The FAMCare Blog

Case managers are essential in giving assistance and resources to people and families in need, especially in times of crisis. When a crisis happens, an extra burden that frequently goes unmentioned and unnoticed is present for these tireless workers. These experts frequently deal with difficulties that call for rapid thinking and efficient answers.

Here are some great suggestions for case managers and other leaders in the human services fields on how to prepare for emergencies.  

Finding the best case management software to meet your agency's size and mission can be challenging as social service agencies expand and new case management software enters the market. If your organization wants to manage its caseload more effectively, we hope to be able to provide some assistance and direction. This is a significant choice that, quite honestly, has the potential to change how your organization operates.  

NARCAN® Nasal Spray has been approved by the FDA as an over-the-counter treatment. 

In February this blog reported on the public health crisis of opioid addiction and the dramatic spike in sudden deaths by overdose caused primarily by the widespread use of synthetic fentanyl.

FAMCare Blog - February 7, 2023

“Opioid addiction is here to stay,” said a social work professor we interviewed. “However, we do have treatment for this particular addiction. But as long as we turn away from the horrors of this widespread addiction and choose to remain in denial, we will not make a concerted effort to widely administer treatment. The pharmaceutical industry has already created both long term treatments and emergency life-saving medications that are simply not being administered on a wide enough scale. I believe that a nationwide effort to make these medications available to anyone trapped in this particular substance abuse disorder should be a number-one priority for the social work profession at large.”

Drug overdose persists as a major public health issue in the United States, with more than 101,750 reported fatal overdoses occurring in the 12-month period ending in October 2022, primarily driven by synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl. 

Few Americans can look at "human trafficking" with clear vision. The legacy of slavery in America is so distasteful that we prefer to remain in denial and look away from this modern iteration of slavery. Latin American countries, however, where many of the victims are preyed upon, take a much harder look at this criminal depravity and proactively strive to curtail its devastation.

On a recent call with a professor in the social work department at a large Eastern university, we asked him what he saw as the human race's most vexing social problem. His answer was fascinating and quite unexpected. Below find excerpts from that conversation.

The climate change debate has centered on global warming for the last 10 years. Because the science tends to be arcane and somewhat opaque, the debate has become clouded with opinion rather than fact. However, the impact of severe weather events cannot be ignored.

Much of the current political debate centers around:

• The loss of jobs and opportunities for the middle class-
• Whether college should be free for all Americans-
• How the Millennials can be expected to pay back the $ 1.3 trillion of college debt they have accumulated when they are left to default to jobs in McDonald’s-
• The job flight to third world countries causing the plight of our rust belt industrial inner cities-
• The cycle of crime and destitution that imprisons undereducated minorities-

My daughter recently competed in an oratorical competition titled “How my best brings out the best in others”.  As I watched her list out traits she thought influenced others to be their best and listen to her practice her speech, I thought “What is my best”?   Am I doing my best to bring out the best, the “talent”, in my family, my friends, even my co-workers?  How do my actions influence those I work with?

No one wants their project to fail or go over budget however, this is a common occurrence due, in part, to poor planning at the onset of the project planning process.  Identifying the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How are the first steps to creating a successful Project Team and Project Plan. Taking the time to ensure that you pick the right team, ensure that your team has the appropriate knowledge, providing a clear communication process and timelines will certainly put your project on the right path.