Ben Retta was a high school student when he first took an internship in the Social Work department at Children’s Health.

A teacher had recommended the job, knowing that Ben was working at a daycare center in Old East Dallas and enjoyed interacting with children.

And that one internship launched a decades-long career in social work.

“Seeing the kids develop, seeing them learn, it was something that brought me joy,” said Ben, now the Senior Director of Social Work at Children’s Health. “That sparked my interest in human behavior and human development, and ultimately, it led me down a path to pursue a career in social work.”

For more than two decades, Ben has been part of the leadership team of social workers at Children’s Health as the hospital system and North Texas continued to grow.

Now, the team counts about 70,000 patient encounters each year, helping support families as they balance the financial and logistical pressures of having a kid in the hospital and cope with life-changing diagnoses, new realities and unexpected hospitalizations.

Social workers connect families to external and internal resources to ease their burdens; distribute funds to help families access necessities like food, clothing, medication and lodging; conduct mental health assessments and crisis counseling; help to deescalate situations; and support families to become comfortable in their hospital surroundings.

Their support is available every day and is not reimbursable by insurance. Instead, the critical services social workers provide rely on philanthropy to remain available and to serve the increasing number of patient families at Children’s Health.

“I’ve seen a lot of evolution in the Social Work department, but it’s always been about helping families,” Ben said. “Our work is about the entire wellness of the family, not just the physical wellbeing of the child.”  

WHY ARE SOCIAL WORKERS CRITICAL TO PATIENT AND FAMILY CARE?

Social Work is a service that is offered at the hospital 24/7 because these experiences that happen to children and families aren’t confined to Monday through Friday. Traumatic experiences – whether physical or emotional – happen all the time.

And social workers are here to stand alongside families when those events happen to them.

HOW DO SOCIAL WORKERS HELP OUR HISPANIC POPULATION AT THE HOSPITAL?

We help with cultural brokering. For our providers who don’t come from communities or backgrounds where they’ve had experiences with different cultures, it is the social worker who helps explain why there’s a certain reaction from a parent and why parents and guardians may not be asking questions.

As a social worker, you develop highly sensitive empathy skills. And with that, you have the responsibility to help others understand what these families are going through. 

That’s why we pay attention to policy. That’s why we pay attention to politics. And that’s why we become advocates for families who are marginalized and live on the fringes, whether it’s because of their race or socioeconomic status.

WHAT IS A GOOD DAY FOR YOU AT CHILDREN’S HEALTH?

A good day is when I arrive here early enough to see team members on the night shift leaving the hospital and walking through the skybridge to their cars. I can tell that they’re tired and decompressing from a 12-hour shift. But I also see how fulfilled they are to have done their duty to serve others for half the day, and that is inspiring.

WHAT IS MAGICAL ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR TO YOU?

As we approach the holiday season, the generosity of the North Texas community is on full display as individuals, families, church groups, service organizations and companies provide gifts of all varieties to our patients and their families. Through our Child Life gift drop-off, the Adopt-A-Family Holiday program and patient family holiday meals, we ensure that their spirit of generosity extends our mission of making life better for children.

I see it as validation of Children’s Health’s place in the community as an organization that helps families from all walks of life do their best in overcoming the adversity their children face. For me and my family, it reminds us of the many ways we are blessed, and it compels us to share our blessings with others.