147328 Global Politics and International Social Work

Monday, November 5, 2007

Marian M. Inguanzo, ACSW , Social Service Consultant, Bronx, NY
Mitchell A. Kaplan, PhD , Private Evaluation Consultant, Brooklyn, NY
Dr. Douglas E. Campbell , Roxbury Podiatry, Roxbury, MA
The Role of International Social Work as a Form of Global Response to Addressing Disparities in International Health Care Policy through Community Advocacy and Action related to the Implementation of Innovative Public Health Programs in Third World Nations.

For decades social work professionals around the world have played an active role in the development of international health care policy associated with the implementation of health care programs designed to address critical public health issues. The involvement of social workers in the shaping of social policy related to public health concerns has been especially challenging in third world nations like those in East Africa where many major obstacles to effective policy implementation and change currently exist.

This presentation will explore global aspects of social conditions such as poverty and their relationship to health care policy development in East Africa. The presenters will examine how social workers can contribute to the development of effective international health policy and make recommendations that can affect the way policy changes are implemented in countries like Tanzania. The development and spread of the Tanzania Intergenerational Health Chapter Program in East Africa depicted in this poster presentation will demonstrate the way social workers can utilize their professional skills and expertise on a global level to influence the impact of changes in international health care policy that have the potential to significantly improve the quality of life of younger and older adults living in third world nations.

Learning Objectives:
This poster presentation will have the following three scientific objectives: • To examine and evaluate the implications of international social work in East Africa in relation to the development of significant changes in health care policy that have the potential to improve the quality of life of individuals living in third world countries. • To demonstrate how international social workers can utilize the results of applied research to implement programs that have the potential to affect the way health care and social services are delivered in selected underserved regions of East Africa. • To demonstrate and articulate the way international social workers can utilize their community organizing skills and advocacy strategies to advance public knowledge and understanding of the policy structure of the health care delivery system in East Africa.

Keywords: Policy/Policy Development, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Poster Session – Public Health Social Work Policy and Research
See more of: Social Work