Problem: According to a new government assessment, the alcohol-related mortality rate in the United States climbed by 26% in the first year of the epidemic. And also, according to research primary author Marianne Spencer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the increase was the greatest in at least 40 years (CDC). The organization discovered that rates increased from 2019 to 2020, mainly owing to mortality from alcoholic liver disease and mental and behavioral disorders caused by alcohol consumption. Between 2019 and 2020, the mortality rate from alcoholic liver disease grew by 23%, while mental and behavioral disorders caused by alcohol consumption climbed by 33%. According to Marissa Essers, the CDC's alcohol program director, one probable reason alcohol-related mortality has increased during the pandemic is that patients with alcohol-related illnesses may have had more difficulty receiving medical care.
Your journal entries should be thoughtful critiques of the briefs and their application to social work practice. Each critique should address the following prompts:
A. What is the relevant issue(s) for social work?
B. Why is this issue(s) relevant?
C. Using examples from your work, practicum, or life experience, what are the implications of this issue(s) for particular client groups?