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ACE scores — a broad health indicator linked to childhood trauma — are far from common knowledge, said Megan Stilwill, a pediatrician and ACE interface master trainer. And that’s a problem. “It’s quite possibly our greatest public health risk,” Stilwill said. “This information is incredibly powerful — it can help people make sense of their lives.” One's ACE score can be determined through a simple, 10-question survey of early life trauma. It breaks down into three categories — abuse, neglect...

The Health and Social Care Committee said the first 1,000 days were critical, but not enough was done. It warned cuts to children's centres, health visiting and services to support parents had left families vulnerable. Nearly a third of children are not "school ready" by the time they reach five, because they have not developed the necessary skills and behaviours. The cross-party group wants the government to pay for extra contact with health visitors beyond the age of two-and-a-half. The...

Dear Oprah: Please forgive my rather unconventional way of reaching out to you. It has been almost twenty years since we met and you created an entire program around my book series Ten Talks Parents Must Have With Their Children – focused on parent-child communication to promote healthy relationships and keeping children safe from violence and drug misuse. After my appearance on your show, I became the developer for a ten year national campaign called “Can we talk?” funded by the Centers for...

The racist photo in the medical school yearbook page of Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia has probably caused many physicians to re-examine their past. We hope we are better today, but the research is not as encouraging as you might think: There is still a long way to go in how the medical field treats minority patients, especially African-Americans. A systematic review published in Academic Emergency Medicine gathered all the research on physicians that measured implicit bias with the Implicit...

NPQ’s webinar series on “remaking the economy” focuses on innovative, emerging models of inclusive and equitable economic development and the ways communities throughout the country are integrating them. A major part of the case for remaking the economy is that the current system leaves millions behind, and nearly every metric of economic inclusivity points to the need for a dramatic shift. It is imperative that nonprofits lead the way in charting this new course—and not just a moral...

Undocumented immigrants in California are at high risk for mental health challenges, but local governments aren’t doing enough to ensure they get care, according to a new report . Researchers with the health advocacy organization California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) interviewed leaders from 12 county behavioral health departments across the state, along with non-profit mental health providers, legal aid organizations and community-based groups. The researchers documented widespread...

America’s growing rate of economic inequality is more than a numerical ratio that worries economists or a trendy political talking point. The phenomenon has been linked to human tragedies ranging from higher murder rates to growing gaps in life expectancy . Add death by opioids to the list. In recent years, social scientists have been debating why more people have been dying from drug overdoses. Does the increased availability of highly addictive opioids fully explain the rise? Not entirely,...

Dissociation, sometimes also referred to as disassociation, is a term commonly used in psychology that refers to a detachment from your surroundings, and/or physical and emotional experiences. Dissociation is a defense mechanism that stems from trauma, inner conflict, and other forms of stress, or even boredom. Dissociation is understood on a continuum in terms of its intensity, and as non-pathological or pathological in regard of its type and effects. An example of non-pathological...

In a growing number of states, patients who get opioids for serious pain may leave their doctors’ offices with a second prescription — for naloxone, a drug that can save their lives if they overdose on the powerful painkillers. New state laws and regulations in California , Virginia , Arizona , Ohio , Washington , Vermont and Rhode Island require physicians to “co-prescribe” or at least offer naloxone prescriptions when prescribing opioids to patients considered at high risk of overdosing.

A third of African American males are outright excluded from many job opportunities before even getting an interview. Tens of millions of Americans, from all places and heritages, experience the same built-in disadvantage in our workforce. They all have a felony conviction. And even more Americans face the same discrimination from a misdemeanor or less. According to a January 2018 report from Pew Charitable Trusts, the number of U.S. residents with a felony record increased significantly in...

How does epigenetics relate to child development? New resource from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child explains. Science tells us that the interactions between genes and environment shape human development. “Epigenetics” is an emerging area of scientific research that shows how environmental influences—including the experiences we provide for children—actually affect the expression of their genes. This means that the old idea that genes are "set in stone" has been disproven. Nature...

CRI hosted a training in Everett recently, focusing on the power of self-love and acceptance. As a branch of our Course Two material- CAREER, an acronym for Celebration, Affirmation, Regulation, Expectation, Education, and Education- we focused the day on Affirmation. Teri brought in arts and crafts, scrapbook paper, and our friends came to participate in making bookmarks. The day started with the song, "How Could Anyone" . How could anyone ever tell you You were anything less than beautiful...