Common Practice Challenges: Work with People Impacted by Cancer

Caring for those impacted by cancer is an increasingly common occurrence, regardless of a social worker’s practice setting. As our population ages, more people are diagnosed, and although treatments have significantly prolonged life for many, cancer is still a leading cause of death in the US and across the world. And unfortunately, treatment for cancer may have negative effects on a person’s quality of life for decades. The impacts of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment are felt not just for the person living with the illness, but on their family, care partners, and communities, and may last across generations. Earlier discharges and more complicated treatment regimes are dependent upon others devoting time and attention to caring for ever sicker patients at home. The financial toxicity associated with rising medical costs is tremendous and the number one cause of personal bankruptcy. Importantly, these burdens of cancer care are inequitably distributed, with disparities in outcomes associated with marginalized populations. Delayed diagnoses, limited access to quality care, lack of adequate insurance, greater social risk factors, are all associated with poorer outcomes, and offer opportunities for social work advocacy and intervention. 

This interactive workshop will provide social workers in a range of settings information needed to recognize and better address the impacts of cancer on all those they serve.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Social workers who take this class will be able to:

1. Recognize the importance of understanding the impacts of cancer on patients, families, care partners and communities, regardless of one’s area of practice. 
2. Recognize the impact of health inequities associated with cancer.
3. Identify leadership opportunities and responsibilities.

Shirley Otis-Green, MSW, MA, ACSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FNAP, FAOSW

Shirley Otis-Green’s career is dedicated to transforming the delivery of care to more equitably address the symptoms and stress of serious illness. Her education, research and consultation efforts focus on quality-of-life, palliative care, and interprofessional leadership. As Principal Investigator on studies with over $3.5 million in external funding, her work has been disseminated through more than 100 publications and 500 professional presentations. 

Shirley is a National Association of Social Workers Pioneer and has been recognized with Fellowships by the Association of Oncology Social Work, California Health Care Foundation, and the National Academies of Practice. She was among the first to receive an international Master of Arts in Health Research - Palliative Care degree from Lancaster University in Great Britain, and is co-editor of the The Oxford Textbook of Palliative Social Work, 2e, now in its Second Edition. Shirley is also the Founder and Consultant for Collaborative Caring.

Class fees are listed below:

• Full Tuition - $90
• GSS Alumni - $75
• Current Field Instructor - $75
• Current Adjunct Faculty - $75
• SWHPN Member - $75
• 3+ members registering from one agency - $60 per registration
• Non-Fordham Current MSW or Social Work PhD Student - $60
• Veterans - $60
• Fordham Faculty and Staff - $60
• Current Fordham MSW or PhD Student - $45
• Fordham Alumni Palliative Care Fellow - $45
• Current Fordham Palliative Care Fellowship Field Instructor/Career Mentor - $45
• Current Fordham Palliative Care Fellow or Montefiore Fellow - $0

Continuing Education Hours

Completion of this class will result in the receipt of three (3) continuing education hours. CEHs are not awarded for partial completion of the class.

You will receive the Zoom link for joining the class by the day before the class. IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE LINK BY THIS TIME, PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER. 

You will need a computer and a reliable WiFi connection. The computer may be a desktop or a laptop. It may be an Apple or Windows computer.

If you have never used Zoom before, you will likely be prompted to download an applet, which is a small program that allows Zoom to communicate with your computer. This is safe and you will need to do this to join the class.

It is NOT advised that you participate using a table (e.g., an iPad) or a cellular phone. The software is not optimized for these devices.

Please plan to join the online class 15 minutes before the start time to be sure that you don’t have any problems connecting. We cannot provide technical support to you and refunds won’t be offered if you have technical problems. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact us at [email protected] at least a few days before the class.