Photo by Sam Hodgson
Carver Elementary teacher Andrew Rodaniche is briefly interrupted by kindergartner Shaun Pham as he talks to his class about behavior issues. Experts believe trauma is a top indicator of misbehavior in class.
San Diego County Health and Human Services Director Nick Macchione sent a letterto his department last week detailing a sweep of training and programmatic tweaks to get his entire staff, and the services they offer, trauma-informed.
Put simply, he wants the people who provide food stamp, unemployment, mental health, Medi-Cal and disability help in the region to be better prepared to work with people experiencing trauma.
The move comes as state health leaders are learning more about the health impacts of childhood trauma.
The California Department of Public Healthreleased its first comprehensive study of childhood trauma Friday. It found 61 percent of California adults have experienced some level of childhood trauma that makes them significantly more likely to engage in risky behaviors or have costly health problems. Experiences as extreme as physical abuse or as common as having divorced parents can be factors, according to the study.
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