Tagged With "Cal Matters"
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New Report: ACEs BRFSS Data Report- An Overview of Adverse Childhood Experiences in California
A newly developed document titled “Adverse Childhood Experiences Data Report: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2011-2017: An Overview of Adverse Childhood Experiences in California” has just been released and can be found following link and attached to this blog post. The purpose of this resource is to report state and county prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in California; describe ACEs-related geographic and demographic disparities; and to offer details...
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Think beyond ACEs screening, advises California funders workgroup in new report
Californians have experienced an alarming epidemic of adverse childhood experiences. Between 2011 and 2017, 60 percent of Californians reported experiencing at least one type of childhood adversity; about 16 percent experienced four or more. People who experience four or more ACEs are 1.5 times as likely to have heart disease, 1.9 times as likely to have a stroke, and 3.2 times as likely to have asthma as people who have experienced no ACEs. (For more information about ACEs and ACEs science,...
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ACEs Aware Consultants for Facilitation and Report Research & Development RFQ [first5la.org]
FUNDING ALERT October 28, 2020 ACEs AWARE CONSULTANTS FOR FACILITATION AND REPORT RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) First 5 LA has released a Request for Qualifications for consultants to support ACEs Aware. The ACEs Aware initiative seeks to change and save lives by helping Medi-Cal providers understand the importance of screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and training them to respond with trauma-informed care. First 5 LA was selected by Office of...
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New Resource: Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic One-Pager (English & Spanish!)
English: The California Department of Public Health, Injury and Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and the California Department of Social Service, Office of Child Abuse Prevention’s (CDSS/OCAP) , Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative , ACEs Connection , and the Yolo County Children’s Alliance have co-created a newly developed resource, “Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic” in both English and Spanish. This material is intended for Californian families experiencing the severe...
Calendar Event
How to Start an ACEs Initiative
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Sharing the Virtual Space: A Reflection on the ACEs Aware Care Network Tri-County Leadership Convening
On Monday, October 19, 2020, over 60 leaders from Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties virtually gathered to begin weaving connections at the Tri-County ACEs Aware Care Network Leadership Convening. Under the guidance of Barbara Finch (SBC Department of Social Services, KIDS Network), Terri Allison (Moonlit Consulting), and Carl Palmer (LegacyWorks Group), participants came together with the intention of learning about local implementation of the ACEs Aware initiative,...
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A hospital builds awareness about trauma, deploys acts of empathy
In late 2018, Roberta Azzo, an operations program manager at Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center in Midlothian, Virginia, decided to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to infusing the hospital’s culture with a trauma-informed approach to care. This involves recognizing that trauma is widespread and that it can cause all kinds of troubled behavior, learning ways to de-escalate that behavior, and preventing practices that trigger patients and staff who have experienced trauma. The hospital...
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Register for the "Creating Compelling Messaging with California ACEs Data" 1/20/21 Webinar
The California Department of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and the California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention (CDSS/OCAP)’s, Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative invites your participation in a webinar entitled, “Creating Compelling Messaging with California ACEs Data” on Wednesday, January 20 th from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM. This webinar will feature presentations from Shaddai Martinez Cuestas, MPH, Strategic Communications...
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WEBINAR: Creating Compelling Messaging with ACEs Data on 1/20
The California Department of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and the California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention (CDSS/OCAP)’s, Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative invites your participation in a webinar entitled, “Creating Compelling Messaging with ACEs Data” on Wednesday, January20 th from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM. This webinar will feature presentations from Shaddai Martinez Cuestas, MPH, Strategic Communications Specialist...
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California counters hate, violence, and intolerance with Positive Parenting
January is Positive Parenting Awareness Month!
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Creating Compelling Messaging with ACEs Data Webinar Recording Available
On January 20, 2021 the California Department of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and the C alifornia Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention (CDSS/OCAP)’s , Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative hosted a webinar entitled, “Creating Compelling Messaging with ACEs Data”. This webinar featured presentations from Shaddai Martinez Cuestas, MPH, Strategic Communications Specialist at Berkeley Media Studies Group ; Donielle Prince, Ph.D,...
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Equipping Hope: A Holistic Approach to Building Trauma-Informed and Resilient Communities - $15 Mini-Event
Are you seeking support to build a truly trauma-informed school or community? Trauma-informed work is never a one-size-fits-all program. It is about building a responsive and actionable culture that is rooted in the science of Hope. Building healthy communities takes a full-spectrum approach, from building the buy-in, to implementing and sustaining the process. In this online conference, you will learn the components for building change: understanding how to develop Hope ; learning how to...
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Addressing Community and Childhood Trauma [saccounty.net]
Tuesday, January 26, 2021 In November 2018, Sacramento County was awarded a $100,000 strategic giving grant from Health Net of California. The purpose of this grant was to design training for use throughout Sacramento County departments and community agencies that address the impact of community childhood trauma and establish a standardized common language and definition of trauma. With the help of grant funds and the leadership of Supervisor Phil Serna, Sacramento County created a...
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The 'war on drugs' was a war on people of color
In the spring of 1982, Susan Burton turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with the death of her 5-year-old son, who had run into the street and was hit by a vehicle driven by an off-duty police officer . Over the course of the next 17 years, Burton was in and out of prison. “Each time I left, I felt a little more broken,” she told me recently. What would have made a difference, she said, was “if there could have been a way to have therapy from traumatic childhood events, disappointments and...
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Santa Rosa Attorney Takes On Racial Disparities Within Sonoma County Government | Sonoma Magazine
The daughter and granddaughter of leading farm labor advocates, Alegria De La Cruz is taking on the next role in her family's long campaign for social justice. https://www.sonomamag.com/santa-rosa-attorney-takes-on-racial-disparities-within-sonoma-county-government/
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Racial Equity & Student Expression in Schools [aclunc.org]
From American Civil Liberties Union Northern California, January 20, 2021 Students have organized and led a remarkable number of movements for social change. In fact, many of the protests following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police were student-led. During the Civil Rights movement, Black students like the “Little Rock Nine,” put their lives on the line for equal justice at school. Schools in California and across the country continue to limit student expression and the...
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To heal a community, let its members be the agents of change
Recently, the United States reached a sobering milestone. The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 500,000 people, surpassing the number of US soldiers who died in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined. The pandemic has closed schools, turned urban areas into ghost towns, and caused massive job loss, long food lines, more homelessness, and isolation for many shuttered indoors in response to orders by public health officials. And 2020 also witnessed numerous instances of...
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Resources for Teaching About Race and Racism With The New York Times [nytimes.com]
A curated collection of over 75 lesson plans, writing prompts, short films and graphs relating to racism and racial justice. By Nicole Daniels , Michael Gonchar and Natalie Proulx March 4, 2021 The summer of 2020 was not the first time that urgent conversations about race and racism were happening in homes, classrooms and workplaces. But the energy of the Black Lives Matter protests, believed by many to be the largest in U.S. history , was unparalleled. Though the demands and chants may have...
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My WHY I show up to do this work
I recently read a quote that @Christine Cissy White (ACEsConnection) shared that says, "Trauma informed care isn't trauma informed, without the trauma survivor." No matter what degree, training, or book you acquire you can never really know how it feels to experience trauma unless you go through it. I remember when I first discovered I had an ACE score of 7; I had been serving the community by teaching resiliency, self-healing, and breaking stigmas around mental health. I came across the...
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50,000th-member celebration filled with long-time friends of ACEs Connection, laughter, shining examples of how the ACEs movement is growing, accelerating!
Amid laughter and more than a few eyes glistening with tears, much gratitude and a chat-box filled with uplifting messages, members of ACEs Connection from around the world gathered via Zoom on March 4 to celebrate the milestone of the social networking site reaching 50,000 members. The group acknowledged founder and publisher Jane Stevens’ foresight in starting this human and digital catalyst, growing and supporting the worldwide ACEs and resilience movement and telling its authentic...
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New Resource: Strategies for Trauma-Informed School Communities
The California Essentials for Childhood Initiative is excited to share a newly developed attached, “Strategies for Trauma-Informed School Communities: Practices to Improve Resiliency in School-Aged Children and Address Adverse Childhood Experiences”. This new resource is intended to assist state and local public health programs, child-serving systems, non-profits, and philanthropic organizations in their efforts to educate about the need for trauma-informed school policies and practices that...
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Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission: Prevention and Early Intervention Forum
The California Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission 's (MHSOAC) Prevention and Early Intervention Subcommittee is hosting public events. Directed by Senate Bill 1004 (Wiener), MHSOAC is leading an effort to advance prevention and early intervention in mental health. MHSOAC is looking for input to establish priority areas for prevention and early intervention programming, develop a statewide strategy for monitoring and evaluation, and create a focused approach to delivering...
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We’ve changed our name to PACEs Connection!
We have some very exciting news! As of today, ACEs Connection is now PACEs Connection. PACEs stands for Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences.
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The State of Higher Education for Black Californians [collegecampaign.org]
From The Campaign for College Opportunity, February 2021 California has long been a land of opportunity, a place where determination and hard work are rewarded. Through the birth of the silver screen, the explosion of Silicon Valley, and countless other revolutions, California is always at the forefront of innovation and economic success. As one of the most diverse states in the Union, California has also been a place of opportunity—and challenge—for Black Californians through racist...
