February 2016

Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court Judge Frank Somerville believed at the start of his career that incarceration was a primary solution to societal ills. One of the things that you thought you could do is jail your way out of the problems. If you just put everybody in jail, everybody would get cured, we wouldnt have any more problems, Culpeper would be safer and wed save money, he said during a panel discussion last week at the State Theatre about the...

   When members of the consortium Creating Sanctuary in the Columbia River Gorge gather for a meeting, they always begin the same way. Each person will turn to the next and ask: How are you feeling today? What is your goal for our time together? If you need support in this meeting, whom would you look to for help?    It’s not just an exercise, said Trudy Townsend, coordinator of the consortium. “What we’re doing is creating community. Building...

“ Wellness and the Black Molecular Future ” is an article written by the Health and Wellness director at Dignity and Power Now . Their primary interest is for the incarcerated Black American. As I scan the web for thoughts and ideas about ACEs, I pay particular attention to nutrition. Few people are talking about nutrition specific to addressing ACEs, and although this article does not mention nutrition in the context of ACEs, it does address trauma and the Flint, MI,...

Scientists work with facts. Learning how to formulate a hypothesis, do a literature search, and read to understand the current state of the research are all positive attributes of good scientists. We question without judgment in order to test the level of knowledge the person we are talking with has. When we hear new content, we listen with attention and ask clarifying questions. If we have an alternative hypothesis, we debate in front of other knowledgeable scholars. By following this...

Representative Geran Tarr, (D-Anchorage) introduced a resolution in the Alaska State House of Representatives yesterday to encourage the governor and legislature to address ACEs in Alaska. Here is the title of the Resolution: “Urging Governor Bill Walker to join with the Alaska State Legislature to respond to the public and behavioral health epidemic of adverse childhood experiences by establishing a statewide policy and providing programs to address this epidemic.” The...

1. Child maltreatment and household dysfunction were associated with poorer academic skills and behavior at the kindergarten age. 2. Exposure to a greater number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) was associated with a higher likelihood of poor kindergarten outcomes. Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)                    Study Rundown: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as child maltreatment and household dysfunction, have previously...

Statistics say that one in four of us will experience a mental health problem each year, which in turn will affect our loved ones. If you think about it in terms of your family or mates lounging around the sitting room  à la Jim and Barbara and their clan on The Royale Family, that’s at least one person on the sofa. Then think about this: according to Broadcaster Audience Research Board’s latest figures, 88 per cent of the TV watched in the UK is linear –or...

The Veterans Affairs Department is ratcheting up efforts to address the high rate of suicide among veterans, bringing in mental health experts, advocates and affected families to formulate an “action plan” in the coming months to reduce these preventable deaths. VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. David Shulkin said Tuesday that suicide reduction is one of his top priorities, and he called on experts to help the department establish prevention initiatives aimed at getting veterans...

The percentage of young inner-city students who have difficulty paying attention at school and struggle with basic literacy skills was three times higher for children who also were victims of abuse, neglect and other trauma, according to a new study featured in a medical journal by several New Jersey researchers. Research has already shown abused and traumatized children are more likely to suffer from health problems. Less clear is how these traumatic experiences interfere with their success...

An hour or so before Thursday's sunrise, Laura Ruhling and Barbara Leonard met in a York parking lot with one goal in mind: Find homeless people living out on the streets. Years ago, the women met through York County Children and Youth Services. Leonard was a case manager while Ruhling worked for Catholic Charities, which CYS had contracted with. [For more of this story, written by Gordon Rago, go...

A parent's incarceration has immediate, devastating effects on a family. Now, Virginia Tech and University of Toronto researchers say there may be a longer term risk: Men who as children experienced a family member's incarceration are approximately twice as likely to have a heart attack in later adulthood in comparison with men who were not exposed to such a childhood trauma. The study, by Bradley White, an assistant professor with the Virginia Tech Department of Psychology, and Esme...

When it comes to preventing violence, Danny Bane holds all the aces. ACES, that is. That’s the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study done by the Centers for Disease Control. Bane says the study’s insights can change lives and he plans to use them in his job as Umatilla County’s first-ever violence prevention coordinator. Bane knows a little something about childhood trauma and violence. Alcohol affected his home life. When his beloved older sister, a young mother of four, was...