Nationally, Black women have the lowest rates of breastfeeding initiation in comparison to any other racial/ethnic groups. Black babies are dying at twice the rate of White babies and according to the CDC, increasing breastfeeding among Black women can decrease infant mortality rates up to 50 percent. In honor of Black Breastfeeding Week (August 25th – 31st), we partnered with the BreastFriends Mommy Group in West Oakland to explore why these rates look different for Black women and...

By Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, August 25, 2020 Students in the Bonny Doon school district had been back in class — virtually — for two days before the wildfires forced them to evacuate, many fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night Wednesday. Teachers and students lost homes to the powerful wildfires raging through the charming, wooded town in the Santa Cruz Mountains. School had just started, but now Superintendent Mike Heffner, who is also the principal of the...

In the month of August 2020 , the Catalyst invites community-based providers and allied professionals to engage in generative dialogue about what this journey means and how to actualize this change – for a community to build a movement around a child, family, or individual once an ACE is identified – defining how we as a collective choose resilience as our pathway to healing. From these listening sessions , Catalyst staff will ask providers about their lived experiences as those at the...

By Rob Picheta , CNN Updated 4:40 AM ET, Thu August 20, 2020 Black newborn babies in the United States are more likely to survive childbirth if they are cared for by Black doctors, but three times more likely than White Babies to die when looked after by White doctors, a study has found. The mortality rate of Black newborns in hospital shrunk by between 39% and 58% when Black physicians took charge of the birth, according to the research, which laid bare how shocking racial disparities in...

The California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA) invites your participation in an upcoming 1.5 hour interactive webinar entitled “ The Impacts of COVID-19 on California’s Children, Families, and Communities ” on August 27, 2020, from 1:30 PM – 3:00 PST that will explore the economic impacts of COVID-19 and how it has affected, and continues to affect, California communities. Featuring a panel of experts, Dr. Flojaune Cofer, Public Health Advocates, All Children Thrive, California...

Interested SF Bay Area safety net organizations can apply for funding to participate in this three-year program on resilience and trauma-informed care.

From Addressing Social Determinants of Health through Cross-Sector Collaboration, UC Berkeley, August 2020 Irán Barrera, PhD., LCSW is a professor of Social Work at the Department of Social Work Education (DSWE) at Fresno State (College of Health and Human Services). Professor Barrera is examining the impact of a six-week parent child engagement intervention using a coloring book focused on educating families about the impact of ACEs on child development. Strikeout Toxic Stress! is designed...

From CALIFORNIA ACES ACADEMY, Academy on Violence & Abuse, August, 2020 CALIFORNIA ACES ACADEMY (CAA) , funded by ACEs Aware , is providing free online training to Medi-Cal providers and others featuring: · Practical strategies for integrating trauma-informed health care into your team’s practice that improves patients’ well being and the productivity of your practice. · Meet colleagues with experience and success providing trauma-informed health care in their practices. · Learn from...

Voices of Recovery Call for artwork to be featured September 1-30, 2020 during Recovery Happens Month. Due August 26th, 2020 at 12 pm. Submit artwork in JPG or PNG format with artist and description of artwork to Veronica at vantonelli@vorsmc.org. Please submit questions to (650) 289-7670

As the COVID-19 pandemic began its devastating sweep through African American communities in April, Andre Chapman, CEO of the San Jose, California-based Unity Care , saw a glaring need for developing a COVID-19 prevention campaign that spoke directly to African Americans. “Many of our young folks and families really didn't understand the impact of this virus, nor did they believe much of the information that was coming through the media,” says Chapman. His organization provides housing and...

SAVE THE DATE - AUGUST WEBINAR "Regulating the Stress Response for Kids: Practical Tips for Primary Care Providers" Wednesday, August 26, 2020 Noon – 1 p.m. Register for the Webinar This webinar will offer practical tips and examples on how providers can incorporate stress regulation strategies into their treatment planning for pediatric patients. Presenters will: Share definitions, research, and the clinical response to address toxic stress through stress regulation strategies. Review the...

Thank you for your interest in Magical Bridge Kindness Kits! Magical Bridge Foundation knows that when people of all ages, abilities, and disabilities come together and play on the playground something special happens. We want to bring a little of that magic into your home. In partnership with Changing Perspectives , we are thrilled to provide parents and caregivers with free opportunities for teaching kindness and empathy through short and sweet activities that can be done with common...