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Better Normal March 26: Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACEs): What Happens in Childhood Matters
Join the Better Normal webinar about PACEs and HOPE at noon PT/ 3 pm ET, Friday, March 26. This BN features Dr. Christina Bethell and Dr. Robert Sege. >>Click here to register<< At PACEs Connection, we believe in following the research. The last 25 years have been rich with breakthroughs about the impacts of childhood adversity on health and well-being. Researchers have defined adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), explored their short- and long-term impacts on health, uncovered...
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Speakers at children & youth conference call for systems change based in love, liberation
California can support children and youth by tackling the state’s — and the country’s — legacy of White supremacy and replacing it with a trauma-informed approach of love, empathy, and support.
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The pandemic is changing how we think about domestic violence, new survey shows [centerforhealthjournalism.org]
By Kellie Schmitt, Center for Health Journalism, March 24, 2021 Amid a pandemic that shined a harsh light on domestic violence , Californians are increasingly viewing these abuses as a pressing social issue, according to a new survey of nearly 2,000 adults. Two-thirds of Californians consider domestic violence a public issue rather than private family matter, and 91% of participants said domestic violence is a serious societal issue, the survey found. “This info has given some validation to...
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'Healing hikes': How one Oakland organization is making Black lives matter in nature [sfchronicle.com]
By Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, April 4, 2021 Hopeful. Alive. Connected. Joy. Those were all words used to describe how a group of Bay Area residents felt during a closing circle after kayaking in Richmond’s Marina Bay on a recent Saturday. Some attendees had kayaked before. For others, like Marisa Brown, it was their first time. The group was part of a local meetup hosted by Outdoor Afro , a national organization founded in Oakland that connects Black people to nature and...
Member
Cassie Hartzog
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ACEs Parent Handouts & ACEs One Pagers & Link to GRC (UPDATED 4/28/21)
We have so many wonderfu https://www.acesconnection.com/fileSendAction/fcType/0/fcOid/508261416693856202/filePointer/508261416693856263/fodoid/507698389112989542/Coping%20With%20Stress%20During%20the%20COVID-19%20Pandemic%20One-Pager_Accesible_English.pdf l resources shared by members. However, a few of you have asked me for help in retrieving them. Here's several of the most commonly shared ACEs handouts, info graphics and one pagers, with links to download. PLEASE share yours! I'm working...
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New Prevention Institute video about the importance of healing for health, safety, and wellbeing
Dear Friends: Hope you all have been doing well! I’m writing to share a two-minute video we’ve created to highlight the work of Heal SF, Healing City Baltimore, and St. Louis ReCAST. These groups are doing incredible work: transforming systems to support frontline workers, building community connections, and funding projects that matter to the community. Amidst the pandemic, adverse climate events, and ongoing racial injustices that have strained our mental wellbeing, community-led efforts...
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These communities are making healing happen [preventioninstitute.org]
Watch how Baltimore, St. Louis, and San Francisco are helping their communities recover from COVID-19 and other traumas. This new two-minute video spotlights how Healing City Baltimore, St. Louis ReCAST, and Heal SF (San Francisco) are building healthier communities through healing. Amid COVID-19 and social and racial injustices, these localities are supporting frontline workers, building community connections, and funding projects that matter to the community. Learn more about the local...
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California Health and Human Services Agency Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative Timeline May Revision 2021-22
Behavioral Health Service Virtual Platform (DHCS) Year One: 1. Issue request for proposal (RFP) and secure virtual platform vendor, eConsult service and direct service provider network. 2. Hire behavioral health Subject Matter Experts (SME) or issue an RFP to hire a contractor to do landscape review of current behavioral health app-based services that appeal to children and youth, selecting the best in the field to link to the platform. Years Two through Five: 1. Build statewide community...
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Resource: Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic One-Pager in English and Spanish
Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic is now available in ADA compliant English and Spanish versions! Please share the attached resource with your networks, the families you serve, or where families access meals or food boxes through the school community or food distribution centers. Here’s more information about the document: The California Department of Public Health, Injury and Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and the California Department of Social Service, Office of Child Abuse...
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Building a Restorative Restart to School in the Fall
As we look towards the reopening of in-person instruction in the fall, planning and reimagining for a restorative restart to our school systems that emphasizes student and educator mental health is a priority. In addition, there is a windfall of one-time funding coming to districts from federal and local funds for just this purpose. Recently a wise educator said to me, ‘you know, if you want to get to the hearts and minds of school leaders to make changes for the fall you need to do so by...
