institute social worker provides help to families in many ways:
- Providing information and referrals to community services
- Assisting in resolving issues related to insurance
- Addressing concrete resource needs, (i.e. meals, transportation, obtaining medications)
- Providing case management services, advocacy, supportive counseling, crisis intervention, anticipatory guidance
- Addressing any additional needs that may be identified by parents or the Heart Insitute team
In addition, the Heart Insitute social worker provides necessary evaluations and psychosocial support for the Heart Institute's transplantation program.
How do you find social workers?
All patients, their parents, or family members may self-refer, or be referred by the patient's physician, nurse or professional staff for social service intervention by contacting the Social Service Department.
Contact the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children's
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
