---letter from
--PATRICIA WARNER

March is social work month. That designation provides an opportunity to celebrate the social workers at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital who advocate for patients and families on a daily basis. This issue of Michigan Cares gives us a chance to honor Mott Hospital’s dedicated social workers for their commitment to helping patients and families. Their responsibilities are diverse, and this issue highlights some of the ways social workers provide support and education for patients and their families.

Here are some achievements to celebrate:

• All of the social workers at the University of Michigan Health System have a master’s in social work.
• Social workers have extremely specialized knowledge of their patient population and the challenges that are unique to each illness or injury.
• Social workers facilitate numerous support groups for patients and/or families.
• Social workers organize and/or support special events including an annual picnic for hemophilia patients and their families.
• Social workers’ support is critical to the large number of families who travel to Ann Arbor every year for medical care, whether their hometowns are 20 minutes or 20 hours from Ann Arbor.

Most importantly, social workers advocate for the families. Social workers have a critical role in the communication between the medical team and the families.

After reading this issue of Michigan Cares, we hope you have more insight into the important role social workers play daily.

For more information, please visit www.med.umich.edu/socialwork.

Sincerely,

Patricia A. Warner
Associate Hospital Director
Chief Administrative Officer, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
The University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers