Social workers; DHP to study need for additional, etc., workers.

Study; Department of Health Professions; needfor additional micro-level, mezzo-level, and macro-level socialworkers and increased compensation; report. Requests that theDepartment of Health Professions convene a work group, which shall include certain stakeholders listed in the bill, to (i) identifythe number of social workers needed in the Commonwealth to adequatelyserve the population; (ii) identify opportunities for the Commonwealth'ssocial work workforce to successfully serve and respond to increasingbiopsychosocial needs of individuals, groups, and communities inareas related to aging, child welfare, social services, militaryand veterans affairs, criminal justice, juvenile justice, corrections,mental health, substance abuse treatment, and other health and socialdeterminants; (iii) gather information about current social workersin the Commonwealth related to level of education, school of socialwork attended, level of licensure, job title and classification,years of experience, gender, employer, and compensation; (iv) analyzethe impact of compensation levels on social workers' job satisfactionand performance, as well as its impact on the likelihood of otherpersons entering the profession and any complications to such compensationlevels caused by student debt; and (v) make recommendations for additionalsources of funding to adequately compensate social workers and increasethe number of social workers in the Commonwealth.