Tagged With "Alive and Well Communities"
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Oregon bill takes preventive approach to psycho-social-spiritual impacts of climate change
A hearing will be held on April 3 on a recently introduced bill ( SB 1037 ) to create a task force to determine how to make resilience training available to all Oregonians in response to climate change. Under the bill, an 18-member task force would be created to study aspects of psychological, emotional, and psychosocial resilience education and skills training. The Oregon members of the International Transformation Resilience Coalition (ITRC), including ITRC coordinator, Bob Doppelt, have...
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Organizing Your ACEs Initiative: Steps to Growing A Resilient Community
The information below is to be used as guidance for how local ACEs initiatives can structure and organize themselves. We’ve gathered this information from experiences in communities and on ACEs Connection; we've pulled examples of things that work & lessons learned along the way. We want your input — in the comments section, please share with us things we have missed, examples of what’s working for you, and any lessons you have learned and would like to share with the members of ACEs...
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Plan to attend! Mandated Reporter Training March 17th 9 am to noon
"Have No Fear, Mandated Reporter Training is Here" Stop Child Abuse: See the signs, Make the call. FREE Come learn who is mandated by law to report suspected child abuse, how to make a report and why it can make all the difference to an abused or neglected child. This training is for those who -by law- are mandated to have this training as well as those who have had zero to minimal training on the mandated reporting laws. RSVP NOW! Call or come by: 340 North Main Street, Suite A Ukiah, CA...
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Plumas Charter partners with El Dorado County
Taletha Washburn, left, the executive director of Plumas Charter School, and Special Education Coordinator Lori Hahn, announce that Plumas Charter school has partnered with the El Dorado County Office of Education Charter SELPA to better provide services for its students with special needs.
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Trauma Sensitive Approaches to the COVID -19 Response
We at Alive and Well Communities wanted to take a moment to present some considerations for how our community responds to COVID-19, through the trauma lens. These suggestions assume that additional core institutions will close and/or must limit the ways they typically engage with community members. It is also assumed that a number of community members will have to self-quarantine and “shelter in place.” These suggestions are guided by the principles of trauma informed care: trustworthiness,...
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University students seeking counseling learn about their ACEs
Dr. Diane Suffridge, a clinical psychologist and director of the University Counseling Services at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif., has been interested in trauma for many years. But last summer that interest took a sudden and interesting turn. A student counselor she advised had written a research paper on the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) health and mental health outcomes in foster youth, and it gave the student a new view of the patients she counseled at the...
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Update on Bumper Crop of State ACEs bills in 2017—46 bills in 20 states
The latest update of state legislation considered by state legislatures in 2017 reveals the growing interest by state policymakers across the country in addressing trauma across sectors. The attached “At-A-Glance” table shows 46 bills in twenty states reference Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) or trauma-informed policy and practice. Take a look at the attached “At-A-Glance” table and leave a comment if your state considered ACEs/trauma legislation that is not included here. A handful of...
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Updated Community Health Assessment now available [Humboldtgov.org]
The Community Health Assessment (CHA), a comprehensive overview of the health of the Humboldt County community, was presented at the Board of Supervisors meeting this afternoon. The Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Public Health report looks at traditional public health measures of illness, mortality, nutrition and physical activity in the community. The CHA also includes data about income, housing status, community safety and access to care, as underlying...
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PLEASE READ! Vacancy: Self-Worth in the Mind of a Childhood Abuse Survivor
The feeling of having a healthy supply of self-worth is something I can only imagine might have been more readily available, natural and automatic if I was able to see that in myself as a child. As an adult survivor of childhood abuse, self-worth was not supplied in healthy doses while growing up.
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Virtual Screening of Broken Places on March 21st & Registration for ACEs Connection Members!
Please join us on Thursday, March 21st for a special virtual screening of Broken Places , the latest U.S. documentary on early childhood trauma and resilience. The film will be offered via a private Vimeo link with passcode to all registered members of ACEs Connection, for free, accessible in the United States and internationally. REGISTER TODAY: To register, please visit : https://goo.gl/forms/apdoINwgtQmydEXK2 The viewing portal for the film will open on Vimeo at 6am EST and close at 11pm...
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Walla Walla City and County Proclamation
This week, Teri Barila of CRI kicked off October is Resilience Month with two proclamations- one with the city of Walla Walla, and the other with the county. Teri, accompanied by Tod Sullivan, met on Monday with the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners to discuss efforts in increasing community-wide resilience, including raising awareness about trauma and ACEs and strengthening community partners. Teri and Tod spoke to the important role of community- above individual resilience- in...
