Tagged With "Adela Ames Lopez"
Blog Post
A Welcome Message from the Commissioner of New Jersey's Department of Children and Families
Dear NJ Resiliency Coalition Community Members, One of my favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou. She said “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” This statement gives permission and grace for us to change our thinking, change policies, and change the world we live in. During my earlier work as an Assistant Commissioner with the Department of Children and Families (NJ DCF), and then in my work at Casey Family Programs, research about adverse childhood...
Blog Post
New Jersey Appoints National ACEs Expert to Head Office of Resilience
June 9, 2020, Trenton, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) today announced that Dave Ellis has been named as Executive on Loan to the State of New Jersey, functioning as the first Executive Director for the Office of Resilience within DCF. Ellis will share his expertise with the state and coordinate statewide efforts to prevent, protect against, and heal from the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs are stressful or traumatic events, including...
Blog Post
The Relentless School Nurse: America's School Nursing Crisis Came at the Worst Time
This article from The Saturday Evening Post shares a brief history of school nursing from one pandemic to the next, and I (Robin Cogan) am honored to have my work included. I never spoke directly to Nicholas Gilmore, the journalist. He listened to a podcast I did on RN-Mentor and read recent blog posts about COVID. It has taken a pandemic for the nation to understand the importance of school nursing. I can only imagine what the original school nursing pioneers, Lillian Wald and Lina Rogers,...
Blog Post
Weekly Highlights
Native American Heritage Month When COVID-19 hit the Navajo Nation, it limited students’ educational opportunities after schools closed, eliminated essential school services, exposed ongoing inequities, and made health and economic hardships families face worse. Navajo health officials said COVID-19 started spreading across the nation after a tribal member attended a basketball tournament in early March then went to a church revival the next day in Chilchinbeto, a small community south of...
Blog Post
NJ medical school program requires all first-year students to learn about ACEs science
In 2015, Dr. Beth Pletcher, a pediatrician and associate professor specializing in genetics, was at the annual conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Washington D.C. when she heard two speakers that forever changed her work with medical students. Dr. Beth Pletcher “I went to two talks on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that were so mind-boggling to me that I decided on my drive back to New Jersey that I had to do something about it,”says Pletcher, director of the Division...
Blog Post
*NEW PUBLICATION* Chronic Disease Among African American Families: A Systematic Scoping Review
Chronic diseases are common among African Americans, but the extent to which research has focused on addressing chronic diseases across multiple members of African American families is unclear. This systematic scoping review summarizes the characteristics of research addressing coexisting chronic conditions among African American families, including guiding theories, conditions studied, types of relationships, study outcomes, and intervention research.
Blog Post
Ernie Davis becomes the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy
‘Winning the Heisman Trophy is something you just dream about. You never think it could happen to you’ Ernie Davis, a two-time All-American halfback at Syracuse University, lived a short life as a result of leukemia. He died at age 23 in 1963, but managed to lead his high school basketball team to a 52-game winning streak, help Syracuse win its only national football title and become the No. 1 pick in the 1961 NFL draft. On Dec. 6, 1961, he became the first African-American to win the...
Blog Post
Nelson Mandela Is Released
On February 11, 1990, African National Congress leader and future South African President Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison after being held for 27 years. In a speech given on the same day of his release, Mandela said “In conclusion I wish to quote my own words during my trial in 1964. They are true today as they were then: I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in...
Blog Post
Dr. Natalia Tanner was the first African American board certified pediatrician in Detroit, Michigan.
Dr. Natalia M. Tanner, M.D: The first African American to be accepted into the residency program at the University of Chicago. The first African American woman fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The first African American on the staff of Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. The first woman and African American to serve as president of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Natalia M. Tanner, M.D. built a long and distinguished career in pediatrics.
Blog Post
Juliette Hampton
Healthy racial identity development among older white youth is a bit more complex. Often, white students must come to understand that society attaches meaning to their whiteness and that they have a choice about how to be white in a multicultural society. The American Civil Rights Movement was a movement of the people. Black and white, male and female, Jew and Christian, rich and poor -- ordinary people who came together across differences to advance this nation's core value of equality and...
Blog Post
Century-Old Summer Camp for NYC Kids to Close Amid YMCA's $100M Financial Hole. $5 million needed to save camp
I've been with DCF for nearly 15 years and for the first 10 years or so I was a child protection worker, and while in that role, I sent numerous children to YMCA Camp Huguenot . The experiences had by my kids at Camp Huguenot was LIFE CHANGING! It saddens me to know that so many children will no longer be able to attend Camp Huguenot and reconnect with friends especially during these trying times. The Greater New York YMCA said that because of pandemic losses to the tune of $100 million, the...
