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By Barbara Feder Ostrov, California Healthline, January 7, 2020 Starting this year, routine pediatric visits for millions of California children could involve questions about touchy family topics, such as divorce, unstable housing or a parent who struggles with alcoholism. California now will pay doctors to screen patients for traumatic events known as adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, if the patient is covered by Medi-Cal — the state’s version of Medicaid for low-income families. The...

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have a profound impact on children’s development, increasing risk for chronic disease and mental illness. The Support, Connect, and Nurture (SCAN) project was developed to address the impact of ACEs on the health and well-being of children and families in Pueblo, Colorado. Located at Southern Colorado Family Medicine Residency Clinic (SCFM) and in partnership with Catholic Charities Diocese of Pueblo, the SCAN intervention included the following...

ACEs and toxic stress represent a public health crisis that has been, until recently, largely unrecognized by our state’s health care system and society, but there’s hope. Together, we can screen for ACEs, respond with trauma-informed care, and significantly improve physical and mental health across the state. All Medi-Cal providers are encouraged to get trained today . Beginning on January 1, 2020, eligible Medi-Cal providers can receive a $29 payment for conducting qualifying ACEs...

By Cooper Levey-Baker, Sarasota, December 19, 2019 Mimi Graham has spent her life fighting for kids. She began her career in the late 1970s as a Head Start administrator before moving into the world of academia to study child development and advocate for public policies that improve the health of mothers and children. Today, she’s the director of Florida State University’s Center for Prevention & Early Intervention Policy, a position in which she advises government agencies and...

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett, California Health Report, December 20, 2019 California health officials are gearing up for the launch of a statewide screening effort that aims to help doctors measure children’s exposure to trauma and their risk of related health problems. Starting Jan. 1, California will become the first state in the nation to reimburse health care providers who screen patients enrolled in the Medi-Cal program for “adverse childhood experiences” or ACEs. The $40 million effort has...

The Relevance of Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences in Pediatric Practice MD Dowd - Pediatric Annals, 2019 [HTML] Trauma-Informed Care in Pediatrics : A Developmental Perspective in Twelve Cases with Narratives J Strait, S Meagher - The Permanente Journal, 2019 Adverse childhood experiences among foster parents: Prevalence and association with resilience , coping, satisfaction as a foster parent, and intent to continue … ME Cooley, B Womack, J Rush, K Slinskey - Children and Youth...

Now that we know that trauma early in life can have a significant impact on an individual’s health and wellness throughout their life, health care organizations are beginning to focus on providing more trauma-informed care. Screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in pediatric, clinical settings promotes early intervention and can be a tangible entry point for organizations interested in providing trauma-informed care. The Center for Community Health and Evaluation is a nonprofit...

California is about to launch an ambitious campaign to train tens of thousands of Medi-Cal providers to screen children and adults up to age 65 for trauma, starting on January 1, 2020. It is well-established that the early identification of trauma and providing the appropriate treatment are critical tools for reducing long-term health care costs for both children and adults. Research has shown that individuals who experienced a high number of traumatic childhood events are likely to die...

By Allison Laffan, Kaela Byers, Julie McCrae, et al., Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, 2019 As the pediatric healthcare field innovates to address social determinants of health and help families meet concrete needs, electronic health records can serve as an important tool for quality improvement and evaluation. Variation in systems, staff knowledge, skills, and availability of resources present barriers to realizing the full potential of this tool. Addressing these barriers...

Will screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in California be mandatory? No, but it’s recommended. Will there be training for physicians and staff on how to screen? Yes. Who will be reimbursed for screening patients in California? Physicians who serve patients in the state’s Medi-Cal program — for now. For more answers to these and other questions that surfaced during a Dec. 4 webinar introducing Californians to a new statewide initiative, read on. Come January 1, California will...

By Sammy Caiola, Capital Public Radio, December 9, 2019 California health officials want children and adults on Medi-Cal to get screened for traumatic childhood events that can cause negative health effects down the line. Now the state has started giving doctors and nurses tools to do the screenings. People who experience adversity early in life have much higher chances of substance abuse, depression, or chronic diseases than their peers, according to national research. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s...

The Department of Health Care Services and the California Office of the Surgeon General are hosting a webinar of the Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Advisory Committee’s Provider Education and Engagement Subcommittee. Subcommittee members will discuss a draft Request for Proposal (RFP) released for public comment as part of the ACEs Aware initiative. The draft RFP invites external organizations to apply for grants to support provider training activities, provider engagement activities...