Tagged With "mental health"
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National Homeless Youth Awareness Month (November 2014) Resources from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Each year more than 1.6 million children are homeless at some point in their lives, and that number is increasing ( The National Center on Family Homelessness ). Along with losing their home, community, friends, and routines as well as their sense of...
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New Alaska ACEs data reinforces importance of investment in early childhood
Pat Sidmore, our expert for all things data and ACEs and a planner for the Alaska Mental Health Board, Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, has collected new data that outlines when Alaska's children (0-17) acquire their ACEs. The slide below paints a pretty grim picture showing that our children are accumulating 50 percent of their ACEs before the age of 3, and more than 26% of them before the age of 1. Please feel free to share this slide as you see fit.
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New Federal Opportunities to Advance Two-Generation Approaches to Improving the Lives of Children and Parents [ascend.aspeninstitute.org]
Because of recent legislation passed in February and March of this year, the federal government will be providing significant new funding to state and local governments in 2018 and future years through an array of programs serving low-income children and parents. These new funding streams, and the legislations’ increased focus on improving outcomes using evidence-based approaches, create a remarkable opportunity for path-breaking governors and local leaders to transform how government...
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New Grant Opportunity & Program for Bay Area Health Centers: Resilient Beginnings Collaborative
In partnership with Genentech Charitable Giving, the Center for Care Innovations is excited to launch the Resilient Beginnings Collaborative . We’ll select 5-7 Bay Area organizations to participate in this 24-month learning and action community dedicated to addressing childhood adversity in pediatric safety net care settings. We’ll provide access to technical expertise, in-person convenings, site visits to exemplars, and coaching, as well as $80,000 grants to each participating team. If you...
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New Health Resiliency Stress Questionnaire debuts for pediatricians, family practice, internal medicine...but anyone can use it
There's a new ACEs-resiliency survey in town! It came out of a conversation between two physicians having a conversation on a bus. Here's the story about how it was developed, and how to use it. Pilots were done in a pediatric clinic, internal medicine, addiction treatment center, group therapy, and psychiatric practice. It's now being used in two community clinics.
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NEW HRSA Funding Opportunity! Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program
[Ed. note: This is from Hae Young Park, Acting Director of the Division of MCH Workforce Development, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration] We are pleased to announce a new notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program. Please share broadly with your stakeholders and grantees. The purpose of this program is to promote behavioral health integration in pediatric primary care by supporting the development of...
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New Member of Congress—Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL)—brings laser focus on toxic stress at hearing on immigration
At a March 6 hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) addressed the impact of family separation on the mental and physical health of children at the border. Her questions to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen focused on the impact of toxic stress caused by family separation on short and long-term health outcomes for children. Sec. Nielsen was unfamiliar with the concept of “toxic stress.” Here’s a short description of the 6-minute exchange...
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New organization calls all pediatricians to end crisis that's "hiding in plain sight"
When the question of screening patients for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) was first raised a couple of years ago, Santa Barbara pediatrician Andria Ruth had mixed feelings about it.
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New Report Calls for Statewide Coordinated Response to Protect New Jersey's Children from Adverse Childhood Experiences [finance.yahoo.com]
By PR Newswire, Yahoo Finance, July 30, 2019 NEWARK, N.J., July 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report released today details the challenges New Jersey faces in addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and sets forth opportunities and actions for a coordinated statewide response to mitigate their lasting effects on children's health and well-being. ACEs are stressful or traumatic events, including abuse, neglect, domestic violence, household mental illness, household substance misuse,...
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New Resource Center Dedicated to Helping Providers Address the Health Effects of Trauma
The new Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center offers a one-stop information hub for health care providers and other stakeholders interested in learning about and implementing trauma-informed care.
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New Screenings for Childhood Trauma Raise Hopes, Questions [calhealthreport.org]
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...
