PENNSYLVANIA, March 15 - WHEREAS, The theme for this year's "National Social Work

Month" is "Social Work Breaks Barriers," which embodies how

social workers help empower individuals, families, communities

and our society to overcome the hurdles that prevent them from

achieving better well-being; and

WHEREAS, Social workers are the largest group of mental

health care providers in the United States, working daily to

support thousands of Americans in overcoming mental illnesses,

including depression and anxiety; and

WHEREAS, Social workers are on the front lines of the

nation's opioid addiction crisis, assisting individuals in

receiving the treatment they need to prevail over substance use

disorders; and

WHEREAS, Social workers help individuals to cope with death

and grief and help individuals and communities recover from

natural disasters that are increasingly fueled by our warming

climate, including hurricanes, drought and flooding; and

WHEREAS, Social workers help this nation live up to its

values by advocating for equal rights for all, including people

of color, people who are Indigenous, people who are LGBTQIA2S+

or people who follow various faiths; and

WHEREAS, The social work profession is one of the fastest

growing careers in the United States, with approximately 708,000

social workers today and more than 60,000 more social workers

expected to enter the profession over the next decade; and

WHEREAS, Social workers continue to push for changes that

make our society a better place to live, including a livable

wage, improved workplace safety and social safety net programs

that help ameliorate poverty, hunger and homelessness; and

WHEREAS, Social workers endeavor to work throughout our

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