Blog

By Lisa Richardson, Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network, August 10, 2020 We know from years of trauma research that our bodies and minds “perceive danger” in different ways. As a result, it’s reasonable to expect that not everyone responding to the personal, emotional and professional threats of COVID will react in the same way. Individual perception and how people process trauma has much to do with not only their current state of healing but also past events. We know that...

As the COVID-19 pandemic began its devastating sweep through African American communities in April, Andre Chapman, CEO of the San Jose, California-based Unity Care , saw a glaring need for developing a COVID-19 prevention campaign that spoke directly to African Americans. “Many of our young folks and families really didn't understand the impact of this virus, nor did they believe much of the information that was coming through the media,” says Chapman. His organization provides housing and...

Governor Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania When Governor Tom Wolf’s office announced the release of “Trauma-Informed PA: A Plan to Make Pennsylvania a Trauma-Informed, Healing-Centered State” on July 27, it was a significant milestone in the state becoming trauma-informed but only one of many over the long and storied history of addressing childhood adversity in the state. In 2005, Dr. Sandra Bloom and her Philadelphia colleagues began their pioneering work on the Sanctuary model (see Sanctuary...

By Deborah Temkin, Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy, July 14, 2020 In response to growing concerns about children’s mental and physical health, state policymakers have enacted laws to require schools to take an active role in supporting their students’ wellbeing – from requiring a minimum amount of time dedicated to physical activity, to requiring access to clean, potable water, to providing access to mental and physical health services, to implementing a range of preventative...

Please welcome our newest state community site to ACEs Connection. Pennsylvania Trauma Informed Network : Mission: To make Pennsylvania a Trauma-Informed State to better serve all residents . Vision: Pennsylvania is a state where prevention is the norm. When people do experience emotional and psychological trauma they feel respected, safe, empowered, and supported to recover and heal. Community Managers: Dan Jurman , Jesse Kohler , and Robert Reed Interested in Starting a Community on ACEs...

Tuesday, August 18th, 12-1pm PT Register HERE Culture is at the heart of a trauma-informed approach but can often feel abstract or hard to operationalize. In this one-hour interactive A Better Normal session, we will explore the role of culture in a trauma-informed approach, work through an exercise to apply these concepts, and discuss what culture looks like in our own communities and organizations. Participants will walk away with practical action steps to help lead the development of a...

August is National Wellness Month. This takes on a new significance with the presence of COVID-19, determining what this school year will look like and many of the other firsts we are facing. We, especially teachers, often operate at breakneck speed and do for others, at the detriment of our own wellness, but this fall, let’s take care of ourselves first and focus on self-care to enable us to be present for those we love, strengthen our immune system, and give ourselves a greater capacity...

In this episode of the Heart Rate Variability Podcast, Jeff and Matt discuss the science of heart rate variability, stress, and homeostasis. Homeostasis is the balance between our biology and the environment. Stress challenges homeostasis requiring a change in our mental, emotional, or physical state to respond successfully to the challenge. HRV provides a scientific way to measure how well our body responds to stress and reestablish homeostasis. ...

By Gina Paradiso Cathcart, The Pueblo Chieftain, August 8, 2020 My garden is remarkable this year; it has brought me hours upon hours of tranquility. Sometimes, I sit on the bench, located at the front, surrounded by flowers, and simply peer at all my vegetables growing. From my peppers to my pumpkins, which have slowly begun the process of turning orange, it is simply a wonderment, to me. There is one exception, of course -- my tomatoes. While the veins are green and hardy, the blossoms are...

By Rachel Swaner, Elise White, Andrew Martinez, et al., The Trace, August 2020 Despite a significant decline in violent crime nationally over the last 15 years, high rates of gun violence persist among youth in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. In 2017, over 21,000 children and teenagers were killed or injured with a gun, and gun violence was the leading cause of death among Blacks ages 1-19 (Children’s Defense Fund 2019). Data show that young people are both the primary victims (e.g., Xu...

By Mallory Warner-Richter and Christina M. Lloyd, Child Trends, August 6, 2020 Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for all families, especially those caring for young children with disabilities. Of the 24 million children under age 6 in the United States, about 5 percent (1.2 million) have a diagnosed disability, which qualifies them for early intervention or special education services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 1 IDEA categorizes 13...

By Abigail H. Gewirtz, Stephen J. Cozza, Kenneth W. Kizer, JAMA Pediatrics, August 10, 2020 The United States has been continuously at war for nearly 2 decades, during which time some 2.7 million Americans have answered the call to arms. Such prolonged conflict is unprecedented in US history. Also unprecedented is the number of service members of the National Guard and military Reserve forces who have left their families to deploy to the battlefields of southwest Asia. As a result of these...