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Case Study On Henrietta Lacks

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Religious/Spiritual References: The Lacks family identified as Christian and turned to faith for answers in times of sickness and need, “no one in Henrietta’s family ever saw a Hopkins doctor without visiting the Jesus statue, laying flowers at his feet, saying a prayer and rubbing his big toe for good luck” (Skloot, 13, 2010). The family referred to Henrietta as a spirit when they recalled the storm during her funeral which they believed was a sign from Henrietta: “As Cliff and Fred lowered Henrietta's coffin into her grave and began covering her with handfuls of dirt, the sky turned black as strap molasses. The rain fell thick and fast. Then came long rumbling thunder, screams from the babies, and a blast of wind so strong it tore …show more content…

When Galen wasn’t beating and molesting her, “Deborah pretended he was her father, and she felt like a regular little girl” (Skloot, 114, 2010). There is clear child abuse trauma that this family has yet to recover from. They may need to engage in counselling services to determine which type of treatment is best for them. The family will also need health care/ insurance to take care of and be able to afford the many health concerns that exist. Many of the Lacks’ faced the challenge of lacking adequate 6th grade level of education and would benefit greatly from an educational program. Some other services that would be essential for a social worker to engage the family in would be: family therapy or counseling, housing, or employment opportunities. There are challenges that a social worker might experience when working with the Lacks family. The lack of resources in a rural area may be one of them. Another one could be the education and language barrier. The social worker may have trouble rapport building due to the trust issues experienced by this family. The social worker must understand how important religion is to this family when engaging in practice. The social worker must take into consideration the disservice and maltreatment that has thus far been done to this family. Therefore, this could be a prolong process that requires the social worker to be patient and diligent. This can be challenging for some folks, which is why its crucial that social workers to examine the situation and their ability to effectively assist

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