Foundation grant to help advance social work practice in HSC’s Emergency Department
“I hear so many difficult stories, but when these people share their stories and come to Emergency, they are demonstrating resilience at a time when they are vulnerable. They come because they need help,” says Anna Reed.
A patient comes to the Emergency Department at Health Sciences Centre with a severe cut. He’s treated; no admission is necessary, so he can go home. But he has no home.
An agitated young man wanders in after a serious fall. He’s clearly high on methamphetamine. His arm is broken, and so is his spirit. What will happen to him after his arm is casted?
A frail 87-year-old comes to Emergency with abdominal pain. In triage, the nurses notice significant bruising on her upper arms. The patient whispers that a family member hits her.
These aren’t specific cases, but they are the types of cases that present themselves regularly at Manitoba’s busiest Emergency Department. The nine social workers who work in Emergency play a key role in caring for these patients, making sure that everyone gets the support they need when they walk into the Emergency Department, and when they walk out.
“I hear so many difficult stories, but when these people share their stories and come to Emergency, they are demonstrating resilience at a time when they are vulnerable. They come because they need help,” says Anna Reed who has been practising social work in HSC’s Adult Emergency Department for just over a year. “Social work services are available 24/7 and my colleagues and I see so many types of needs. It feels like no two days are alike.”
As social workers, Reed and her colleagues focus on connecting patients with the resources they need to support their well-being in the community. That could mean helping a patient secure a space at a shelter if they are homeless, connecting a patient with resources for addressing addiction, engaging with Child and Family Services or the police if there are domestic violence issues, and connecting with a variety of agencies to help patients live their best lives possible after they leave Emergency.
Reed and her colleagues are eager to learn more and to elevate the practice of social work in the Emergency Department. The HSC Foundation was pleased to provide a $27,248 grant to fund a scoping study and an environmental scan so that Reed could learn how social workers are providing service in emergency departments across Canada and around the world. The research began in earnest in December 2023 and early results are already pointing to some interesting ideas around staffing models and the evolving role of social workers in triage.
“I feel lucky that I have been put in this position where people trust me to help them. That’s a special part of the job,” says Reed, who was born and raised in Winnipeg. “This research that the Foundation is funding will equip us to provide even better care and service to our patients who need our support. We’re so grateful that the Foundation and its donors are happy to fund allied health research in social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and other fields. We’re an important part of health care.”
To help our researchers raise the bar in health care excellence, please donate to our Innovation HSC annual campaign by clicking here or calling the Foundation at 204-515-5612 or 1-800-679-8493 (toll-free).
