The first time I ever heard the words trauma-informed care and the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study was in the summer of 2014. At the time, I was working for the local Police Department as the Director of a grant-funded Crime Reduction Project aimed at reducing drug-related and violent crime. Of the many program goals, one was to develop a rehabilitative corrections program for felony offenders with addictions in order to reduce recidivism. Though I’ve lived in this region for...

ACEs initiative participants in communities where there is tension between the community and law enforcement will want to join Becky Haas in a compelling conversation on law enforcement, ACEs science, COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement and protests. Haas is a nationally recognized adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) science initiative builder and trainer. She and colleagues Renee Wilson-Simmons, the head of the ACE Awareness Foundation of Memphis, Tennessee, and Maggi Duncan,...

Nadine Burke Harris, California’s Surgeon General, has a lot in common with the vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris—Jamaican heritage, surname, home state—and a commitment to addressing ACEs and toxic stress. As reported in the New Yorker article by Paul Tough, “The Poverty Clinic,” Dr. Harris told Kamala Harris, then San Francisco district attorney, about ACEs in 2008 and in response, she offered to help. District Attorney Harris then introduced her to professor of child and...

The desire to see other ACEs initiatives grow and flourish was evident at a recent meeting of the Resilient Columbus County (North Carolina) ACEs initiative when Mebane Boyd, executive director of the New Hanover Resiliency Task Force (also in North Carolina), shared with the Columbus County and neighboring Pender County groups how New Hanover created and works on its strategic plan. In the spirit of sharing, Boyd agreed to let ACEs Connection post the strategic plan and the video of the...

Systematic racism is at the core of mental health disparities and social determinants of mental health (SDoMH).Upstream factors obstruct patient access to needed and appropriate assessment, timely intervention, with treatment for these populations often reflecting poorer quality, and ending prior to completion of treatment. COVID-19 and the recent pandemic have only amplified meso and micro-level gaps in care. considered, provided, and reimbursed.

Plans to integrate practices and policies based on the science of adverse childhood experiences in North Carolina’s 4,000-person,100-county statewide judiciary were announced today. Jon David, district attorney for North Carolina’s 15th District, and District Court Judge Quintin McGee of the same district revealed plans to work with North Carolina Chief Justice Paul Newby and Administrative Office of the Courts Director Andrew Heath to create a statewide commission focusing on the science of...

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...

In 2019 and 2020, dozens of states enacted nearly 60 laws and resolutions that reference adverse childhood experiences or trauma. In this post, there's an interactive map that shows them all.

Members of the four Cape Fear Area resiliency initiatives celebrate their joining the PACES Connection Cooperative of Communities and thank United Way - Cape Fear Area leadership for "leaning in" on the work being done to prevent and heal childhood trauma, and build on positive childhood experiences to create individual, family and community resilience. The United Way-Cape Fear Area (UW-CFA) board of directors has voted to fund four North Carolina resiliency initiatives to join the PACEs...

By, Felicia Nelson, Christina Velez, and Mark Egan 7/19/21 A pioneer in the field of internal medicine, Dr. Vincent J. Felitti has over 50 years of experience with extensive knowledge in the areas of childhood trauma, the genetic disease Hemochromatosis, and obesity. Here at The Relationship Foundation, Dr. Vincent Felitti is our mentor and an inspiration to us all. He has spent a greater part of his life, serving as a co-principal for the ACEs Study. ACE stands for “Adverse Childhood...

New council will advise Healthy Blue Medicaid plan for a seamless system of care DURHAM, N.C. – Building on its ongoing commitment to improve the health and well-being of children and families in foster care across the state, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) has formed a new Foster Care Advisory Council to work with and advise its Healthy Blue Medicaid plan. The Advisory Council will serve as a valuable resource in ensuring those in foster care are receiving the...

Please join us for the 2021 Resilience Symposium in New Bern, NC on Friday, October 1, 2021 from 8am-5pm. The past year has been stressful, even traumatic for many, shedding light on the importance for us to prioritize building our own resiliency to thrive. For those in the helping professions, stress, burnout, and vicarious trauma are taking their toll on our personal and professional lives. The good news, there is HOPE. Join us to hear from national speakers to learn ways we can work...

The science in clear. Resiliency is built – and communities play a key role in promoting safe, secure and nurturing environments where all residents can thrive. Like many states, there has been a lot of momentum in North Carolina to develop initiatives addressing trauma and resilience. But how can agencies, service providers, and other organizations leverage that momentum and align this work across systems to holistically address the needs of community members across their lifespans? The...

The Carolina Hunger Initiative is hosting free nutrition and cooking classes for children and adults starting January 31, 2022. Information below taken directly from the Carolina Hunger Initiative website. Cooking Matters at Home: Mondays at 7pm Join us online for FREE online nutrition and cooking education lessons! The Cooking Matters at Home program shares information about buying healthy, affordable foods that families can prepare and eat together at home. Spring lessons will be held...

