The official theme for Social Work Month in March 2018 is “Social Workers: Leaders. Advocates. Champions.”
Social workers are the glue that keeps clinical practices together as we balance the need to care for patients with the socioeconomic needs of the individual patients.
At the Specialty Care Center, our Case Management team works tirelessly to ensure that patients’ needs are met; they enroll patients in insurance, review Ryan White eligibility, and provide gift cards/coupons for extra monetary support. They are a valuable resource to the clinicians, providing insight into patients’ current living situations, relationship struggles, or drug abuse, all of which can affect adherence and treatment effectiveness.
Meet our Case Management Team:
Tacy Slater, MSW, MPH joined the HIV team in July of 1999 after being employed as a case manager with the Nebraska AIDS Project for five years. She received her Master’s degree in Social Work and Public administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Tacy is a clinic social worker, patient services coordinator and the coordinator for the Ryan White Parts C and D Programs. She is strongly committed to quality care and access for our patients and always goes the extra-mile for patients.
Jeremy Johnson, MSW joined the HIV team in October 2005 as a social worker and coordinator for the Nebraska AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). He received his Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Denver, Colorado. Prior to working with us, he was the Southwest Iowa case manager for Nebraska AIDS Project. He is committed to working with this population of clients and greatly enjoys being a part of the team.
Renae Furl, MPH joined the HIV team in August 2007 after being employed as a case manager with the Nebraska AIDS Project for nearly five years. She received her Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Renae is committed to helping patients find ways to pay for their care and medications, and coordinates the insurance program through Nebraska ADAP. Her position is titled “Healthcare Access Coordinator”.
Laura Krajewski, MPA joined the HIV team in 2013 as the Patient Outreach Specialist. Behind the scenes, Laura coordinates quality assurance efforts for the Ryan White Parts C and D Programs. A Nebraska native, Laura returned to Omaha after working at an AIDS Service Organization in Massachusetts for eight years. She received her master’s degree from Clark University and also served in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan teaching English to high school students. She is interested in the social impact HIV/AIDS has on individuals living with the disease.
Samantha L. Jones, BSW joined the HIV team in May 2016. She received her BSW from the University of Iowa and was employed with Goodwill for over five years. Most recently she was the Intake Coordinator under the Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), working to provide outreach and access to employment and training opportunities in order to assist individuals in becoming self-sufficient. Samantha works with the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) participants to access and maintain insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act, help navigate insurance plans, and increase insurance literacy among recipients. Behind the scenes, Samantha coordinates quality assurance efforts for processing pharmaceutical claims, medical co-pays, and tax reconciliation efforts, while ensuring ADAP meets program requirements.
L-R: Samantha L. Jones BSW , Renae Furl MPH, Jeremy Johnson MSW, Tacy Slater MSW, MPH, Laura Krajewski MPA
Many clinics are not as fortunate as we are to have social workers integrated into the team, let alone a whole group of social workers. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with, and UNMC ID is grateful for their dedication to their craft and to our patients.
Learn more about UNMC HIV care at the Specialty Care Clinic here.