237193 Double Jeopardy: Occupational health disparities in the social service sector

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Jennifer Zelnick, ScD, MSW , Graduate School of Social Work, Touro College, New York, NY
Background and Objective:

Work is an important social determinant of health (Souza et al, 2010). Occupational health disparities in social service occupations are important because 1) well-being of the provider is a key component of quality services, 2) jobs in social services are frequently filled by women, minorities, and other groups at risk for health disparities, 3) social service work is characterized by low pay and few benefits, thus staff are at risk for health care disparities.

In the current economic climate social services have disproportionately been the target of state and local budget cuts. This project will employ an eco-social perspective on occupational health disparities to analyze the impact of recent program cuts on the occupational health and safety of those employed in the social service sector.

Methods:

Systematic review of studies of occupational illness and injury in social services, and policy analysis of social service sector program cuts 2008-2011.

Results:

Expected results include 1) occupational health disparities between social service sector and other sectors of the economy in terms of ethnicity/race, gender, and education; 2) occupational health disparities by job classification within social services; 3) Trends in cuts to social service programs with health disparity implications.

Conclusion:

When social service programs are cut or restructured, the result is a �Double Jeopardy� that puts the health of staff and clients at risk, in particular increasing impacts to occupational health disparities among socials service staff. The public health dimensions of program cuts need to be considered by policy-makers.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Occupational health and safety
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related public policy
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. define occupational health disparities in social service occupations in terms of 1) factors that determine who performs what work in social services, 2) inequities between clinical staff, direct care staff., and management that results in

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I hold degrees, teach, conduct research, and publish in the social work and occupational health fields.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.