This is the third of three stunning illustrations showing how PACEs (positive and adverse childhood experiences) affected the family of Cendie Stanford, graphic artist and founder of the nonprofit ACEs Matter. This one looks at her positive childhood experiences. The day before her 16th birthday, Cendie Stanford’s older brother was shot and killed by a young man who, just two years earlier, had been her boyfriend. “I was heartbroken that two people I loved were out of my life forever,” says...

By Zach Solon Published: Feb. 23, 2022 at 9:40 PM EST | Updated: 13 hours ago WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A new dashboard tool aims to provide a central location for socioeconomic health data for the Cape Fear region. The Cape Fear Collective launched the Healthy Communities NC dashboard this week. The site provides a breakdown of 21 social health factors, broken down by region and county. These factors include third grade reading levels and life expectancy. “This data is all publicly...

June event dates listed for the PACEs Connection Creating Resilient Communities Accelerator Program. JOIN US!!!

New Bern, NC – The Coastal Coalition for Substance Awareness & Prevention (CCSAP) will be hosting the 2022 Resilience Symposium: Building Hope on Friday, September 30 th from 8am-5pm at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center. This in-person event is only $40, features internationally-respected leader and speaker in the PACEs science movement Becky Haas, and includes lunch and snacks catered by Posh Nosh. The past two years have been stressful, even traumatic form many, helping us...

More than 550 researchers, advocates, educators, community stakeholders, clinical and practitioner groups, persons with lived experience, legislators, and representatives from state agencies, among others, attended a statewide summit in Raleigh, North Carolina—“Leveraging North Carolina’s Assets to Prevent Child Trauma,” April 27-28. Diana Fishbein, Ph.D., senior scientist in the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG), University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill, and the...

RALEIGH- Resilient North Carolina , a website created by the NC Healthy & Resilient Communities Initiative (NCH&RCI), has launched. Resilient North Carolina is intended for all North Carolinians, with the goal of sharing best practices and connecting individuals and organizations building resilience and reducing trauma statewide. NCH&RCI works to build healthy and resilient communities for young children and families, creating resilience across each generation by bringing...

July is a time to celebrate all summer has to offer by building bridges and innovating with community to get to the heart of trauma-informed awareness and resilience building. This month, we’ve added new July dates to the summer 2023 *CRC* curriculum—but that’s only half of the good news. Last year, the CRC began as a pilot program. Now that it's evolved, what better time to bring accelerator participants together in a PACEs Connection CRC community than the summer? We are proud to announce...

(This is a review of what I believe is an important new resource for the PACEs [for positive and adverse childhood experiences] science movement. Opinions expressed are my own, and are shared as a parent, advocate, author, and longtime student of trauma, healing, and prevention. Thoughts are also shared through my lens as someone who believes, deeply, in the incredible importance of and value in building healthier, more compassionate communities to support and nurture pregnant and new...

Christina Bethell, Ph.D, MBA, MPH, founder of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI), principal author of the groundbreaking study on positive childhood experiences, and creator of the free Well Visit Planner, among other innovations. Two internationally-respected leaders and innovators in complementary aspects of early relational health and childhood and maternal health equity recently launched a partnership they believe will benefit everyone from newborn babies and...

Emotion has an enormous impact on imprinting memory in our brains. I had an experience when I was 6 years old that included emotion and I have the memory of it all of these many years later. It was a 6 year old birthday sleepover party. There were 7 girls invited that lived near each other and played together most days. A girl new to the neighborhood was invited only due to the requirement of the birthday girl’s mother. I was also invited. I lived a block away but did play with these girls...

Something amazing keeps happening in our CRC Accelerator program that we want to shout out from the rooftops this December. Thanks to our committed participants, the number of CRC graduates keeps increasing! The number of graduates has increased by 15x this year. As we head into a new year, w e are grateful for the unique role CRC Accelerator participants have played in expanding the PACEs movement through the willingness to explore healing-centered practices through a PACEs science lens.

As we head into our full CRC curriculum this January, we invite current and future CRC Accelerator participants to join us with collective care and self care in mind.

Nationally recognized days of awareness remind us of important civil and human rights movements led by Black and African-American communities and social justice advocates. February puts leadership, education, access, justice, policy, and governance under the spotlight. Through a PACEs science lens, this month is an opportunity to consider trauma-informed transformation through a PACEs science lens as the way forward.

March marks the final month of the granting period for the CRC Accelerator. Here are the next steps for certification or a certificate of participation.

As we’ve recently announced, the CRC Accelerator is taking an indefinite hiatus, but this moment of growth is anything but goodbye. Two years into this unique program, we are aware of the incredible impact access can have on PACEs initiatives and we now have a CRC Fellowship that grows with each CRC graduate.