Each year, March is put aside to celebrate the contributions of our social workers and equally important provides us a springboard to spread awareness about important issues. I instantly connected with this year’s theme “The Time is Right for Social Work,” which underscores the contributions social workers have made to this nation for more than a century. Today, the services social workers provide are needed more than ever as we strive to addresses economic inequality, systemic racism, the need for improved health and mental health care, and so many other issues. Social workers don’t try to tell people how to do this. Instead, they empower people, giving them the skills, knowledge, resources, and encouragement to overcome life’s challenges.
This is why I chose social work as my profession. Like most youth, I wanted to save the world! I came to realize that the mission of social work to care, to cure and to change was the best way I could make a tangible impact. Social workers had made a difference in my life and I wanted to do the same for others. As Chief of Social Work for MiraVista and TaraVista Behavioral Health Centers, I feel humbled to work alongside such a skilled, caring, and capable group of clinicians. We have built a team of clinical social workers who are exemplifying the “Care Reimagined” philosophy of our organization. The social work team has remained steadfast during the past two years of Covid at TaraVista and our new team at MiraVista has worked diligently as we open the new hospital. Thank you to our team and to social workers wherever they may be serving those in need.
A message from M. Joyce-Anderson LICSW, Chief of Social Work