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By Kayla Lasure, Watauga Democrat, November 20, 2019 Businesses could improve their reputation, culture, employee retention and employee wellness by implementing trauma-informed practices, according to Watauga Compassionate Compassionate Community Initiative Chair Denise Presnell. WCCI is a grassroots group created by volunteers with the goal of building a trauma-informed community. Presnell spoke on behalf of WCCI during a Nov. 15 Wake Up Watauga event hosted by the Boone Area Chamber of...

Nicole Wetsman The Red River runs north, up along the border between North Dakota and Minnesota, before spilling into Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. Its water flows slowly through a 10,000-year-old glacial lakebed, in one of the flattest stretches of land in the United States, and because it points north, it’s sometimes blocked by ice jams—all of which makes the river prone to flooding . In March 2009, one such flood threatened the city of Fargo. Residents watched for a week as the...

We developed ACEs Connection's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Tool — called the Inclusion Tool, for short — to ensure that ACEs initiatives across the world focus on being inclusive when forming a steering committee, recruiting leaders, providing education about ACEs science, recruiting members, or providing resources and services within their communities. The more inclusive your ACEs initiative is, the more diverse it will be, giving your initiative a real shot at achieving equity and...

By UNC TV, November 6, 2019 UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina presents the statewide broadcast premiere of the special documentary feature Resilience: The Biology of Stress & the Science of Hope, Tuesday, November 19, at 8 PM, as part of Resilience Week—a statewide initiative to build awareness of childhood trauma, prevention and resilience. The hour-long film focuses on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), what Dr. Robert Anda and Laura Porter of ACE Interface have termed, “the...

Thanks to Judge Jay Corpening and Dr. Kim Cook who made impactful presentations to the Resiliency Task Force yesterday. Attendees learned about the different initiatives that have moved the needle of the justice system towards being more trauma-informed in the past several years such as the Raise the Age Initiative, the School/Justice Partnership, Misdemeanor Diversion Program, and Juvenile Attendance Council. There is more work to do, but it was exciting to hear about all that has been...

An ACEs Connection webinar co-sponsored with 4 CA In 2017, California became the first state in the country to pass a law supporting universal screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the 5.3 million children in the state’s Medicaid program. As clinicians around California await the state’s announcement of what this new policy will entail, many are wondering what it takes to integrate ACEs science in a pediatric practice. Meet Drs. Deirdre Bernard-Pearl, R.J. Gillespie and...

The two biggest myths about ACEs science are: MYTH #1 — That it’s just about the 10 ACEs in the ACE Study — the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study . It’s about sooooo much more than that. MYTH #2 — And that it’s just about ACEs…adverse childhood experiences. These two myths are intertwined. The ACE Study issued the first of its 70+ publications in 1998, and for many people it was the lightning bolt, the grand “aha” moment, the unexpected doorway into a blazing new...

Research has proven many significant benefits in cultivating gratitude for mental and physical health. Studies show that the practice of gratitude can increase happiness levels by an average of 25 percent and overall health by, for example, increasing the quantity and quality of sleep. Beneficial outcomes can be achieved by such simple practices as praying, writing in a gratitude journal, placing a thankful phone call, making a mental gratitude list, or writing a thank-you letter to someone.

There are still openings for the Reconnect for Resilience workshop October 3 - 4 in Asheville, NC, according to Ann DuPre Rogers, executive director of Resources for Resilience , the organization that offers the " trauma-informed and resiliency-focused programs to individuals, organizations, and communities across our state – and beyond." According to Rogers, there are a few "equity" or sponsored slots open for the workshop as well. For more information about the workshops, the equity slots,...

The 30th edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT® Data Book begins by exploring how America’s child population — and the American childhood experience — has changed since 1990. And there’s some good news to share: Of the 16 areas of child well-being tracked across four domains — health, education, family and community and economic well-being — 11 have improved since the Foundation published its first Data Book 30 editions ago. The rest of the 2019 Data Book — including the...

The attached table summarizes all of the statutes and passed resolutions that contain the words "Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)" and trauma-informed language through the end of 2018. There are nearly 60 statutes with the earliest law enacted in Washington State in 2011. The laws are categorized by subject matter such health care, education, training, and funding. If you are aware of something we missed, please leave a comment to this post.

The following are links to state reports on Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) ACEs module data. Also included at the end of the list are links to the CDC 5-state study and a 10-state plus the District of Columbia study on ACEs...