The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with special attention to the needs of people and communities who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. Social workers have an ethical obligation to address the health care needs of these groups and advocate for change to ensure access to quality care. The profession’s mission is rooted in core values, which have been embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history and which highlight social work’s distinct purpose and perspective. These values – service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, compassion, integrity and competence – constitute the foundation of social work and underlie the practice of social work in health care settings. This book is the most updated and comprehensive reference guide of its kind covering the diverse field of health social work. This will be an excellent resource book preparing social workers for the present and future challenges of practice in the field of health care.