Allison Deitz, LMSW, MSW '18

Social Worker

University of Maryland School of Medicine

Allison Deitz is an alumna of the School of Social Work and a social worker for a UMB School of Medicine/University of Maryland Medical Center outpatient clinic providing treatment for Substance Use Disorders.

“Shortly after the CARES Act was signed, a physician at our clinic initiated conversation about how we could help as many of our patients as possible receive their stimulus checks. The barriers we anticipated encountering for our client population included access to personal cell phones that could regularly receive text messages and phone calls, email addresses, and safe mailing addresses if they did not have bank accounts or direct deposit cards.

The first page of the “ Stimulus Check Screening Form & Needs Assessment” contains both a table of contents and a list of stimulus check-specific web resources from the IRS, CASH Campaign of Maryland, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It is our hope that other staff at our clinic and the wider community of human services providers might be able to use the “ Stimulus Check Screening Form & Needs Assessment” to provide structure for their initial assessments of clients’ circumstances. While the formatting of the document, reflects my own method of trying to bring order to chaos, it is not meant to be prescriptive; rather, as we figure this out together, I hope that you all (especially if you are like me and balk at the idea of trying to understand the enigmatic bureaucracy of the IRS) might be able to use this tool to give you as much support as you need from it.

Thank you for the opportunity to engage with this amazing community.” – Allison Deitz

Alexandra S. Wimberly, PhD, MSW, MPH

Assistant Professor

Take Notice of the Mundane

Choose one daily task to do while limiting any distractions and turning off electronics. Some ideas are washing the dishes, walking the dog or brushing your teeth. Devote yourself to noticing the task and noticing the motions taken in this seemingly mundane task. The process of taking notice allows us to be present.

An exciting new way to launch your social work career, or advance it, has officially launched here at the School of Social Work! 

Our new “ Handshake” option allows job seekers to create custom dashboards to serve as profiles to potential employers. Handshake also exposes employers to many more potential, qualified candidates. Handshake is used by hundreds of schools and universities across the globe.

Please join us at https://www.joinhandshake.com to create an account. Upon doing so, search for the University of Maryland School of Social Work and submit a request for approval to post on our portal.

We look forward to connecting with you on Handshake!

Baltimore Neighbors Network: Lend some time to neighbors who can benefit from critical hope, comfort and solidarity in this time of isolation and uncertainty. https://baltimoreneighborsnetwork.org/volunteer/

Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services: Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) has created a COVID-19 response plan aimed at mitigating risk for individuals experiencing homelessness, who are at particularly high risk and unable to self-isolate at home. The Case Manager role will be supporting MOHS’ efforts to provide on-going support to homeless citizens over the age of 62 moved into these designated sites. https://www.baltimorecorps.org/place-for-purpose-roles-2

Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland: Meals on Wheels needs volunteers now more than ever. They are looking for volunteers on a short-term basis. A description of the volunteer opportunities, requirements of volunteers, and the steps to take to sign up can be accessed by clicking the following link. https://mowcm.mowscheduler.com/volunteerapplication

NORC at the University of Chicago: NORC is hiring interviewers to serve as Contact Tracers for the Maryland COVID Link initiative. These Contact Tracers will play a key role in the state’s effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. https://careers.norc.org/en-us/job/495613/contact-tracer-baltimore-md

The Pro Bono Counseling Project: PBCP has an immediate need for a full-time Mental Health Warmline Specialist to provide clinical support services to Marylanders through a newly created warm line, developed in partnership with the 211 Maryland United Way Helpline program. https://probonocounseling.org/new-mental-health-warmline-specialist-position-available/

University of Maryland Medical System: In response to Governor Larry Hogan’s call for 6,000 new hospital beds to ensure Maryland is prepared and ready to treat a potential surge in patients with COVID-19, the University of Maryland Medical System is putting together an Emergency Staffing Pool. https://jobs.umms.org/COVID-19-Emergency-Staffing-Pool

Vulnerable Populations State Task Force: The Vulnerable Populations State Task Force is hiring social workers for multidisciplinary teams to work with vulnerable populations during #COVID. Paid contract positions. Need is urgent & immediate. License not required. https://boards.greenhouse.io/readyresponders/jobs/4714996002