 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Bonnie Strahs, BA, MSW and Sandra Burgie, BA, MSW, MBA. Coordinating Office for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Programs, Philadelphia Behavioral Health System, 1101 Market St., Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Welfare reform has had a tremendous impact on women transitioning from welfare to work, particularly those with behavioral health problems. The Greater Philadelphia Works (GPW) program recognized that a substantial number of women making this transition would have behavioral health issues limiting their efforts to obtain and maintain employment.
A comprehensive plan was put into place that included the formation of a new unit within Philadelphia's Behavioral Health System (BHS) to oversee behavioral health services at GPW's employment and training centers, and to facilitate collaboration, linkages, and cross-training between the employment/training and health/human services communities.
In addition,an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) was developed at each of GPW's employment centers. The EAP staff provided orientations to the Behavioral Health System, assessment and referral for services, short- term counseling and crisis intervention, and educational workshops on related issues.
A major lesson learned was that the gap between the worlds of employment/training and behavioral health/human services is wide and hard to bridge. Specific strategies to address these issues will be discussed, as well as the negative impact that state policies and welfare laws can have on this population.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to
Keywords: Welfare Reform, Women
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.