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Celebrating the Importance of Juneteenth [positiveexperience.org/blog]
By the HOPE Team, 6/18/21, positiveexperience.org/blog Tomorrow, June 19 th , marks the anniversary of the day in 1865 when word finally reached Texas that President Lincoln had outlawed slavery in the United States nearly two and a half years prior. Today, 156 years later, we celebrate Juneteenth for the first time as a nation. See the end of this post for more information about the new federal holiday and its long history. While we have celebrated July 4 as our day of independence since...
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Juneteenth: Commemoration of Racial Trauma and African American Resilience
The Juneteenth flag created by Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF) in 1997. (Source: Chicago.gov ) Juneteenth refers to the June 19 th date commemorating emancipation in the United States that is marked by annual celebration of African American freedom and achievement . On June 16 th of this week Congress voted to establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday to commemorate emancipation - the first new official federal holiday approved by Congress since...
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New Resource: Utilizing Data to Improve Child Wellbeing Through Community Action
A newly developed document titled “Utilizing Data to Improve Child Wellbeing Through Community Action” has just been released and can be found attached to this blog post. The purpose of this document is to identify best practices in utilizing data to monitor and evaluate child adversity, health, development, and wellbeing in order to build community support and create policy, systems, and environmental change. This resource was created in partnership by All Children Thrive - California and...
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Resource: Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic One-Pager (English & Spanish!)
English: The California Department of Public Health, Injury and Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and the California Department of Social Service, Office of Child Abuse Prevention’s (CDSS/OCAP) , Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative , ACEs Connection , and the Yolo County Children’s Alliance co-created “Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic” in both English and Spanish. This material is intended for Californian families experiencing the severe economic consequences resulting from...
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Britney Spears, PACEs, and Mental Health | Join us! | PC Reacts Live Zoom Event on Friday, August 6th at Noon PT
PC Reacts is a new series by PACEs Connection in which we look at current events through a trauma-informed and PACEs science lens. In the next episode in this series, we will respectfully and mindfully discuss issues that are adjacent to Britney Spears' public struggle with mental health, human rights, as she fights to end her conservatorship with her father. The emphasis of our conversation will be on positive and adverse childhood experiences and potential trauma experienced for children...
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The #FreeBritney Movement as an Opportunity for PACES & Mental Health Advocacy | Join Us! | PC Reacts Live Zoom Event on Friday, August 6th, 2021 at Noon PT
PC Reacts is a new series by PACEs Connection in which we look at current events through a trauma-informed and PACEs science lens. In the next episode in this series, we will respectfully and mindfully discuss issues that are adjacent to Britney Spears' public struggle with mental health, human rights, as she fights to end her conservatorship with her father. The emphasis of our conversation will be on positive and adverse childhood experiences and potential trauma experienced for children...
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Britney Spears, PACEs, and Mental Health | Join us! | PC Reacts Live Zoom Event on Friday, August 6th at Noon PT
PC Reacts is a new series by PACEs Connection in which we look at current events through a trauma-informed and PACEs science lens. In the next episode in this series, we will respectfully and mindfully discuss issues that are adjacent to Britney Spears' public struggle with mental health, human rights, as she fights to end her conservatorship with her father. The emphasis of our conversation will be on positive and adverse childhood experiences and potential trauma experienced for children...
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California advocates press for expansion of visiting rights to incarcerated loved ones
In a recent nightmare, 8-year-old Jovina dreamt that her father got COVID-19. He was getting sicker, but she and her mother weren’t able to get there in time. “There,” in her father’s case, is a cell at the California Correctional Center (CCC) in Susanville, California, nearly 300 miles from where she lives in San Jose. In Jovina’s mind are a swarm of worries about her father’s welfare, her mother Benee Vejar reports. If an earthquake shakes the Bay Area, Jovina says, “What if the building...
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Los Angeles County Supervisors Approve Therapeutic Approaches to Youth Detention [imprintnews.org]
By Jeremy Loudenbeck, The Imprint, September 15, 2021 Citing the need for “repair and healing,” members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to expand therapeutic approaches to juvenile detention Wednesday, calling on department officials to create plans for mentorships with formerly incarcerated adults, restorative justice programs and more time outdoors. The unanimously approved plan presented by Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Sheila Kuehl also directs county officials to...
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Building a mental health delivery system by the people, for the people
The state’s unprecedented investment in children and youth , which will roll out over the next few years , represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine our mental health system centered on equity and justice. California's bold action acknowledges a growing national consensus that the mental health crisis among children has become a national emergency. Key to achieving the state's vision is creating a workforce that engages people with lived experience as peer providers,...
Comment
Re: Labels v. the roots of trauma
Thank you Connie for raising this issue. There is still so much stigma and language does matter. I would be interested in working on a new glossary and promoting it in our field. I am a consultant working with a number of organizations, including the California Children's Trust , and we are also focusing on finding language that will resonate with youth.