Tagged With "maternal and child health"
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2019 Champions for Children
Registration Now Open Join us for an evening to recognize the 2019 Champions for Children. Honorees include: Kelly Blucher: Fierce advocate for child care access and affordability Marti Cates: Thoughtful and loving teacher at A Step Ahead supporting families of infants and toddlers with special needs The Pod Works: Founded by the visionary, Kayla Schroader, a working space dedicated to "Mompreneurs" Laura Lee Bentle: Dedicated Pierce County CASA Coordinator and Advocate Surprise Champion: To...
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ACEs Connection, our Cooperative of Communities, and....Pando!
Last month, we officially launched the ACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities. We are SO excited about this! And the communities that are part of the handful of ACEs initiatives that are piloting the Cooperative are, too! Before describing the Cooperative, I want to reassure our 40,000+ members and 277 ACEs initiatives (plus another 100 in development) that have communities on ACEs Connection that nothing on ACEsConnection.com changes! Membership is and remains free ! And it will remain...
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Bringing ACEs, Resilience, and Hope to preschool families
This school year, an endeavor of the Franklin Pierce Hewins Early Learning Center (ELC) was to bring Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resilience to the preschool families. What began as a broad idea soon turned into an exciting project: “Rise to Resilience & Hope”. Our ELC has had a Kids at Hope culture for many years – believing that all children are capable of success, with no exceptions. With Kids at Hope, the adults are Treasure Hunters, seeking out and recognizing the...
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Child Trends Seeks Information About Programs Serving Opportunity Youth
From Child Trends, March 6, 2020 Child Trends’ new project with MDRC, “ Reconnecting Youth: Putting Out-of-School, Out-of-Work Youth on a Path to Self-Sufficiency ,” is seeking information about programs that provide services to help young people ages 16 to 24 advance on education and employment pathways. This project is focused on the population of young people who are out of work and out of school, sometimes called disconnected or opportunity youth. The information gathered will result in...
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Don't miss the AVA Global Health Summit in St. Paul, MN, October 3-4!
The 2019 Academy on Violence and Abuse Global Health Summit will be October 3-4, 2019 at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota . Keynote Address from Dr. Vincent Felitti : "Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Their Relationship to Adult Well-being, Addiction, Disease, and Premature Death" ACEs Connection Network founder/editor Jane Stevens will receive an AVA Change Maker award and give an address: "Origins of ACEs Connection and the Future" Check out the full agenda and...
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Dr. Melissa Merrick Explains CDC's Vital Signs/ACEs Report [Prevent Child Abuse America]
Dr. Melissa Merrick, president & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, provides four key takeaways from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest Vital Signs/ACEs report , of which she is the lead author. Merrick also identifies several practical solutions for creating the conditions for safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments for all children, families and communities, which are fundamental to preventing ACEs. Among these solutions is strengthening economic...
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Free Online Hope Forum - Kids at Hope
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 2:00pm Eastern Time 1:00pm Central Time 12:00pm Mountain Time 11:00am Pacific Time (AZ) To register, click here . Rick Miller Founder of Kids at Hope and Professor of Practice and Clinical Director at Arizona State University’s Center for the Advanced Study and Practice of HOPE will be joined by very special guests for a series of weekly Online HOPE Forums exploring the soul, science and practice of HOPE during times of uncertainty. Joining Rick for the first of...
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Homeless is a circumstance caused by both societal issues and personal misfortune
On Thursday volunteers and local government employees fanned out across Thurston County for the annual “point in time” count of people who are homeless. It’s a task that’s challenging, important and never quite complete. No matter how hard they try, census-takers can’t find every tent camp hidden in the woods, every family living in their car, or every person who sleeps under a bridge or in a backyard toolshed. Census takers also can’t be sure why the people they’re counting are homeless.
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How does a regional healthcare organization integrate trauma-informed care?
Slowly, but at warp speed. That’s what it feels like to take on educating 16,000 staff member in 21 hospitals that serve 29 counties, says Becky Haas, trauma informed administrator for Ballad Health. Turning around a culture, especially a health culture that’s more familiar with doing things the “traditional” way rather than embracing change, will take time and lots of repetition.
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It started in her garage. Now, a Puyallup woman helps clothe almost 1,500 foster kids a year (The News Tribune)
It all started in Erika Thompson’s garage. Thompson, who has been a foster parent for a decade, remembers it well. Not long before, she welcomed the first of what would become many foster children into her home. Like many foster kids, the child arrived on Thompson’s doorstep in crisis and with almost nothing. The child was from King County, so Thompson was able to turn to a Seattle-based nonprofit that provides support and services for foster kids and their caregivers, including new and...