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We Need a Healing Movement
What if you had developed a cure for the most painful and costly public health problem in America, you had proven that it worked, and you were offering it for free, but could not reach those who need it most because no one wants to talk about the problem? Tragically, this is my reality and the truth about human nature. It is easier to suffer in silence than acknowledge the painful things that happen to us. Over 20 years ago, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Kaiser...
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Webinar 4/24 at 11 AM hosted by: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
This is an invitation to a webinar on April 24 th at 11am PST , hosted by the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services (NACRHHS). If you work in a rural county, or a county with significant rural areas - this may be of interest. NACRHHS is a 21-member citizens' panel of nationally recognized experts who provide recommendations on rural issues to the Secretary of the Department. This webinar will present findings and recommendations from a Policy Brief on Understanding...
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Webinar Oct. 17 — Integrating ACEs science in pediatrics: Early adopters share lessons from the field
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...
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Who Cares for the Caregivers?
(A written version of a presentation given at the February Sonoma County ACEs Connection meeting.) Sonoma County ACEs Connection is trying out a new meeting topic focusing on personal stories. There are three reasons why personal stories are useful and powerful. The first is that people like and learn from stories. People learn in different ways, and Powerpoint presentations aren’t for everyone. The second reason is that we’re hoping to involve more members by encouraging them to share their...
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Why I'm Passionate About ACEs Awareness
When I was 42, I landed on my butt so hard I couldn’t imagine how it had happened. I found out that the beliefs and relationships I had built my life on and around were all lies, and my world and worldview came crashing down around me. From that place of desolation, at what was rock bottom for me, I had to figure out what was true and not true, what was right and wrong for me, who I was – not who I had become to be acceptable to others. I needed to figure out who was with me and to what...
Ask the Community
Seeking trauma-informed medical care
On the chance that someone here can offer a referral or advice, I'm looking for a trauma-informed medical doctor who can be my wife's Primary Care Physician. She is 39 years old and has gone without medical care for over 27 years as a result of her childhood trauma which involved severe neglect and long-term social isolation. I need to find a physician who is willing to communicate with me before her first appointment so I can fully explain her condition and what kind of approach will best...
Calendar Event
Nurse to Nurse Bullying: A Sepsis in Healthcare (Webinar)
Calendar Event
RSVP Now!
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Trauma Informed Yoga Outreach Training (Oakland, CA)
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Understanding Trauma through the Science of Resilience
Reply
Re: Fun meetup in Oakland!
It was so good to meet you Rachel. Wishing you well in your new projects. Hope to see you again. Rona
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Re: T2's third "Rage, Reflection & Restoration Circle" on March 15
Thank you for posting Jane! We have had several circles and our youth and family healing teams are planning a lovely March event focused on staying well in resistance movements and a focus on the sacred medicines of collective group process and actions.
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Re: Oswego police tout collaboration with Kendall Health Department [ChicagoTribune.com]
From the full article: “As we became an accredited agency it required our police officers to work on best practices,” Burgner said. “We relied heavily on the health department to initially give us training on how to identify and react in the field and help people get the treatment and services they need.” The partnership has grown over the years to include training on behavioral health such as developmental disabilities, substance addiction and adverse childhood experiences as well as...
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Mental Health Awareness: When Suffering Is Not an Illness
When I was an adolescent and young adult, I struggled with depression. As I reflect back on that time, so much of what I was experiencing was deeply tied to coming to terms with my sexuality. Growing up in the 1980’s in a relatively conservative town, I was closeted (even to myself) until I was a young adult. The pain and fear of being different, of not belonging, of being judged or rejected for who I was more than my adolescent brain could wrap its conscious head around.
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Experts Fear Increase in Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders [nytimes.com]
By Pooja Lakshmin, The New York Times, May 27, 2020 After going through a harrowing bout of postpartum depression with her first child, my patient, Emily, had done everything possible to prepare for the postpartum period with her second. She stayed in treatment with me, her perinatal psychiatrist, and together we made the decision for her to continue Zoloft during her pregnancy. With the combination of medication, psychotherapy and a significant amount of planning, she was feeling confident...
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"Addiction begins with solving a problem, the problem of human pain, emotional pain"
In his groundbreaking book , In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction , trauma and addiction expert Dr. Gabor Maté writes, “There are almost as many addictions as there are people.” ACEs Connection founder and publisher Jane Stevens read that quote as a springboard to asking Maté to define addiction and explain whether or not it is always rooted in adverse childhood experiences. Maté, along with filmmaker Michelle Esrick and Saturday Night Live star Darrell Hammond,...
