Celebrating 30 Years of Scholarship in Health and Mental Health (Editorial‪)‬

Two thousand and five is a banner year for the National Association of Social Worker's publications program! This year marks the 30th anniversary of the conceptualization and development of this journal--Health & Social Work. The history of this publication began in 1975 with a special call for papers on social work and the health field, publicized in the March 1975 issue of Social Work. The call for paper was used as a test to gauge the interest in a health journal. The special issue received a promising response, and the NASW Board of Directors authorized the publication of this specialty journal. It was the first specialty publication offered by NASW, and it demonstrated "NASW'S continuing commitment to meet both the general and special interests of social workers and the people they serve" (Briar & Minahan, 1976, p. 5). The vision for the journal was that it be built on the heritage of two other social work health journals, Medical Social Work and the Journal of Psychiatric Social Work (Mahaffey, 1976). Even in its early days, the conceptualization was total health of the individual, including the body and the mind. Instrumental in its development were Maryann Mahaffey, who served as president of NASW, Anne Minahan, chair of the Publications Committee, and Scott Briar, editor-in-chief of Social Work. Their foresight into the importance of this journal led to its inception. Beatrice Phillips, the first editor-in-chief of Health & Social Work, provided leadership in the development of its form and content. In 1975 health care was regarded as one of the largest and fastest growing fields in the United States, and the role of social work in health had a long, established history, dating back to Richard Cabot's establishment of the first medical social work program at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1905. At the time this journal was conceived, one-third of NASW members practiced in health care arenas. It was believed that the journal could form a base for legislative action and information. Also in 1975 there was concern about the changes being experienced in health care, and it was believed that a journal emphasizing health would bring to the forefront problems that needed to be addressed. Early issues dealt with such topics as HMOs, quality assurance, self-help groups, nursing home care, race relations, and use of people power. These issues, although called other names-managed care, quality improvement, consumer movement, long-tem care, cultural competence, and staff deployment, continue to be explored by social work researchers.