Clinical social worker is honored by Transplant Society for outstanding achievement
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| Michael Cervantes, LCSW, a clinical social worker in the heart transplantation program at LLUCH, is congratulated by Leonard L. Bailey, MD, chair, department of surgery, School of Medicine, after receiving the Judy Midelfort Memorial Award from the Heart and Lung Transplant Society. |
Michael Cervantes, LCSW, a clinical social worker for the heart transplantation program at LLUCH, was recognized in September by the Heart and Lung Transplant Society for outstanding achievement in his work with heart transplant patients and families.
Mr. Cervantes received the Judy Midelfort Memorial Award at the Transplant Society's national meeting in Philadelphia. He also presented two papers at the conference, and was elected to their board as historian.
The award was first given in 1995 in memory of Ms. Midelfort, an advocate for organ transplantation who died of a tumor in 1994. This is the first time the award has gone to a social worker from California.
Mr. Cervantes' peers honored him not only for his dedication to his work, but also for his constant willingness to help other colleagues with cases. Nine of Mr. Cervantes' 10 years with Loma Linda have been spent working with the pediatric and adult heart transplant programs. When a family is first referred for transplant, Mr. Cervantes conducts a psychosocial assessment. If the assessment reveals any problems in the family, Mr. Cervantes tries to provide them with resources to help them learn to deal with those challenges.
Being a transplant social worker also involves a great deal of counseling, before and after the transplant. Mr. Cervantes is also involved with counseling the families whose children have died while waiting for a transplant.
"I'm there with the family during the good times and the bad times," Mr. Cervantes says. "We always tell families that we will be with them every step of the way."
In addition to facilitating several support groups for transplant recipients and their families, Mr. Cervantes also advocates for organ donation through community education programs.