The impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every sector of life for people around the world. In the United States over 40,000 lives have been lost to coronavirus with hundreds of thousands more infected - some who are fighting for their lives. This crisis has revealed the challenges of an already inequitable and under-resourced healthcare system, the educational disparities plaguing millions of children, and the economic fragility of most American families. It has also exposed the life and death consequences of race, age, and socioeconomic status.
There is, however, more nuance to the headlines on rising infection rates. There are yet unrealized repercussions of this crisis that require the attention and intervention of social workers, particularly those whose scholarship centers on public health, mental health, economic inequality, and social justice. Social workers are uniquely prepared to navigate the gauntlet of demands arising from crisis situations and, while the scope and lethality of COVID-19 are substantial, social work scholars and practitioners must address the immediate hardships facing individuals, families, and communities and while preparing to confront the fallout likely to emerge once the pandemic abates.
This Special Issue will focus on social work’s role, in policy, programming, and practice, related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Established and emerging scholars are encouraged to submit manuscripts which highlight challenges and opportunities for social workers across all levels of practice including, but not limited to:
- The impact of racism and/or poverty in accessing life-saving testing and treatment
- The shifting view of America’s low-wage workforce from marginal to “essential”
- The long-term mental health of front-line healthcare/medical personnel and first responders
- The potential increase in and lethality of partner and/or child abuse
- Challenges resulting from the increase in hunger and food insecurity
- The effect of the disproportionate labor cost on low-wage workers and workers of color
- Hospital social workers’ role attending to large-scale grief and loss issues
- Models for integrating social workers into local, state, and federal governments’ public health response
- Community organizing models for resource coordination and distribution
- Models for increasing access to telehealth resources for people with pre-existing mental health issues
- The role of spirituality during times of crisis
- The long-term effect of prolonged anxiety and uncertainty on mental health