Blog Post
Sheryl Sandberg |Malala Yousafzai |Angelina Jolie |Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Sheryl Sandberg The Facebook COO is responsible for pioneering the "Lean In" movement with her 2013 book encouraging women to excel in the workforce. Through her prominent position at Facebook, her work with the Lean In Foundation and Women for Women International Board, Sandberg is outspoken about the setbacks and inequality women face in the workforce. She also teamed up with Gloria Steinem to empower young girls following the 2016 presidential election . Malala Yousafzai The courageous...
Blog Post
The Relentless School Nurse: I am a School Nurse in an Urban Rich Community
The urban richness of Camden, New Jersey Whenever I am asked where I work, I describe my community as urban. Starting today, I will use the term urban rich, thanks to a conversation I had with Dwana Young, a new colleague from the New Jersey Office of Resilience . We were engaged in a lively conversation about the exciting work happening in New Jersey and envisioning possibilities for innovative collaborations. Once again, I described my Camden, New Jersey school community as an urban...
Blog Post
Malala Yousafzai
At age eleven, Malala Yousafzai was already advocating for the rights of women and girls. As an outspoken proponent for girls’ right to education, Yousafzai was often in danger because of her beliefs. However, even after being shot by the Taliban, she continued her activism and founded the Malala Fund with her father. By age seventeen, Yousafzai became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her work. Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. Mingora...
Blog Post
What I’ve learned this year: A North Jersey epidemiologist reflects | Opinion
For much of the past few weeks, I’ve been asked to comment on what we have learned as we mark the pandemic’s one-year anniversary from the perspective of an epidemiologist. But I’ve yet to be asked to comment on what I, personally, have learned. When I contemplated that question, I’m deeply, deeply saddened that collectively, we have learned new terms like epidemiology, rate of transmission, and case-fatality rate; but we haven’t come to terms with the fact that we are a country built on...
Blog Post
Sen. Booker, Reps. Adams & Underwood Introduce Black Maternal Health Week Resolution
22 Co-sponsors in the Senate and over 47 in the House join resolution to raise national awareness of the state of Black maternal health in the United States. WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representatives Alma Adams (NC-12) and Lauren Underwood (IL-14) introduced a resolution recognizing Black Maternal Health Week, “to bring national attention to the maternal health crisis in the United States and the importance of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among Black...
Blog PostFeatured
The Newark Trust for Education Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (SSLE) Summit: May 10-13th
The Newark Trust for Education is proud to present the third annual Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (SSLE) Summit: Covid-19 & Beyond! This year’s summit will focus on working together with students and families to create safe and supportive learning environments post pandemic. Over the course of four days (May 10th – 13th) participants will hear keynote remarks delivered by experts including Karen L. Mapp, Ed.D. , Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education;...
Blog Post
"Resilience and the Human Spirit: Our Legacy to Infants, Children and Families!"
This year's conference is at no cost, but we are encouraging all to make a donation to the Todd Ouida Children's Foundation at: http://www.mybuddytodd.org/donation.htm Click HERE to register SEE AGENDA AND EVENT FLYER ATTCHED.
Blog Post
Adela Ames-Lopez unanimously confirmed as Trenton health director
Adela Ames-Lopez, a former director at the state Department of Children and Families, was confirmed Tuesday night as health director in a sweeping 7-0 vote. She had been serving in an interim capacity since being appointed in January to replace Shakira Abdul-Ali, who left for another job. “You’re gonna learn about me,” Amez-Lopez told legislators. “I’m the voice.” Amez-Lopez faced no opposition but a flurry of questions from West Ward councilwoman Robin Vaughn. Vaughn wanted to ensure that...
Blog Post
THE BENEFITS OF BEING VACCINATED
In recognizing Nurses Week, and School Nurse Day, as an urban community school nurse, I am strongly encouraging you in urban communities to become vaccinated. This COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of so many of our loved ones especially in under-served under-privileged communities. Many are hesitant and resistant in becoming vaccinated with reasons as diverse as the neighborhoods. Awareness and access is critical in turning the tide in this pandemic. Research and science supports...
