Emergency Department Social Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessment, Advocacy, and Adaptability

 Emergency Department Social Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic completed comprehensive assessments to determine the social determinants of health, collaborated between interdisciplinary colleagues and community stakeholders, advocated both within the hospital setting and, in the community, and continuously adapted to the needs of our patients, our interdisciplinary colleagues, and the community at large. Despite limitations and barriers, ED Social Workers remained on-site in the hospital providing psychosocial support, safety assessments, participated in surge-planning and allocation of resources, connected patients to community resources from the beginning of the pandemic to present. We demonstrated the importance of Social Workers in the emergency department setting and confirmed we are indeed essential workers, not just during crises but every day. We are excited to share about how our role shifted, what we learned, and what we will take with us in our practice.