Holy Redeemer Health System Pays Tribute to “Care Managers” During National Social Work Month

March has been declared National Social Work Month by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and Holy Redeemer Health System is using the occasion to pay homage to its corps of compassionate employees who work to improve the well-being of Delaware Valley and New Jersey residents every day.

According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 2,300 social workers serving the Philadelphia area. Holy Redeemer’s social workers – frequently called “care managers” – check in on recipients of health care, home care and hospice care on a regular basis, making sure all their clinical and non-clinical needs are being addressed to ensure the best possible outcomes.

“Social workers today must possess a wealth of knowledge and a multitude of skills, serving as advocate, caregiver, problem solver, clinician, communicator, food provider and liaison,” says Michael B. Laign, president and CEO of Holy Redeemer Health System. “They are a vital part of care delivery, and their work is in keeping with Holy Redeemer’s mission to provide services and programs that enable people to live their lives to the fullest.”

Holy Redeemer’s social workers operate throughout Philadelphia and its suburbs, and in conjunction with Holy Redeemer’s homecare and hospice offices in 12 New Jersey counties. As healthcare advocates, they pull together all the resources patients need to be comfortable or to speed their physical or emotional healing, including community agencies, prescription assistance, the Veterans Administration benefits, mental health counseling, and even local food pantries – including Holy Redeemer’s own – if necessary. They are also skilled at doing whatever’s necessary to reduce hospital readmission.

“We are the ones who gather patient’s stories,’” says Laura Saracco, a care management supervisor at Holy Redeemer Hospital in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. “We assess patients to get a sense of the world they live in. We try to bridge the gap between patient and provider.”

About Holy Redeemer Health System

With an emphasis on providing a continuum of care, Holy Redeemer Health System remains true to the mission to care, comfort and heal that its sponsors, the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer, began in our region in 1924 – to provide high quality, compassionate care. Today, Holy Redeemer offers a wide range of healthcare and health-related services, including an acute care hospital, home health and hospice services, two skilled nursing facilities, personal care, a retirement community, low-income housing, an active living community, and a transitional housing program for homeless women and children. With corporate offices in Huntingdon Valley, PA, Holy Redeemer Health System is a Catholic healthcare provider, serving southeastern Pennsylvania and 12 counties in New Jersey, from Union County south to Cape May County.