Blog Post
'Absolutely defeated': Black nurses struggle with mental health support while battling Covid-19
(CNN) Throughout Olivia Thompson's 12-hour shift as a cardiac and Covid-19 nurse in Chandler, Arizona, she closely monitors the oxygen levels of several patients at a time and works with other medical specialists to heal them. For some, no amount of care Thompson gives prevents them from being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. "There were times where I was dreading going to work because of the unknown," Thompson said. "Am I going to be a good nurse for my patients? Am I going to make a...
Blog PostFeatured
ACEs Training Opportunities
Building Self-Healing Communities – Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences Join us for a 3-hour session on the impact of childhood trauma and its implications across the life course. The session with be interactive and will include small and large group dialog, reflection and time for questions and answers. Come ready to actively participate and engage with others on this journey! The Office of Resilience is presenting 3 great opportunities for you to engage in this transformative...
Blog Post
NJ Community of Care Consortium
Join us for a discussion with Dave Ellis, Executive Director for the Office of Resilience with the NJ Department of Children and Families (DCF). Hear about New Jersey’s efforts to prevent, protect against, and heal from the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACESs) and opportunities for collaboration and family engagement. Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2021 Time: 10:00 am to Noon Location: Virtual Register: https://tinyurl.com/8dp4ruzm More detailed agenda will soon follow. For any...
Blog Post
Reclaiming the Narrative of Black Fatherhood
Fathers play a critical role in the healthy development of children and families. This is why it's important to address structural and systemic barriers that prevent Black men from being fully present in their children's lives—so that all families have a chance to thrive. My wife and I have been married since 2019, but we’ve known each other since we were 14-year-olds. We are raising a blended family. She has a daughter who is 9 and a 7-year-old son. I have a son who is 8, and together we...
Blog Post
Launching June 23: The Actions 4 ACEs Awareness Campaign [Actions4ACEs, NJ ACEs Collaborative]
Note: This notice was sent out today, Tuesday, June 22, from Dave Ellis, Executive Director, Office of Resilience, New Jersey. Since it may be of interest to others outside New Jersey, I'm sending it along. There will be a post about the event in PACEs Connection. Dear Colleagues and Friends, I am excited to share that the Actions 4 ACEs campaign will launch tomorrow! Actions 4 ACEs will raise public awareness about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the simple - yet powerful - actions...
Blog Post
Community listening session on white supremacy, domestic threats, & youth extremism with The Division on Civil Rights (DCR)
DCR listening Sessions on White Supremacy Extremist will cover groups in the state, with the specific focus on how youth are recruited to these groups, the role social media plays in that recruitment, and how individuals and the community are harmed by these groups' hateful actions. These listening sessions are part of uplifting our 27 Youth Bias Taskforce Recommendations. Register: Wednesday, July 14th 6:30pm – 8:30pm - Click Here for Zoom Registration For those that are unable to attend...
Blog Post
Newark, NJ cop uses 'empathy, compassion' to save suicidal teen on roof
NEWARK — An officer was commended for removing a window and climbing out onto a roof to talk a teenage girl out of jumping. Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara said Officer Elijah Melvin was part of the response to a report of "family trouble" at a home in the South Ward around 5 p.m. Wednesday. He spoke to the girl, who said she was upset about the loss of an older brother. Read More: NJ cop uses 'empathy, compassion' to save suicidal teen on roof | ...
Blog Post
Finding Peace in the Midst of Brokenness: Anonymous Blogger
In honor of mental health month I ask myself this question: What is something you need to start saying “yes” to? To most individuals the answer is very simple; minute. Unfortunately for an over thinker and self-doubter like I this is a loaded questions which constitutes a complex answer. My old self wants to run as fast as I can and hide until the question goes away, but the new me is ready to face it head on. So here it goes. I need to start saying yes to MYSELF! Over the past few months,...
Blog PostFeatured
RISE From Trauma Act - $4.8 billion grant program
We are in a full court press to support the bi-partisan RISE From Trauma Act and appreciate your engagement! This week’s national and state sign on letter to Senate leadership featured dozens of organizations from around the country. Now we need many voices from throughout your state to increase the number of Senate co-sponsors. Please reach out to your two U.S. Senators to co-sponsor the RISE From Trauma Act. There are two key actions: 1. At least one person from your state needs to make a...
Blog Post
There are no perfect parents!
"Parenting is a learned skill, but society says as parents we can only talk about the good things that happen while parenting. It judges parents based on the child’s behavior, clothing and their school attendance. Children are judged by their parent’s behavior, clothing and choices. There is no shortage of blame, shame and judgment to go around. So what happens when a parent has a high ACE score and they want to truly prevent their children from having the same? What happens when they want...
