The campaign is happy to accept the endorsement of the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers!
October 12, 2022
Dear Heather “Betsy” Garrold:
On behalf of the over 950 members of the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) Committee is pleased to endorse your candidacy for the 2022 general election. The Committee was impressed by your commitment to the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. To advance our legislative priorities on behalf of social workers and the communities we serve, we are eager to work with you to address critical issues and inequities, including access to affordable behavioral health and health care, the availability of social services and family supports including Paid Family Medical Leave, and protecting civil rights for women, persons of color and LGBTQIA+ communities. NASW ME will be working on legislation this coming year to strengthen and protect our workforce and improve access to behavioral health care through:
- Funding the existing Social Work Repayment program, potentially linking repayment to providing a portion of their care to MaineCare clients.
- Supporting the completion of the MaineCare behavioral health rate evaluation study and ensure rates are changed accordingly. Current reimbursement rates for outpatient counseling are one-third to one-half of neighboring states.
- Expanding the Tax Forgiveness Program to include graduate level social work debt from accredited non-Maine colleges and universities.
We will be notifying our membership of endorsed candidates through our newsletters and our website and will encourage NASW ME members to be involved in your campaign. We hope that you will count on social workers as experts on a range of social policy issues. Please list our organization as the National Association of Social Workers Maine – Political Action for Candidate Election in campaign materials listing endorsements and feel free to use the logo we’ve sent to you for your social media or other advertising purposes. If you have any questions, please contact the NASW Maine office at 207.622.7592 or reach out to Julie Schirmer directly at naswmechapterpres@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Julie Schirmer, LCSW
NASW ME PACE Chair