In today’s increasingly complex health care landscape, high-quality patient care extends far beyond diagnosis and treatment. At UK HealthCare, ambulatory social workers ensure that patients receive every means of support necessary to manage the personal, emotional and practical challenges that affect their well-being.
“Addressing the needs of patients goes far beyond clinical care,” said Courtenay Kantar, social work manager for Ambulatory Services. “Ambulatory social workers serve as an essential bridge between the medical and human sides of healing, ensuring that each patient receives the wrap-around support needed to achieve the best possible outcomes.”
Ambulatory social workers at UK HealthCare are licensed professionals trained to provide psychosocial care to patients facing the often-overlooked barriers that accompany illness. Every day, they help patients navigate issues such as transportation, food insecurity, housing instability and financial strain. These social determinants of health can influence a patient’s ability to begin, continue or complete medical treatment.
When a patient is in crisis, social workers are often the first line of response. This includes supporting individuals coping with intimate partner violence, suicidal or homicidal ideation, substance use issues or suspected abuse or neglect. They also guide clinics through mandated reporting processes and coordinate with community agencies to ensure safety and continuity of care.
Because ambulatory social workers are licensed mental health providers in the state of Kentucky, they can deliver brief therapeutic interventions, develop safety plans and connect patients to ongoing behavioral health services when needed. In clinics that conduct mental health screenings, social workers respond when a patient screens positive for depression, anxiety or suicide risk, conducting psychosocial assessments and ensuring timely follow-ups.
A Team Structure Designed for Diverse Needs
The ambulatory social work team is structured to meet the wide-ranging needs of UK HealthCare’s outpatient clinics:
- Social Worker Seniors (CSW) focus on case management, resource assistance and addressing social determinants of health.
- Social Worker Principals (LCSW) offer all the above services while also providing psychotherapy and counseling when clinically indicated.
This flexibility allows social workers to adapt their focus based on each clinic’s needs, whether pediatrics, oncology, primary care or medical specialties like urology. Regardless of the setting, their purpose remains the same: ensuring equitable, comprehensive and compassionate care for every patient.
Ambulatory social workers are invaluable not only to patients but also to health care providers. By resolving psychosocial, emotional and logistical barriers that interfere with treatment, social workers enable physicians, nurses and staff at UK HealthCare to concentrate on medical care. Their intervention reduces avoidable hospital visits, improves treatment adherence and enhances patient satisfaction.
Although much of their work is not billable, its value is undeniable. Each crisis resolved, resources secured and connection made contributes to improved outcomes for patients and more efficient use of health care resources. Social workers extend the reach of medicine beyond clinical walls, bringing advocacy, humanity and problem-solving to the forefront of patient care.
Helping Clinics Understand and Utilize Their Social Work Support
Kantar notes that some clinics may be unsure how to access or request social work support, limiting the impact they can have for those departments.
“If someone doesn’t know who their social worker is or feels like they need their own, because some social workers share multiple clinics, they can always reach out to me,” she said. “However, adding a new social work position requires the same process used for hiring other clinical staff, including nurses or medical assistants.”
Understanding the type of support each clinic needs is essential to determine if a CSW or LCSW’s skills provide the best fit. Some clinics with lower social-work acuity share a single social worker and may lose track of that resource as staff turnover or department leadership changes occur. To help prevent these types of situations, Kantar works with the assigned social worker to reintroduce services to clinic teams.
“If they feel like their clinic needs a refresher, their assigned social worker can present at a staff meeting or simply send updated information,” said Kantar. “Sometimes we just need that refresh—especially if it’s a clinic that’s not regularly using a social worker.”
This outreach helps ensure clinic staff understand not only who their social worker is, but also how to partner with them effectively. To support this knowledge gap, Kantar and her team attend staff meetings, education days and dedicated information sessions.
Ultimately, ambulatory social workers at UK HealthCare help ensure that patients can not only receive care but fully access it. They bring a crucial perspective to outpatient medicine, recognizing that healing is shaped by the whole person, not just the medical condition.
Through advocacy, crisis response, patient education, and care coordination, they strengthen the health care system one patient and one clinic at a time.
Kudos from colleagues
"Our clinic’s ambulatory Social Worker shows such a deep commitment to our kids. She is available on a whim every day and ready to partner around solutions with families. This isn't easy work, but she does it so well and so willingly. She also equips the staff with knowledge of resources in the community so that they are empowered to help as well. Absolutely incredible advocacy." – Tracy Bonilla, MBA, Practice Manager, Pediatrics
"I'm so grateful that the social work team is committed to seeing our patients and/or directing providers to the next best step when concerns arise. Having another set of ears, eyes, and hands makes all the difference. I have seen this ambulatory Social Work team step up and out for the good of our patients." – Marie Trace, MD, Medical Director, Golisano Children’s at UK – Richmond Rd.
“Having social workers integrated into our clinic has truly elevated our ability to deliver the highest level of specialty care. Our team is exceptional – always willing to help, never shying away from challenges, and consistently working with dedication to find solutions that ensure our patients receive the support they need. We are so grateful to have them in our clinic!" – Amy S. Vittitow, MEd, Practice Manager, Medicine Specialties
"While physicians and nurses develop the clinical plan for healing, it is often our Social Workers who ensure those plans become reality. Working behind the scenes, they address the unique needs of each patient—whether through referrals, counseling, or advocacy—helping patients and families navigate the complexities of health care. Their dedication to connecting patients with resources and support structures is essential to achieving true healing. Ambulatory Social Workers are an integral part of our multidisciplinary team, making a difference every single day." – Patty Hughes, DNP, Ambulatory Chief Nursing Officer