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New Sesame Street Tools Help Build Resiliency [rwjf.org]
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Sesame Workshop share a common vision of giving all children—especially the most vulnerable among us—a strong and healthy start in life. We know that childhood experiences lay the foundation for children to grow into productive and successful adults, and promoting healthy behaviors and supporting families from the very beginning can help kids thrive. But it’s equally important to address challenges that can undermine their healthy development. That’s...
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New Study Reveals Annual Cost of Childhood Adversity in California Is Approximately $113 Billion [prnewswire.com]
SAN FRANCISCO , Jan. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ The Center for Youth Wellness announces the release of an in-depth study on the health-related cost of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the state of California . A number of studies have investigated the cost of child maltreatment, but the current study, entitled " Adult health burden and costs in California during 2013 associated with prior adverse childhood experiences ," is the first to examine the cost associated with adult health...
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New survey paints dire picture of challenges black moms face in health care system [centerforhealthjournalism.org]
A new California survey of pregnant and new mothers paints a bleak picture of what it’s like to be a black mother. In Listening to Mothers in California, black mothers reported not being heard by their health providers and said they experienced discrimination during childbirth. They also experienced higher rates of anxiety and depression during and after pregnancy than white women. The findings add fuel to a growing sense of urgency on maternal health. On Wednesday, California Gov. Brown...
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New Video Explores “What is Trauma-Informed Care?”
In this new animated video, meet “Dr. Cruz,” who addresses these questions and shares what she has learned about caring for patients with exposure to trauma, including abuse, neglect, and violence.
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Next "A Better Normal" community discussion series: April 3, 2020/ Maternal health and pediatrics in the time of COVID-19
Steve Sack • Star Tribune The "Better Normal" community discussion for Friday, April 3, 2020, features two wonderful staff members from ACEs Connection: Karen Clemmer, community facilitator for the Northwest, Far Northern California, Alaska and Hawaii; and reporter Laurie Udesky, who is also community manager for the ACEs in Pediatrics community on ACEsConnection.com. Karen Clemmer Join them at noon PT/ 1 pm MT/ 2 pm CT/ 3 pm ET and share your thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns, and...
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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...
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No ACEs, low resilience worse than high ACE and resilience scores, study finds
What does measuring resilience tell us about pregnant women who have experienced ACEs? For one thing, it affirms that understanding how a mom-to-be weathers difficult experiences gives greater meaning to her ACE score and what it might mean for her children. That was one of the takeaways from a recent study in the Journal of Women’s Health entitled “ Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mental and Behavioral Health Conditions During Pregnancy: The Role of Resilience ,” says Dr. Carey Watson,...
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Nominate a Trauma-Informed Care Champion: #TICchampion
Becoming a trauma-informed organization requires clear communication about the transformation process, and support from staff at all levels of an organization. Often these efforts are spearheaded by “trauma-informed care champions”— individuals committed to raising awareness regarding the health effects of trauma and toxic stress and improving care for people who have experienced trauma. This week, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) invites you to recognize people around you who...
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NPPC News and Resources
As 2019 comes to a close, we wish you a peaceful and healthy holiday season. As trauma-informed healthcare practitioners, this is also a time to acknowledge that the holidays can trigger loneliness and anxiety -- so please take time to care for yourself and perhaps provide extra support for your patients and families. As always, below you’ll find other news, webinars and resources we hope you find helpful for your ACEs screening efforts. Medi-Cal Funding Available for ACEs Screening Starting...
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WEBINAR - NPPC's Pilot Site Case Studies: Lessons Learned from ACEs Screening Implementation
The Center for Youth Wellness' National Pediatric Practice Community on ACES (NPPC) is a co-designed community committed to collaborative learning. To promote this learning, we have been working with six pilot sites over the last year, representing practices of various sizes and service delivery settings, to implement ACEs screening and intervention. On Monday, December 2nd at 1pm PT , we will be holding a webinar to discuss the findings of these pilot site case studies. To attend, please...