Blog Post
Willis & Friends—The New AAP Policy Statement Advances Relational Health
Date and time Wed, August 18, 2021 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PDT This livestream series, hosted by David Willis, MD, FAAP, a Senior Fellow at CSSP, will explore Early Relational Health About this event In our third conversation in this live stream series, we will discuss the American Academy of Pediatrics’ updated policy statement "Preventing Childhood Toxic Stress: Partnering with Families and Communities to Promote Relational Health." Building beyond the toxic stress framework, this seminal...
Blog Post
ACEs Training
We have two more trainings left!!! Register NOW!! Building Self-Healing Communities – Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences Join us for a 3-hour session on the impact of childhood trauma and its implications across the life course. The session will be interactive and will include small and large group dialog, reflection and time for questions and answers. Come ready to actively participate and engage with others on this journey! The Office of Resilience is presenting 3 great...
Blog Post
Educators share strategies to help students, staff heal from pandemic trauma
The stress, fear, grief and loneliness of the pandemic has weighed hard on school-aged children. Some 31 % of parents reported worsening emotional health among their children, according to a report by the JED Foundation . In addition, there was a 31% jump in mental health emergency room visits for teens between 12 and 17 from 2019 to 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . And it’s little wonder. At least 43,000 children have lost a parent to COVID,...
Blog Post
New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference 2021
We’re back! The 2021 NJAEYC Annual Conference is scheduled for October 21 at the Hilton Meadowlands, New Jersey. We are changing the conference to one day this year and still plan on reaching as many early childhood educators as possible. The theme of this year’s conference is The Comeback Conference 2021. For additional information contact Helen Muscato, Conference Coordinator at (732) 329-0033 or online at mail@njaeyc.org Are you a student? Click here to apply to be an Annual Conference...
Blog Post
The Hidden Biases of Good People: Implicit Bias Awareness Training
The Dibble Institute is pleased to present an introductory webinar by Rev. Dr. Bryant T. Marks Sr. of the National Training Institute on Race and Equity , which will provide foundational information on implicit bias. It will focus at the individual level and discuss how implicit bias affects everyone. Strategies to reduce or manage implicit bias will be discussed. Broadly speaking, group-based bias involves varying degrees of stereotyping (exaggerated beliefs about others), prejudice...
Blog Post
Here's what a return to school means for student mental health and what to do to help
Aedy Miller & Josh Friedman | Cherry Hill Courier-Post With South Jersey students back in school — some for the first appreciable time in 18 months due to the pandemic — educators are once again seeing the effects of a different public health emergency: the ongoing mental health crisis. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of mental health issues — such as anxiety, depression, suicidality and substance use — had already been getting worse. Between 2009 and 2019, overdose deaths increased...
Comment
Re: Examples of Current Trauma-Informed Judicial Systems
I registered for this session but couldn't attend. I am very interested in this topic and in introducing the concept of trauma-informed justice to my colleagues on the bench. By any chance is there a video or slides available? Thanks so much for this excellent programming.
Blog Post
ACEs Trainings Presented by The Office of Resilience
Building Self-Healing Communities – Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences Join us for a 3-hour session on the impact of childhood trauma and its implications across the life course. The session will be interactive and will include small and large group dialog, reflection and time for questions and answers. Come ready to actively participate and engage with others on this journey! The Office of Resilience is presenting SIX great opportunities for you to engage in starting January 2022.
Blog Post
Juvenile Justice Commission Funding Opportunity - Entrepreneurship Program
The Juvenile Justice Commission is releasing this funding opportunity as they seek to establish a contract with an individual, agency, or business entity that will implement an entrepreneurship program at a Commission secure facility and at multiple residential community homes (RCH). Contracted services will be provided at the Secure Juvenile Facility New Jersey Training School in Monroe Township, Warren RCH in Oxford, Albert Elias RCH in Bordentown, and at Costello Preparatory Academy RCH...
Blog Post
California’s first surgeon general, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, resigns
California’s top physician is stepping down. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, who became the state’s first surgeon general in 2019, announced her resignation Tuesday, her office confirmed. Dr. Devika Bhushan, chief health officer, will serve as acting surgeon general. Gov. Gavin Newsom thanked Burke Harris for “the impactful initiatives and frameworks she has put in place as California’s first-ever surgeon general.” “Dr. Burke Harris’ expertise and leadership in championing equity, mental health and...
