On July 11, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held its first-ever hearingon childhood trauma, featuring emotional testimony from survivor witnesses, as well as a number of prominent public health experts and government officials. The hearing took place just a little over a month after the announcement of the Rise from Trauma Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would fund increased services and supports for trauma-impacted children and families. (See previous MIA Report: “Bipartisan ‘RISE from Trauma Act’ Introduced to Address Childhood Trauma in America.”)
In his opening statement, Committee Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD-7) referred to the landmark 1997 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, which found unaddressed childhood trauma to be linked to a number of leading causes of death in America, including heart disease, lung disease, substance use, and suicide.
Chairman Cummings added: “Sadly, I see this every day in my city of Baltimore, where far, far too many of our community’s children are suffering severe trauma, including witnessing violence, or losing parents to violence, incarceration, or substance use.”
While Rep. Cummings acknowledged the role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other government agencies in responding to childhood trauma, he noted that “efforts at the federal level are still severely underfunded, and they do not provide the comprehensive, whole-child approach we need to combat this crisis.” Read more.
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