Two Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital social workers have recently received recognition for excelling in their respective fields, officials announced Monday.

Elizabeth Tarantini, Henry Mayo’s Clinical Social Work Supervisor, was named Social Worker of the Year 2020 by a local social worker’s organization.

Tarantini, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, was selected for this honor in March 2020 by the Santa Clarita unit of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) California Chapter, Region G. Notably, Tarantini was recently named Social worker of the Year on the state level. 

According to the Santa Clarita NASW, “Her peers and colleagues nominated Elizabeth for Social Worker of the Year with several letters of nomination. 

She has been licensed for over 20 years, providing ethical and compassionate service in our community to diverse and multicultural populations. She has been extraordinarily active in reaching out to physicians and community providers to provide training on postpartum depression. 

Tarantini is on the faculty at Cal State Northridge in the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program. She also has developed and implemented the annual Henry Mayo Helping Families Program. Notably, Tarantini started the SCAN team at Henry Mayo, coordinating and educating members and community providers to increase identification and response to suspected child abuse and neglect. Finally, Elizabeth was recently awarded a Henry Mayo Service Excellence Award.”

Leslie Ro, a former MSW Intern at Henry Mayo, was recently named Social Work MSW Student of the Year 2020 by the Santa Clarita NASW unit.   

According to the Santa Clarita NASW, “The patients Ro supports rely on her for support and expertise. Her ideas are progressive and innovative in the area of Maternal Mental health. Leslie is also extremely well received by patients and families of critically ill patients who are in the Henry Mayo Kim and Steven Ullman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Henry Mayo. She is confident, caring and respected by staff and families alike. She has the true qualities of a social worker beyond her years of experience.”

Santa Clarita NASW is a local group of social workers within the NASW California Chapter; Region G.  The National Association of Social Workers is the largest organization of professional social workers in the world. NASW serves social workers in 55 chapters throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam and abroad.

 NASW was formed in 1955 through a merger of seven predecessor social work organizations to carry out three responsibilities: strengthen and unify the profession, promote the development of social work practice, and advance sound social policies. Promoting high standards of practice and protecting the consumers of services are major association principles.

The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. National Professional Social Work Month every March is an opportunity for social workers around the nation and world and their supporters to educate the public about the invaluable contributions of the profession. 

To learn more about the National Association of Social Workers – California Chapter, visit the website.

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