Blog Post
Webinar: ACEs - A Promise or A Peril: To Screen or Not to Screen, That Is the Question [njaap.org]
Join us Wednesday, March 9th at 9:15 - 10:30 AM ET Agenda: · Commissioner welcome · National debate about whether to screen for ACEs in the clinical setting. · Risks associated with ACEs screening in pediatric primary care settings · ACEs through an equity lens Click Here To Register! Christine Norbut Beyer, MSW has been Commissioner of the NJ Department of Children and Families since 2018. She is redefining the agency as a prevention-focused, child and family serving department, with a...
Blog Post
Webinar: ACEs - A Promise or A Peril: To Screen or Not to Screen, That Is the Question
Over 800 registrants! Join us Wednesday, March 9th at 9:15 - 10:30 AM ET Agenda: · Commissioner welcome · National debate about whether to screen for ACEs in the clinical setting. · Risks associated with ACEs screening in pediatric primary care settings · ACEs through an equity lens Click Here To Register! Christine Norbut Beyer, MSW has been Commissioner of the NJ Department of Children and Families since 2018. She is redefining the agency as a prevention-focused, child and family serving...
Blog Post
Cultivating Access, Rights, and Equity (CARE) Grant Program
A Notice of Grant Opportunity (NGO) for the Cultivating Access, Rights, and Equity (CARE) Grant Program has been published at nj.gov/labor/grants . This program seeks to increase New Jersey workers’ awareness of and equitable access to paid family and medical leave, earned sick leave, and related rights. We hope you will share this announcement with your networks. Paid family and medical leave benefits, also known as Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance, are available to eligible...
Blog Post
EARLY RELATIONAL HEALTH SUMMIT: JOINING HANDS TO PROMOTE FOUNDATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS FOR EVERY CHILD
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2022 THE PALACE AT SOMERSET PARK 333 DAVIDSON AVENUE FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ 08873 Click here to register Join us at the 2022 Early Relational Health (ERH) Summit to hear from national experts and learn how foundational relationships between young children and their caregivers impact physical health, child development, social well-being, and resilience. This summit is designed to bring together forward-thinking pediatric healthcare professionals, early childcare providers,...
Blog Post
Cumberland County Children's Health Virtual Resource Fair
Join us virtually for an introduction to the Children's Inter-Agency Coordinating Council and the Organizations that participate! MAY 2, 2022 11 AM - 1 PM VIRTUAL PRESENTATION ZOOM LINK: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Children's Health Virtual Resource Fair Join us virtually for an introduction to the Children's Inter-Agency Coordinating Council and the Organizations that participate! CUMBERLAND COUNTY CHILDREN'S INTER-AGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL (CIACC) PRESENTED BY: FAMILIES, SCHOOL PERSONNEL,...
Comment
Re: Autism Awareness Month
Unfortunately I think this shift is more performative than meaningful. Their website still uses person-first language, talks about "treatment", uses pathologizing language, and has a number of images and text content that depicts autism through the medical model of disability. Here are a number of Facebook pages of disabled, autistic, and/or neurodivergent people who advocate and share their experiences so folks can defer to the experiences/perspectives of actually disabled and autistic...
Blog Post
Funding Opportunity - 2023 Celebration of Womanhood Conferences
The New Jersey Governor’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Committee is releasing this funding opportunity to provide two (2) regional Celebration of Womanhood Conferences (1) Northern and (1) Southern. To provide females, 15-24 years old, in New Jersey the opportunity to participate in a conference that will increase their awareness of self-development; expand on the positive aspects of being female and what they can achieve; and provide community resource information.
Blog Post
For non-white Americans, canceling student debt is racial justice
TAYLOR JUNG | NJ Spotlight More people of color borrow than white counterparts, adding to racial wealth gap. For New Jersey school psychologist Norma Reyes, not having to make her student loan payments the last two years has been a “blessing.” While the Biden administration pushed back payments to the end of August and is expected to make a student loan announcement in the coming weeks, the looming and unclear future of her debt is unsettling. “However, those loans are still there. And it’s...
Blog PostFeatured
The People’s Gathering - Healing NJ Together - September 22, 2022
The NJ People’s Gathering is a first of its kind, open, online learning collaborative conference, being held on September 22, 2022 , to bring together people from all walks of life to discuss healing solutions to the big issues affecting New Jersey’s communities: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Collective trauma from the COVID-19 pandemic Youth mental health and wellbeing Material Needs (homelessness, hunger) being experienced within our communities Substance Use Issues Racism,...