Visiting Puerto Rican Social Work Students Present on their Fields of Practice

The School of Social Work hosted a one-week cultural immersion and study program for MSW students in collaboration with the Inter American University of Puerto Rico from October 20 to 24. At the end of the busy week of lectures, discussions, field visits, and sightseeing, the Puerto Rican students–Alex Casiano Pagan, Emmanuel Arroyo Girona, Geritza Oivella Santana, Paul J. Fericelle Castillo, and Zulmarie Hernandez Bello–made presentations on their area of studies and practice to BUSSW students, faculty and staff. The students work in diverse areas, similar to the agencies at which students at BUSSW are placed.
Paul J. Fericelle Castillo spoke of work at PROSPERA, an elderly support program that works toward alimony support, sustainment, and mediation. He mentioned that in Puerto Rico it is a law that children have to take care of their parents and he spoke of the lack of similar legislation in the United States. The organization provides crisis management to respond to emergency family situations. They use the strengths perspective, crisis models and interview techniques with all family members. The challenges he spoke of at his agency were similar to those common in the U.S.–a lack of resources, materials, and funding to hire new workers.
Zulmarie Hernandez Bello works for a community action center called CAUCE, or Centro de Accion Urbana Comunitaria y Empresarial. This center serves the population of the community of Capetillo, a community mostly comprised of Dominican families who immigrated to Puerto Rico. Through this program, youth action groups are organized to provide alternatives to young people who might otherwise be engaged in activities of concern in the community. This agency promotes participation from all members of the community, especially in the betterment of a park that has been abandoned by the university that owns it. Other community activities promoted are the creation of a community garden and art activities such as graffiti, theater, and music.
Geritza Oivella Santana is employed by Asemblea Familiar Virgilio Davila. This agency works with children in Virgilio Davilo, a public housing unit. The agency engages in group work around such areas as self-esteem, drugs and alcohol, domestic violence, anger management, and alcohol. They also work with a federal housing unit called Las Americas Apartments, where staff organize a teen group and a community council, and serve as school social workers.
Alex Casiano Pagan is a medical social worker at Hospital La Concepcion, which is owned by the Catholic Church. There are numerous community programs including free health clinics outside of the hospital and donations to the community from staff members. The hospital is staffed with over 200 doctors and another 600 employees, but there is only one social worker. As that social worker, Alex is very busy with approximately 100 to 150 cases per week. The challenges to social work at this hospital are the lack of other social workers and dealing with the traditional rules and models of intervention
Emmanuel Arroyo Girona reported on his work for Plaza Corazon in San Juan. This is a non-profit agency that brings services to homeless or at risk populations in downtown Rio Piedras. Services provided include orientation and counseling, the coordination of government documents, a referral system and advocacy. The program includes five phases of development: outreach work, daily care system and stabilization, case management and psychological stabilization, independence and autonomy along with emotional and economic stability, and community development. The focus of the program is education, and they work to develop integration and compromise among homeless individuals.
The presentations ended with some beautiful music performed by the group from Puerto Rico. It is clear that there is much we can learn from them and they from us.