Social Worker Consultation Information

At Boston Medical Center, social workers are on staff daily from 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM. Social workers have two main roles, providing emotional support to the patient and their family as well as assisting with community resources. Social workers can be consulted directly by page or by requesting a formal consult via the order set in Sunrise.

Social workers here at Boston Medical Center can be found on each inpatient floor and also in most of our outpatient clinics. Please see Our Team to orient yourself with the different social workers across the departments here at Boston Medical Center and their contact information.

After hours social workers can be reached by paging ID# 3119 on weekdays from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM, and on weekends and holidays from 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM. The Emergency Department now has 24/7 coverage and the night and weekend Emergency Department social worker can be reached by paging ID # 5511.

Here are some examples of what social workers can be consulted about:

  • Access to community resources
  • Adoption or foster care
  • Barbara McInnis referrals
  • Behavioral problems
  • Clothing
  • Community violence
  • Coping with illness, treatment and recovery
  • Cultural differences
  • Debriefing for staff surrounding difficult or upsetting patient cases
  • Employment concerns
  • End of life issues
  • Family meetings
  • Financial difficulties
  • Grief and loss
  • Guardianship
  • Health Care Proxy
  • Homelessness
  • Housing issues
  • Interpersonal violence (Domestic violence)
  • Issues of abuse or neglect
  • Legal resources
  • Mental health issues
  • Parenting and care-giving concerns
  • School related concerns
  • Substance abuse issues
  • Transportation
  • Trauma
  • Utilities