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NPPC shares lessons learned and results from ACEs screening pilot sites
For Dr. Mercie Digangi, a pediatrician at Kaiser Southern California in Downey, CA, ACEs screening provided a crystal clear before-and-after in how she changed treatment plans for her pediatric patients, she explained to attendees of a December 2 webinar organized by the National Pediatric Practice Community on ACEs (NPPC) and cosponsored by ACEs Connection. Dr. Mercie Digangi One case that turned ACEs screening into a never-go-back moment for her was a three-year-old who was speech-delayed.
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Nurturing relationships in childhood boost adult mental health, relationships
We're proud to announce major research that suggests that positive childhood experiences — such as supportive family interactions, caring relationships with friends, and connections in the community — are associated with reductions in chances of adult depression and poor mental health, and increases in the chances of having healthy relationships in adulthood. This association was true even among those with a history of adverse childhood experiences.
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One way Childhood Trauma Leads to Poorer Health for Women [news.osu.edu]
By Jeff Grabmeier, Ohio State News, September 17, 2019 Researchers have long known that childhood trauma is linked to poorer health for women at midlife. A new study shows one important reason why. The national study of more than 3,000 women is the first to find that those who experienced childhood trauma were more likely than others to have their first child both earlier in life and outside of marriage – and that those factors were associated with poorer health later in life. The findings...
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Opinion: All Doctors Should Practice Trauma-Informed Care [calhealthreport.org]
By Bob Erlenbusch and Drew Factor, California Health Report, November 20, 2019 “Adverse childhood experiences are the single greatest unaddressed public health threat facing our nation today,” Dr. Robert Block, former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has been widely quoted as saying. According to the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, conducted in the 1990’s by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Kaiser Permanente, adverse childhood experiences are common,...
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Opinion: Screenings Alone Won’t Prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences—We Must Address Community Trauma [calhealthreport.org]
By Rachel A. Davis and Howard Pinderhughes, California Health Report, December 19, 2019 Earlier this month, California’s Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris launched an ambitious campaign to reduce adverse childhood experiences, which can cause lifelong health problems. With more than 60 percent of Californians saying they were exposed to a traumatic childhood event, adverse childhood experiences are at crisis levels in the state. The ACEs Aware campaign will train and pay health care...
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Opioid-Related Critical Care Resource Use in US Children’s Hospitals [Pediatrics]
News headlines and clinical studies alike show the wide reach of the nation's opioid epidemic. In this article in the journal Pediatrics , it shows how the opioid epidemic is striking children. Please read it and also comment in the comment section below about any of the following: As health care providers in pediatric practices, how is the opioid epidemic impacting your patients? How can ACEs screening and referral to resources make a difference? Many thanks, Laurie Udesky Community site...
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Oxytocin Blunts Social Vigilance in the Rhesus Macaque (But this is the end of the last Talk I just listened to).
I'm listening to Van Der Kolk, MD (My Hero!!!!) tell us what he has to say about Stephen J. Suomi's talk: "Thanks Steve, I am really delighted that these presentations are being video taped and the reason why I...
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Parent Handouts: Understanding ACEs, Parenting to Prevent & Heal ACEs (English)
Please see the main post for these parent handouts in the ACEs Connection Resources Center. These two flyers ( Understanding ACEs and Parenting to Prevent & Heal ACEs ) can be downloaded, distributed, and used freely. One is brand new and the other is a revision. Both flyers were made with generous support from Family Hui, a Program of Lead for Tomorrow. Translations of these flyers are in progress and will be shared by Family Hui and updated on ACEs Connection when available.
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Parent Handouts updated and available In Dari, English & Spanish
The updated parent handouts are now available in Spanish as well as English and Dari. Here's the blog post with links to all three versions of each flyer. All versions of the Understanding ACEs and Parenting to Prevent & Heal ACEs parent handouts can be downloaded, distributed, and used freely. Both flyers were made with generous support from Family Hui, a Program of Lead for Tomorrow, who is responsible for making the Spanish and Dari translations available. These are updates of the...
