Social Services
Who We Are | What We Do | How to Find Us
Who is "Social Services"?
The Social Services Department at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is staffed by thirty-six 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 Center Social Worker is available to provide services aimed at supporting 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 Center. The Heart Center Social Worker provides help to families in many ways. They can provide information and referrals to community services, assist in resolving issues related to insurance, address concrete resource needs, (i.e. meals, transportation, obtaining medications), provide case management services, advocacy, supportive counseling, crisis intervention, anticipatory guidance, as well as address any additional needs that may be identified by parents or the Heart Center staff. In addition, the Heart Center social worker will provide the necessary evaluations and psychosocial support for the Heart Center'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 Office.
