Drs. Teri Petterson and R.J. Gillespie, who led integration of ACEs into pediatric practice in Portland
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PORTLAND – R.J. Gillespie, M.D., and his team are working with parents at The Children’s Clinic to interrupt the cycle of adverse childhood experiences. Health System Transformation (HST) makes this project possible – and makes preventive and lifelong health priorities, by doing things differently and promoting local innovation.
It’s part of the Oregon Pediatric Improvement Partnership sponsored by Health Share of Oregon, a coordinated care organization serving Oregon Health Plan members in the Portland Metro Area. Gillespie, a pediatrician and health professions educator, is one of the OHA’s Clinical Innovation Fellows for 2015-2016.
Adverse childhood experiences are often referred to as ACEs. It is a relatively new term for stressful events that can affect a person’s lifelong health and wellness. Statewide, about 35 percent of adult Medicaid members have had adverse childhood experiences, compared to about 23 percent of non-Medicaid adults.
“They are events that make a child feel unsafe, unsupported, or unloved,” Gillespie says. “They can affect that child’s health and mental health in dozens of different ways, including increased risk of heart disease, obesity, lung disease, smoking, substance abuse, sexually transmitted infections, autoimmune diseases, and some types of cancer.”
To continue reading, go to: https://www.thelundreport.org/content/stopping-cycle
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