Social work is an integral part of our public health system in Mississippi, supporting programs such as Genetics, Early Intervention, Healthy Moms/Healthy Babies, and STD/HIV. Public Health Social Workers are found in county health departments, MSDH administrative offices, and community agencies.
Highlight: Social Work Month
Crystal Ales, a Licensed Social Worker of 17 years, has worked for MSDH since 2015. As a Public Health Social Worker, she serves patients and families through programs such as Healthy Moms/Healthy Babies, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, and Lead Poisoning Prevention.
Her work connects her strongly with the needs of her clients. She provides social work referrals and knowledge to families who need home care services for elderly or vulnerable adults; she helps individuals make reports about child abuse and neglect; and she steps in to advise clients experiencing food insecurities, mental health problems, transportation difficulties, or challenges locating affordable housing.
As a social worker, she is concerned with the whole person — health, lifestyle, community connection, and quality of life.
Services and Activities
Public health social workers perform a variety of services and activities in the community. Working through various MSDH programs, they provide supporting services for mothers and children, couples planning a family, and people living with HIV. They also help:
- Monitor health conditions to identify community health problems.
- Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community.
- Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues.
- Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems.
- Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
- Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
- Link people to needed personal health services and remove barriers to needed health care.
- Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and public health services.
- Engage in research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.
MSDH Programs that use Public Health Social Workers
- First Steps (Early Intervention)
- Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies
- Genetics
- HIV/STD
- Family Planning
- Child Health
For more information about public health social workers or any of the programs above, contact the county health department near you.
For more information about Maternal and Child Health Programs and the MCH Block Grant, call 1-800-721-7222.
