NASW/NYC, the PRFI and the Latino Social Work Task Force
Save the Date: March 24th, 2010 for 6th Anniversary Dinner
(contact: rtobing@prfi.org)
In 2000, the Puerto Rican Family Institute (PRFI), and the New York City Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-NYC) began a collaboration to address the shortage of Latino social workers in New York City. Both organizations had become well aware that more culturally and linguistically competent professionals were urgently needed to address the complex needs of New York’s diverse, largely immigrant, low-income, and rapidly-growing Latino community. As part of that collaboration, in 2002, the two organizations convened a well-attended public policy forum entitled P’alante (Moving Forward) which identified key issues including the service needs of Latinos, social policy and social action issues, and the components of social work training and education. The forum also led to the formation of the Latino Social Work Task Force (LSWTF). The Task Force has the key goal of heightening awareness of the shortage of Latino social workers needed to serve the Latino community and creating a collaborative effort to address this need.
To facilitate the achievement of this mission, PRFI, NASW-NYC and the Task Force enlisted the support of a consortium of New York City’s six graduate schools of social work. This alliance with PRFI, NASW-NYC, and the Task Force, includes matching the scholarship amounts raised by the Latino Social Work Task Force. To date, the LSWTF has provided funding for $97,500 in scholarships for 32 Latino social work graduate students which was then matched by the graduate schools of social work for a total of $195,000 (2008-2009). Additionally, the Task Force has successfully advocated for a loan-forgiveness program to help human service workers pursue an MSW degree. Thus far, this program has accepted 141 worker/students of Latino and other backgrounds who serve in high-need areas such as child welfare and aging.
Task Force Members
María Elena Girone Dr. Robert S. Schachter
President & CEO Executive Director
Puerto Rican Family Institute, Inc. National Association of Social Workers
Task Force Co-Chair NYC Chapter
Task Force Co-Chair
Adelphi University School of Social Work
Dr. Andrew Safyer
ASPIRA of New York, Inc.
Hector Gesualdo
Coalition for Hispanic Family Services
Jose Nazario
Denise Rosario
Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies
Phil Saperia
Columbia University School of Social Work
Dr. Jeanette Takamura
Community Association for Progressive Dominicans
Soledad Hiciano
Dr. Howard Raiten
Comunilife, Inc.
Dr. Rosa Gil
Committee for Hispanic Children & Families
Elba Montalvo
Council of Family & Child Caring Agencies
Dianne Heggie
Jim Purcell
Dominican Women’s Development Center
Alicia Munoz
Rosita Romero
Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service
Dr. Elaine Congress
Dr. Manny Gonzalez
Dr. Peter Vaughan
Hunter College School of Social Work
Dr. Jacqueline Mondros
Dr. Andrea Savage
Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc.
Suleika Cabrera-Drinane
Jewish Board of Family & Children’s Services
Carmen Collado
Paul Levine
Mary Pender Greene
Latino Commission on AIDS
Ernesto Loperena
Latino Gerontological Center
Mario Tapia
National Association of Social Workers-NYC Chapter
Dr. Rose Starr
NAPRHSW
Sonia Palacio-Grottola
Pauline Velazquez
New York Mission Society
Maria Orengo
New York University Silver School of Social Work
Dr. Jeane Anastas
Dr. Suzanne England
Promesa Systems, Inc.
Gloria Bedoya
Gladys Padro-Soler
Puerto Rican Family Institute, Inc.
Elvira Gonzalez
RAIN, Inc.
Louis Vazquez
SSEC-RAICES
Jose R. Ortiz-Ortiz
Senior Health Partners, Inc.
Sandra Talavera
United Neighborhood Houses
Nancy Wackstein
U.S. Administration for Children & Family Services
Iran Rodriguez
U.S. Food & Drug Administration
Dr. Dilcia Granville
University Settlement
Robert Tobing
VIP Community Services
Sandra Ruiz Butter
Silvia Orellana
Bon Secours New York Health System
Dr. Anderson Torres
Yeshiva University Wurzweiler School of Social Work
Dr. Sheldon Gelman
Dr. Carmen Ortiz-Hendricks
LINK To National Association of Social Workers, NYC Chapter
