MSW.....More Than Meets the Eye 

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Battle Creek Health System is continually striving for total quality in the care we give our patients. The stages of that continuum of care range from pre-admission testing to discharge planning, with many disciplines in between. One of the disciplines, which is invaluable from the beginning of an individual's care with BCHS to the end, is Medical Social Work.
 
Commonly known for it's responsibility for all traditional discharge planning, Medical Social Work (MSW) also has a comprehensive role in determining the course of an individual's health care during the midst of his or her stay with BCHS. Some of the vital, but perhaps less apparent, services also provided by MSW include patient assessment, participation in care-team meetings, offering individual and group psychosocial services, and removing obstacles to decision making through crisis intervention, counseling, advocating, and coordinating community services. It is a chief goal of MSW to promote patient autonomy, self-direction, and dignity. These services are offered not only at the inpatient Community site, but also in outpatient settings at the Leila site and in Hemodialysis.
 
MSW is an integral part of BCHS because of the supportive role they play in our facility as well as in the community. A portion of community organizations that value the input of MSW at BCHS include: Borgess Interactive Project - Maternal/Child (a collaboration of Battle Creek agencies offering services to new mothers); Continuum of Care Committee (a committee comprised of community healthcare specialists contributing support and knowledge to area nursing homes); and the Calhoun County Social Work Group (a new group in which Social Workers gather to network and continue their education on services available to patients). It is through community interaction that MSW stays abreast of their ever-changing, ever-increasing importance in healthcare facilities. Community involvement is also one means through which BCHS is able to continue having a profound impact on the well-being of our region.
 
The 24-hour MSW team is comprised of individuals possessing Bachelors and Masters degrees in Social Work (BSW and MSW); some who have become Registered Social Workers (RSW) upon obtaining their Bachelors degree, and some who have become members of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) upon obtaining their Masters degree and after working in the Social Work field for a required amount of time. So what exactly is the significance of all this education and this array of initials? The significance is a guarantee of dedication, determination, empathy, and professionalism, which is exactly what, in addition to numerous inter-disciplinary functions, the professionals in the BCHS Medical Social Work department have to offer our clients.
 
If you have a loved one expecting to be a patient at BCHS, and you or they wish to have access to the services available through MSW, you may contact the Social Worker on the appropriate unit to arrange a consultation from MSW. If you are simply interested in the MSW department, and would like to know more, please contact Paul Zang, ACSW, Director of Medical Social Work at BCHS.
 

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