SOCIAL WORK SERVICES

The Social Work Services Department is an integral part of the patient care team at Orleans Community Health.  Social Work Services staff are Master’s prepared Social Workers who see requested hospital patients to make sure that all of the patient’s needs are met, provide assistance in establishing care plans, and provide Case Management services to  help make sure care is coordinated.

In helping patients to prepare for discharge, they provide Discharge Planning to assist in arranging any needed services for home, such as follow up care, medical equipment, Meals on Wheels or Lifeline. They also provide counseling to families when needed, including crisis counseling in the Emergency Department.  Social Work Services staffs also provide elderly patients with help in finding any assistance they may need.

Social Work Services staff have an essential role in assisting with admissions to our Residential Health Care Facility. They help residents to obtain the necessary documentation needed for payment sources, such as meeting Medicaid requirements, for example. They also help to coordinate discharges to other levels of care, provide family counseling, and arrange transportation for residents.

To help meet the spiritual needs of patients, a volunteer clergy list of thirteen clergy members who rotate weekly to provide pastoral visits and counseling is coordinated by Social Work Services staff.  Staff also arrange an annual Day of Remembrance, a church service for all patients who died in the hospital over the course of the year. Guest speakers pay tribute to those who have left us. Candles are lit for each name read during the ceremony.

Another key for role for the Nurse Case Managers for Acute Inpatients are assistance in preparing Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST), an advance directive for end of life care. Advance directives are critical in ensuring that the patient’s wishes for end of life care are met by health providers, helping to make sure they stay in control of their health care options.

For information about Social Work Services call 798-8120.