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Re: Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., M.S. Ed on “Using Trauma Informed Care and a Strength Based Approach to Reach Teenagers and Build Resilient Kids and Communities,” Tuesday October 28th 6-8 PM
He is great and he has a book called " Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings" In fact I was going to post something from Healthychildren.org on resilience. I will just post it here. Building Resilience in Children The world can be a frightening place. As a parent, I am constantly aware of choices that I make to minimize my perception of fear and uncertainty. Death, illness, divorce, crime, war, child abductions, tsunamis, and terrorism — both here and abroad...
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Re: Resource List -- Research & Reports
Here is an additional working paper that may be useful: Adopting ACEs Screening and Assessment in Child Serving Systems Drawing information from four research studies addressing adversity and trauma, CAFRU researchers share early lessons and findings documenting trauma effects with those in three service systems: early learning and K-12 education, primary health care, and youth development. Click here for the full PDF text .
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Re: The Economic Cost of ACEs in Tennessee (SycamoreInstituteTN.org)
ACEs in Peds community: I copied this post here because I believe it's pertinent for any stakeholder interested in how costs of ACEs are calculated. I'd also be interested in finding examples that show the savings associated with providing ACEs and toxic stress interventions and supportive services. Is your health care organization collecting data that shows such metrics as reduction in ER visits, etc.? If so, I'd like to hear from you..
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Re: Pediatric Symposium at National ACEs conference offers lessons learned and the way forward
I can see other problems with ACE screening - since those with high ACEs are at greater population risk for early death, PTSD - folks could be denied life insurance, could be denied entry into the military and many people where I grew up have high ACEs and went into the military as the only way to escape poverty. We know ACEs are not destiny. It could be used to deny people the tight to a hunting rifle. It’s a way to classify and stigmatize others. I’m not sure this is a good idea at all. As...
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Re: Fighting Compassion Fatigue with CONNECTION
I'd love to learn more about the activity that you presented. I am working in a community health clinic in Los Angeles and am training the staff in each department on The Basics of ACEs Science and Resilience. We aim to prevent burnout, CF, and STS but also are working on improving the quality of life for our staff. The larger vision is to integrate this approach with staff so that when we introduce the patient care side, they will have already experienced it for themselves. I'd love to...
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Re: Change Package is Now Available!
I have to ask... Does the National Council feel they have their work mostly completed getting State “behavioral health” organizations effectively trauma-informed? Thanks
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Re: I’m Sick of Asking Children to Be Resilient [nytimes.com]
I am sick of it too. I am a Diaper Bank Member of the National Diaper Bank Network, a national non-profit founded by Joanne Goldblum in 2011. See Huggies Every Little Bottom Study/2010. One in three mothers continue to report they struggle to afford an adequate supply of diapers to diaper their babies. I first became aware of "diaper need" when I started working at a Food Bank after retiring from maternity nursing. Since then, I've learned that mothers who elect to bottle feed, may find...
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Re: NJ medical school program requires all first-year students to learn about ACEs science
Bravo! Great work!!! This work improves patient care and builds resilience in medical students. A path to control stress and prevent burn out in medicine and the health care system. We need more physicians like Dr. Pletcher. Suzanne Frank,MD Santa Clara County,CA ACEs Network Steering Committee
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Re: So you've screened for ACEs...Now what?
Margaret, Thanks so much for posting this. I think the more discussion about ways to address the questions posed in this post, the easier it will be for health care providers to move forward on implementing ACEs screening.
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Re: Review of ACE studies confirms supporting parent-child relationship is key
Dear, Dr. Ariane Marie-Mitchell, Please contact Megan V. Smith PhD of Yale University. Diaper Need is an ACE. Add diaper need to the WCA. Calista Scott, MSN, Director Diaper Bank of Skagit County (WA) Member of the National Diaper Bank Network http://www.nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org
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Doctor-patient role-playing featured in ACEs Connection webinar
On an ACEs Connection webinar on Monday, Dr. Andrew Seaman, an assistant professor at Oregon Health & Science University, showed how he navigates his students through the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). And, in an unusual twist for a webinar, Seaman and O’Nesha Cochran, a peer mentor with the Mental Health Association of Oregon, role-played doctor-patient interactions to show how to develop the skills to communicate with patients with high ACE scores. About 90 people...
