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With the upcoming task force formed by Senate Bill 1517, I am confident Oklahoma has taken a major step forward in overcoming the high rate of adverse childhood experiences that affects our residents. For those of you not familiar with ACEs, this is the study of childhood trauma and the associated health-related conditions that follow into adulthood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a tremendous impact on...

The first few years of life are crucial in establishing a child’s path toward—or away from—health and well-being across the entire lifespan. A report, produced in partnership with the University of California, San Francisco, examines some of the barriers to health equity that begin early in life, and promising strategies for overcoming them. Key Findings Poverty limits childrens’ and families’ options for healthy living conditions. Poverty can limit where children live, and can lead to...

There is no doubt that the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences study by Anda and Felitti has shifted the landscape of how we think about childhood. The ACEs study established the link between early adverse experiences and later negative outcomes. A brief overview of the key areas of early adversity included in the ACEs study are: (1) physical abuse, (2) sexual abuse, (4) physical neglect, (5) emotional neglect, (6) having a parent with a mental illness, (7) having a parent with substance...

The Journal Record hosted the paid roundtable “Trauma in Oklahoma – What Has Happened to Us and What Do We Do Now?” The panel featured mental health and childcare experts, who discussed how trauma affects the mental health of Oklahoma residents and how therapy and awareness can lessen its effects. The Healthy Minds OK Business Roundtable partners sponsored the event. The group includes nonprofit organizations committed to improving and impacting individual lives and communities through...

As an academic and clinical pediatrician with over 40 years of experience, I was impressed and amazed when I first heard Dr. Vince Felitti speak about his ground-breaking work on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), first published in 1998. For the last several years a multitude of professionals have been working on the clinical (practical) application of his work, and more have been learning about the genetics, brain chemistry, and other scientific explanations for his findings. The core...

Warren Buffett has been quoted saying: “I would love being a baby being born in the U.S. today." "Really?" I wondered. I think he might want to qualify his statement a bit and say, in certain ZIP codes in the U.S. today.” Because, unfortunately, ZIP codes make a difference in the outcome of a baby's life. https://newsok.com/article/5594837/family-talk-early-childhood-learning-is-an-investment

Over the past year, OICA has redirected much of our direct service to supporting foster youth, with this party and OK Foster Wishes. We are very happy that we have been able to work with the many partners to see this endeavor be successful. If you would like to be a part of one of these programs, please reach out to us at (405) 236-5437 or info@oica.org for more information. We are a statewide program, so we are looking for Oklahomans from every part of the state to join with us for the...

"We’ve known for some time now that Americans are increasingly dying younger , but the scale and nature of the problem has been a little bit murky....In five states—Kentucky, Oklahoma, New Mexico, West Virginia, and Wyoming—the probability of early death among young adults rose by more than 10 percent in that time frame." Oklahoma is far to high on the wrong measures and far too low on the right ones. #ok25by25 Click on the link below to read more from the article in The Atlantic: ...

What happens when you don’t blame kids for bad behavior? An elementary school in Columbus, Ohio is trying to find out. Click on the link below to read an article from The Atlantic about innovative approaches - based on brain science - to student discipline by teaching self-regulation and impulse control techniques. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/05/ohio-ave-elementary-school-discipline/559952/

So Your Grant $ Don’t Go Far? Then be little but loud! Using your voice with people of influence can move others to action. Be they business, foundation or policy makers; you have credibility (earned or not) just by virtue of being a foundation. You can provide a stronger voice for the cause represented by the nonprofits that do the work you care about. That voice can be through social media, through newspaper editorials, through presentations to civic groups, etc. You can involve volunteer...

‘Healthy Minds OK’ Roundtable Event on May 3 Hosted by Green Shoe Foundation, Oklahoma City County Health Department, INTEGRIS Mental Health, A Chance to Change and Pivot – A Turning Point for Youth A business roundtable discussion and event on the effects of childhood trauma on the state’s health from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 3 at the Oklahoma City County Health Department’s Northeast Regional Health and Wellness Campus Auditorium, 2600 NE 63rd St OKC, OK 73111. The free public event...

T here is a consistent pattern in the conferences sponsored by the Potts Family Foundation , such as its Raising Resilient Oklahomans! summit March 7 in Edmond. First, they update the cutting-edge scientific research on early education and on cognitive concerns, like the effects of adverse childhood experiences ( ACEs ). Then, national and local experts pioneer new ways of articulating these challenges in ways that advance a constructive search for solutions. The summit used new research and...