May 2021

When people hear about the mental and physical health risks of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, one of the first questions is, “What do we do about this?” Awareness of the prevalence of adversity and the impact of stress on the brain and body leads to the possibility for prevention and response. Whether you are acting within a family, agency, organization, business or community, the next steps should be taken knowing that we will all work together to bring about change.

By Lorelei Goff, The Greenville Sun, May 26, 2021 Susan Lachmann’s ability to use art as tools for mental health defines her. “I love making something out of nothing,” said Lachmann. “It makes me a creator. That’s so empowering. And that’s so essential to me. “My life has had plenty of challenges. I nearly died in my own bathtub after a postpartum hemorrhage. I watched my house burn down holding my baby in my arms. All kinds of things. The arts are a lifeboat for me, and I don’t want to go...

By Nirmita Panchal, Rabah Kamal, Cynthia Cox, et al., Kaiser Family Foundation, May 26, 2021 Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic, children have experienced major disruptions as a result of public health safety measures, including school closures, social isolation, financial hardships, and gaps in health care access. Many parents have reported poor mental health outcomes in their children throughout the pandemic – in May 2020, shortly after the pandemic began, 29% said their child’s...

By Shanoor Seervai, The Commonwealth Fund, May 21, 2021 Many of us can recall a time we felt nervous about seeing a doctor. Maybe it was because we were wary about how much the visit would cost, or what a diagnosis would mean for our health. Now, imagine how much more stress you would feel if you had experienced trauma — from domestic violence or human trafficking, for example. Trauma survivors are the people family medicine physician Anita Ravi, M.D., cares for. On the latest episode of The...

From Education Week, May 25, 2021 The progression from kindergarten to high school graduation is intended to be a smooth trajectory for most children. Teaching is carefully calibrated so each year builds on the last and educators work hard to help students over inevitable humps, like moving to middle school. But what happens when schooling is disrupted, as it was for most students during the pandemic this past year? Students are returning to school now after enduring trauma, stress, and...

Starting in 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has tracked trauma-related state legislation that addresses childhood trauma, child adversity, toxic stress, or “adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).“ This link will take you to the NCSL Injury Prevention Legislation Database|Opioid Abuse Prevention page to access the ACEs legislation database. Here’s how you use it: Under “Topics,” choose the first topic listed (ACEs) and under “States,” choose “All States” or the...

Are Opioids Prescribed for PTSD? Opioid use is a controversial struggle in the healthcare world. While opioids provide relief from chronic pain and the harmful effects of disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), opioids can be highly addictive and cause problems later on. You may be wondering, are these drugs safe to use? Let’s take a look at some of the facts regarding opioid prescriptions for PTSD. What are Opioids? Physicians primarily prescribe opioids to treat chronic...

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately harmed communities of color and exposed longstanding disparities and injustices within our health care system and society. It is impossible to quantify the impact of the pandemic in addition to the longstanding ongoing harm caused by violence and racism. In this pivotal moment in history, we must find new ways to support healing at the individual and community level. Healing Us Together (HUT) is an innovative program that supports collective...

By Brenna Parker, Think Round Fine Arts Online, May 19, 2021 @mynumberstory via Instagram Everyone has a rare story to tell. When it comes to our Number Stories, the numbers revealed for some individuals may be the same, however, our stories behind these are in every way unique. ACEs are Adverse Childhood Experiences. The story of each number is the story of one’s ACE history, which is a score measuring the number of ACEs that occurred before the age of 18. The term comes from a 1997 study...

As a family doc practicing in San Diego, I was privileged to hear Dr. Vincent Felitti talk about his inspired development of the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE Study) and the link between ACEs and many adult mental and physical diseases directly from him only a few years after his original insight. Yet, although I had a lively clinic and learned how to manage a vast array of medical conditions over the next 25 years, like most primary care providers I never...

SIMONE KNEGO leads an ordinary life filled with extraordinary moments. As a wife, mother to six children (and three dogs), and a serial entrepreneur, she splits her time between her family, businesses, and personal growth.

Registration for the June Rise to Resilience workshop Unlearning Ableism for Educators is now available! In this workshop, we will dive into what ableism is, how it manifests within classrooms and the education system, and identify ways to challenge ableism in our practices. Register here: www.bit.ly/risejune You can watch past workshop recordings by clicking here and learn more about Rise to Resilience on the website www.risetoresilience.org. Image Description: A light pink background with...