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Pediatric Mental Health Care Must Be Family Mental Health Care [jamanetwork.com]
By Matthew G. Biel, Michael H. Tang, Barry Zuckerman, JAMA Pediatrics, April 6, 2020 Pediatric mental health (MH) concerns, including depression, anxiety, loneliness and social isolation, and suicide, have increased markedly in the last decade and are critical factors associated with population health. While effective interventions for these conditions have been developed and pediatric health care professionals increasingly address MH concerns as a central component of clinical practice, our...
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COVID-19 Batters A Beloved Bay Area Community Health Care Center [californiahealthline.org]
By Rachel Sheier, California Healthline, June 11, 2020 A small band of volunteers started the Marin City Health and Wellness Center nearly two decades ago with a doctor and a retired social worker making house calls in public housing high-rises. It grew into a beloved community resource and a grassroots experiment in African American health care. “It was truly a one-stop shop,” said Ebony McKinley, a lifelong resident of this tightknit, historically black enclave several miles north of the...
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Ready to join All Children Thrive - California?
Learn about the statewide All Children Thrive Initiative. Fact sheet and enrollment contact included.
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Cracked Up, The Evolving Conversation: Generational Trauma - Breaking the Cycle [crackedupmovie.com]
CRACKED UP THE EVOLVING CONVERSATION Episode 4: Generational Trauma - Breaking the Cycle with Darrell Hammond, Comedian, actor, SNL Legend Michelle Esrick, Filmmaker, activist Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Author of The Body Keeps the Score Jane Stevens, Founder of ACES Connection and special guest Jane Fonda Academy Award-winning actor, producer, author and activist Thursday June 25th at 1pm PDT / 2p MT / 3p CT / 4pm EDT Hosted by ACEs Connection THE PRICE OF THIS LIVE EVENT IS $12.50 We have...
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ACEs screening is about building relationships, says early adopter
Whether or not to screen for ACEs in primary care is an important debate—and I hear and respect the passion from both sides of the argument. I fall in the “pro-ACE assessments” camp, but with some important caveats. I think that assessments for ACEs are dramatically different from screening for autism or developmental delays. In my opinion, assessments for ACEs in primary care should be primarily about building relationships.
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"A Different Distribution of Power": ACEs, Trauma and Resilience Networks Sharpen Focus on Racial Justice and Equity
For the leaders of Sarasota Strong (or "SRQ Strong") Florida, anti-racism work isn’t about inviting people of color to tables long-occupied by white professionals fluent in academic jargon and theories of change. It’s about venturing, with humility and openness, into spaces where Black people worship, work and live. Helen Neal-Ali from SRQ Strong. Photo courtesy of Andrea Blanch. Which is why, before SRQ Strong even had a name or held a formal event, educator/minister Helen Neal-Ali launched...
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Unbecoming an Armadillo: Recovering from Trauma with EMDR
Unbecoming an Armadillo By: Victoria F. Burns, PhD, LSW Victoriafrances49@gmail.com Instagram: @betesandbites “When you are traumatized, you are basically in a permanent defensive mode” — Gabor Mate I’m sitting across from Meg on her charcoal grey love seat. My forearms are resting on a velvety mustard-yellow throw cushion and I’m holding crescent shaped pulsers in each hand. Meg’s my psychologist; a rare gem who specializes in chronic illness and trauma. Every two weeks, we spend an hour...
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State budget signed [childrennow.org]
Hello 4CA friends – Sending a quick update on the state budget. Please add on if you have more/different information – thanks! The short story is that many of the worst cuts that were discussed were NOT enacted in the final budget, which is good news. Some of the items most related to childhood trauma include: The final budget rejects the May Revise proposal to reduce $4.5 million General fund from the Black Infant Health Program . While there will be no cuts to Prop 56 Medi-Cal supplemental...
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Regulation Before Education: Trauma-Informed Schools
Regulation Before Education: The Roots and Fruits of a Trauma-Informed School July 29-31st | 12:00 - 3:00pm EDT These times are unsettling in many ways. But the disruptions have widened opportunities for different ways of being, thinking and doing in education. The trauma-informed schools movement has never been more relevant. Schools committed to cultivating trauma-informed change can successfully buffer the adverse effects of the pandemic, economic collapse, and persistent racial...
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21st Century CA School Leadership Academy grant press release (SCOE)
Sonoma County Office of Education 06/29/2020 - School leaders from Sonoma, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, and Napa counties will soon have access to expanded high-quality professional development opportunities thanks to a $3.4 million federal grant awarded to the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) in collaboration with the University of Washington’s Center for Educational Leadership (CEL). This grant will allow SCOE to build on existing work done in partnership with CEL over the last three...