Social work and hospitality: An oral history of Edith Stolzenberg

ABSTRACT

Edith Richman Stolzenberg (1913–2004) was the first woman to be hired as a social worker in Hartford Public High School in Hartford, Connecticut. In a career that spanned 60 years and much of 20th-century social welfare history, she was motivated by the social justice tradition of her Jewish upbringing and the religious value of hospitality to advocate for children and families. As we enter a harsh new era for social services, this oral history explores the radical possibilities for integrating social work goals and religious values.     

Postmigration Living Difficulties,Help-Seeking and Community Resilience in the Initial Stages of Migration: Coproducing Community Practice with Recent Irish Migrants to London

This article describes a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) project that examined the postmigration living difficulties (PMLD), help-seeking and community resilience of recent Irish migrants to London (n = 176). The majority of respondents were young adults, in managerial or professional occupations and in good or very good health. Mixed methods indicate inadequate planning for relocation and poor social support as the main difficulties in the initial stages of migration. Community factors promoting resilience included employment opportunities, local and transnational supports, and cultural familiarity and acceptance. Community participation in the action orientated phase of this CBPAR is discussed.     

Quality of Life Enhancement Research Program: Lessons Learned

The attempted Quality of Life Enhancement program appeared to be a novel method for creating a symbiotic and sustainable relationship between a large Southeastern university and local nursing home and assisted living facilities (ALF), through which ALF residents would attend university arts and sporting events. During implementation, it was discovered that this project was unsustainable, undesired, unneeded by many care centers, difficult to implement, and required a dedicated and specialized staff. After attempting to enroll 14 local care facilities, only 2 were interested in becoming involved and produced 5 eligible participants. During the program itself, coordination with facilities and residents was difficult to maintain and unique transportation and accommodation needs were challenging to overcome. Finally, data collection was time consuming and generally unfruitful. Ultimately the project was discontinued after a year of attempted recruitment and implementation of inclusive changes to protocol. While creating an ongoing relationship with local care facilities and local universities may enhance opportunities for residents and research into important areas, such relationships take time, effort, and specialized staff to maintain.     

Implementing a college mental health program – an overview of the first twelve months

Objective: To evaluate the demographics and clinical utilization patterns among college students during the initial 12 months of a novel, multi-disciplinary, collaborative, college mental health program (CMHP). Participants: Undergraduate and graduate students receiving treatment at the CMHP from Jan-Dec 2015. Methods: De-identified data was obtained via electronic health records for all students receiving care through the CMHP. Results: 1.2 FTE clinical providers treated 278 undergraduate and graduate students during the year (65.1% < age 26, 53.6% female, 49.6% caucasian). There were 1822 CMHP outpatient visits, 318 other medical visits and 103 total emergency room (ER)/inpatient visits. Ten students were identified as high utilizers of ER/inpatient services, while charges to the CMHP totaled $470,157 and total charges to the Health System were $2,378,315. Conclusions: Students with complex psychiatric/medical co-morbidities received cost effective, convenient and integrative treatment. Over time, we hope to intervene earlier and decrease ER/inpatient visits.     

“Come for the period comics. Stay for the cultural awareness”: reclaiming the troll identity through feminist humor on Reddit’s /r/TrollXChromosomes

/r/TrollXChromosomes is a women-focused humor subreddit on the community site Reddit.com. This essay presents the findings of a thematic content analysis of TrollX’s top-ranked postings. Several themes emerge: that TrollX is a space for networked affective content, that postings often concern women’s embodiment and sexuality, and that they suggest feminist perspectives. These themes are all linked by the image of the troll: a remixed version of the negative, antisocial identity that disrupts and often harasses communities. The TrollX troll invokes a spirit of self-deprecation to revel in the absurdities of life and collectively celebrate women’s everyday experiences. However, this research also argues that the TrollX version of the feminist troll is only partially realized, as it tends to express ambivalence in regards to systemic, intersectional oppression.     

Alarmed: sensory approaches to improving medical alarm systems

Medical alarms sound incessantly, loudly, and dissonantly, contributing to an already noisy ICU and OR soundscape, and ultimately harming both patients and staff. Sometimes triggered in error, the sheer number of alarms distracts health care professionals and results in sensory overload that contributes to hospital staff’s alarm fatigue. In turn, staff become increasingly likely to ignore alarms instead of acting on them. Furthermore, the patients’ sensitivity to alarms disturbs their hospital stay, raises their stress levels, and impedes their recovery process, with sometimes lasting effects. This article considers the sensory effects of hospital alarms and possibilities for redesigning future alarm systems, with the goal of eventually creating a more calming, less stressful, and safer hospital soundscape environment for all.     

铸牢中华民族共同体意识的法治实践路径研究

根据第五次中央民族工作会议的指导精神,中华民族共同体的法治建设与铸牢中华民族共同体意识是交叉同构的, 需在习近平法治思想和马克思主义多民族国家建设理论的基础上,探析铸牢中华民族共同体意识的法治实践路径。 第一,可 建设权利本位与义务本位相协调的中华民族法制共同体。 第二,应以党的领导为统领推进民族事务治理法治化。 第三,需以 立法、执法、司法为统筹全面深化法治实践。 第四,可通过法治教育为媒介巩固共有法治精神家园。 总之,法制共同体是中华 民族为人类历史转向所优化的现代法治范式,法治为铸牢中华民族共同体意识提供了制度实践基础,彰显了依法治国背景下 “德法共治”的平衡。     

滕尼斯与齐美尔:社会伦理同文化伦理的分流

作为德国社会学的两位奠基人，滕尼斯和齐美尔奠定了截然相反的两种现代伦理生活格局。伦理世界观的分流源于他们各自对时代处境的体验以及对思想史的独特解释。从近代自然法的角度出发，滕尼斯的社会伦理的核心是重建政治社会的秩序与风尚，一切价值最终都要融入社会；与此相反，齐美尔的社会学思考从一开始就以对社会伦理的批评作为前提，他将超越社会的个体生命视作伦理的目的，对他来说，生命不仅意味着身处社会之中的个体具有饱满个性，而且从自身孕育出客观的、适用于他自己的伦理责任。从帝制时期到魏玛时期，德国社会伦理同文化伦理的分流、交织与合流为我们提供了一条理解德国社会学史的清晰主线。     

Through community eyes: the transition of international organizations from community aid to development in postconflict Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone experienced an 11-year civil war, brutalizing its people and destroying its communities. With the cessation of violence, international organizations helped to secure peace, deliver aid and supplies, and, after, assist with development projects. This grounded theory study, which aims to understand the role these organizations played from the viewpoint of community members in 2 communities, posits that community members’ regard of international organizations lessened as their efforts transitioned from securing the peace and relief efforts to aid for development. Highlighted are the successes and challenges of this work and a broad discussion of implications and recommendations.     

杭州城市森林构建探讨

该文以杭州城市森林建设的必要性为出发点,提出了生态功能优先、追求景观自然协调、注重生物多样性、体现整体性和系统性、强调地方植被和人文特色等城市森林建设原则。在城市森林建设中应选择和应用好地带性乡土树种,模拟地带性植物群落特征,构建适宜的复层群落,恢复和重建城市湿地系统,增加城市生物多样性,发展具有文化内涵的杭州城市森林。