Social Work

Mission Statement: The Department of Social Work strives to meet the psychosocial needs of patients and families who are hospitalized at Mercy Regional Medical Center.

Social workers at MRMC provide a wide variety of services, including:

• psychosocial assessments to identify psychosocial issues/stressors that can have an impact on a patient’s physical condition and recovery
• coordination of family care conferences to help patients and families gain a broader understanding of a patient’s needs and thus make more informed decisions about their healthcare
• information and referral to community resources
• coordinating care plans for psychiatric patients with the Southwest Colorado Mental Health Center’s Emergency Services Team
• discharge planning for patients with complex psychosocial needs
• assistance with advance directive consults

The Department of Social Work provides direct clinical services to:
all adult inpatients and families, pediatric inpatients and their parents/families, and patients in our Same Day Care and Emergency Departments. We cover all of the different inpatient units, including: Orthopedics, Pediatric, Labor & Delivery, Medical/Surgical, Intensive Care Unit, and the Transitional Care Unit.

The Social Work Department also represents Mercy Regional Medical Center in the community through membership in numerous local human services related committees, including: La Plata County Child Protection Team, La Plata County Adult Protection Team, Southwest Colorado Violence Prevention Coalition, Sexual Assault Services Organization, and the La Plata County Long-Term Care Committee. As members of these committees MRMC Social Workers stay abreast of the changing needs and agency policies in the community that will affect our patients.

Each of our social workers has a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW), a clinical license to practice Social Work in the State of Colorado, and experience and expertise in the area of medical social work. Two of our social workers are also trained in Critical Incident Stress Debriefing.

The Director of our department is a member of the Denver University Advisory Board for the Four Corners Master of Social Work (MSW) Program. We also offer internship opportunities for 1st and 2nd year MSW students in this program. This has proven to be a successful mission outreach program as we help to increase the number of medically trained MSWs in the Four Corners Region.

Department Contact Information & Hours of Operation: A member of the Social Work staff is available 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and can be reached at either (970) 382-1262 or (970) 382-1257.

To reach the social worker on duty, please dial 247-4311, or press “0” if you are dialing from within the hospital.

Mindy Stern, MSW, LCSW (970) 382-1262
Heather Raymo, MSW, LCSW (970) 382-1257