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Doctor-patient role-playing featured in ACEs Connection webinar
On an ACEs Connection webinar on Monday, Dr. Andrew Seaman, an assistant professor at Oregon Health & Science University, showed how he navigates his students through the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). And, in an unusual twist for a webinar, Seaman and O’Nesha Cochran, a peer mentor with the Mental Health Association of Oregon, role-played doctor-patient interactions to show how to develop the skills to communicate with patients with high ACE scores. About 90 people...
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Doctors and teachers could team up to reduce stress in schools [reuters.com]
(Reuters Health) - - Partnerships between teachers and doctors could help students and school staffers better deal with “toxic stress,” suggests a former teacher turned doctor. Pediatricians can help build resilience in both children and teachers to counter the effects of traumatic childhood experiences, poverty and violence, Dr. Kavitha Selvaraj of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago writes in the journal Pediatrics. “Before I was a pediatrician, I was a teacher, and...
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Doctors are burning out and trite ‘wellness’ measures aren’t helping [CenterForHealthJournalism.org]
“I'm already beat. The trick is to not let the caring get to you.” These were the words recently uttered by one of my physician colleagues, referring to the stresses of caring for patients in the world of modern health care. The weariness was clear over the phone. Without missing a step, I responded, “I know. Of course.” It took me weeks to realize that it might be concerning that I immediately empathized with her sense of being submerged and overpowered by an uncaring health care system.
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Doctors, Is It O.K. if We Talk About Why Finger-Wagging Isn’t Working? [nytimes.com]
Doctors give a lot of very good advice. Over the years, my primary care doctors have suggested better eating habits, more exercise, improved sleep hygiene, not carrying such a heavy shoulder bag, even exercises to improve my posture. The problem is, I am not sure I have ever made any changes in my behavior as a direct result. That would not come as a surprise to Ken Resnicow, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “Finger-wagging doesn’t work,” he said. “There’s...
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Documentary Broken Places uses archival footage to tell stories of ACEs and resilience over time
Why do children exposed to the same level of adversity in childhood have different outcomes? Why do some thrive and others become completely damaged? These were the kinds of burning questions that prompted filmmaker Roger Weisberg to produce the documentary Broken Places , which was shown in a private screening at the 2018 National ACEs Conference in San Francisco. The film delves into the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that each of the adults profiled in it endured first as children.
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Donna Jackson Nakazawa Chats Live with Jane Stevens & You: Nov. 14th
Featured Guest: @Donna Jackson Nakazawa Topic: Well-Being, Self-Care & ACEs Date: November 14th, 2017 Time: 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST Where: Here / Chats Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an winning researcher, writer and public speaker on health and family issues. She explores the intersection between neuroscience, immunology, and the deepest inner workings of the human heart. Her most recent book, Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal , examines...
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Dozens of Kaiser Permanente pediatricians in Northern California screen three-year-olds for ACEs
Since August 2016, more than 300 three-year-olds who visited Kaiser Permanente’s pediatric clinics in Hayward and San Leandro have been screened for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as living with a family member who is an alcoholic or losing a parent to separation or divorce. But when the idea to screen toddlers and their families for ACEs was first broached at the Kaiser Permanente Hayward Medical Center, the staff were, in a word, “angsty,” says Dr. Paul Espinas, who led the...
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Dozens of stakeholders representing thousands of practitioners send public comments on Calif. ACEs-screening plan
Update: We posted this story on Tuesday evening and received a response from the Department of Health Care Services Wednesday that clarifies additional information. DHCS information Officer Katharine Weir said that subject to budget approval by the legislature and the governor: The reimbursement rate will be $29. Federally Qualified Health Centers will also be reimbursed for screening pediatric patients for trauma through Prop 56 funds and federal matching funds. In response to a question...
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Dr. Claudia Gold: Empathy & Listening as ACE-Informed Practice
"You are absolutely not doomed from having ACEs."