Walk around the Kern River Valley, Oildale and parts of Bakersfield any day and you’ll see hopelessness. There’s the homeless wandering the streets, junkies searching for a fix and punishing poverty that lurks in almost every neighborhood.
For years, we’ve known there’s something cyclical about poverty, chronic drug abuse and intergenerational despair.
When I learned about a study performed by the California Department of Public Health that found Kern County mothers experienced more childhood trauma than mothers anywhere else statewide, it began to make sense.
This health issue, albeit daunting, is one that can be addressed. And steps are already being taken to fix major problems. Since the launch of our series, there have been multiple conferences scheduled locally to teach health providers about trauma-informed care, and it seems as though the community is stepping up to create better health outcomes for those who have endured substantial childhood trauma.
To read more of Harold Pierce's article, please click here.
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