County celebrates Social Work Month

Celebrated each March, National Professional Social Work Month recognizes the dedication and empathy social workers and social service case managers across the country deliver while providing services. This is an opportunity for the spotlight to be turned on the professions to highlight the contributions they make to society.

The official theme for Social Work Month March 2021 is “Social Workers are Essential”, and we couldn’t agree more. This theme focuses on the daily efforts of social workers across the nation; specifically, their call-to-duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As an integral part of Douglas County Community Services, Social Services has made it their mission to assist the residents of Douglas County in obtaining self-sufficiency through support, education, and personal case planning. Connections throughout the community to resources are available for meeting individual needs. Established services within the agency address food insecurity, homelessness, unemployment, utility assistance, and crisis intervention. Social Services goal is to look at the individual’s needs from a holistic approach. Social workers are devoted to making the world a better place for their clients regardless of age. A social worker’s success is built on the successful collaboration and partnerships with community, county and state service providers. Other programs within Community Services are:

Adult Day Club: is designed to provide a safe, nurturing, and engaging care setting for older adults who are living with either cognitive or physical disabilities, or both. Individuals are provided with personalized social services, as well as provide relief for caregivers who endlessly devote their time to loved ones.

Community Health Nurse: assists with family planning, along with additional health resources and outreach for individuals and families- such as immunizations, women’s care screenings, communicable disease prevention, and treatment.

Homemakers Program: is designed to help seniors remain in their homes. Services offered to qualifying individuals 60 and over include: personal assistance, nutrition, transportation, home management, and respite care.

Public Guardian: in Douglas County the role of the public guardian is to protect the social wellbeing, economic welfare, and dignity of the individual in guardianship. Nevada is one of only a handful of states to have a guardianship compliance program and Douglas County has become a model for other rural counties in the state.

For more information about Social Services and the other programs visit: https://communityservices.douglascountynv.gov/social_services