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Keeping people out of crisis: Unit combines law enforcement, mental health worker [The Spokesman Review]
By Arielle Dreher, July 19, 2019 Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Moman and Frontier Behavioral Health mental health clinician Holly Keller were riding around on their shift this summer when they got an urgent call. The family of a man who had run into traffic before had called 911 to report he was running away from home, and deputies who had already responded to the situation said he was not following commands. Moman and Keller rushed to the scene. When they arrived, the man was standing...
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Kids at Hope in the NW
When I joined the Franklin Pierce Early Learning Center a year ago, I was immediately struck by the positive and hopeful atmosphere. I would quickly learn that the school is a Kids at Hope school - believing and practicing that "All Children are Capable of Success, No Exceptions!" Adults at a Kids at Hope school are Treasure Hunters - seeking out the strengths of both the children and adults in the building, as well as within themselves. I soon was connected with Wally Endicott as I prepared...
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Kids at Hope NW presents: Hope Talks!
Do you have a child or adult in your life that you care about? Be inspired by personal, transformational stories of hope at the first Hope Talks event in the Pacific Northwest! Join Kids at Hope Northwest for a celebration of the science and practice of hope. Hope Talks presenters will include current Kids at Hope practitioners, independent practitioners of hope, and a student from a Kids at Hope school. Hope Talks will take place at Bates Technical College Downtown Campus on November 12 th...
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Latest ACEs science research from PubMed, April 8, 2019
Association of Social Adversity with Comorbid Diabetes and Depression Symptoms in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study: A Syndemic Framework. McCurley JL, Gutierrez AP, Bravin JI, Schneiderman N, Reina SA, Khambaty T, Castañeda SF, Smoller S, Daviglus ML, O'Brien MJ, Carnethon MR, Isasi CR, Perreira KM, Talavera GA, Yang M, Gallo LC. Ann Behav Med . 2019 Apr 5. pii: kaz009. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaz009. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:30951585 Similar...
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May 26 Webinar - Resilience in Washington State: What Works and How to Make it Happen
With Suzette Fromm Reed, community psychologist, and Dario Longhi, change/sociology researcher. Presented by the Washington State ACEs and Resilience Community of Practice. May 26, 2020 at 12:00 PM. What works? What kinds of resilience increases community-wide levels of well-being and moderates ACE impacts? Come learn about the evidence of the effects of contextual resilience based on research from 108 Washington communities. How to make it happen? What we can learn from strategies employed...
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Mobilizing ACEs, Trauma, and Resilience Networks to Support and Strengthen Pandemic Response Efforts [MARC.HealthFederation.org]
By @Anndee Hochman
“What are your signs of stress?” asked the leaders of a recent mindfulness webinar hosted by the Philadelphia ACE Task Force (PATF), held during the week that U.S. cases of COVID-19 neared half a million and more than sixty Philadelphians had died of the disease.
Participants spilled their responses into the chat box: “headache…teeth grinding…can’t think clearly…nervous stomach…ruminating thoughts…muscle pain…itchiness…bad dreams.”
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New grant-funded health care reporter [The Spokesman Review]
There are hundreds of untold stories about rural health care and precious few resources to tell those stories. Report For America, The Spokesman-Review and the Innovia Foundation have all committed to do something about that. On June 4, The Spokesman-Review will welcome Arielle Dreher as our rural health care reporter. Report for America is a national service program that places talented emerging journalists into local news organizations to report for one to two years on under-covered issues...
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New Lakewood mental health clinic opens for veterans and their families (The News Tribune)
A new mental health care option for the military community is available in Lakewood. The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Valley Cities celebrated its grand opening Friday. The clinic had an earlier “soft” opening. The clinic, which was recently touted in Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier’s State of the County address , will offer mental health services regardless of discharge status or ability to pay. The clinic is part of the nonprofit Cohen Veterans Network, which has 11...
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PCEs and Building Resilience - Oct 21 workshop
Have you read or heard about the new study on Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs)? Join Sound Discipline for our next Building Resiliency workshop (Oct 21) to learn how to be a buffer against trauma and toxic stress in your community. Read below for a note from Sound Discipline Executive Director, Jody McVittie MD, on PCEs and Building Resilience. As a former practicing family physician, I love when the science catches up to what we already know from our own experience of working with...
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Positive Parenting Program Online - Free for Pierce County residents!
A HAPPIER FAMILY LIFE STARTS NOW “Triple P has been a life saver for me.” Shalini, mother of two Now, with Triple P available online, you can log in to your personal parenting course whenever and wherever it suits you. Simple! WHY TRIPLE P WORKS Great parents do great parenting programs. And the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program is one of the world’s best. Triple P gives you proven parenting strategies that will help you set up your child or teen for life— so they’ll be happy, confident...
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Project by Bonney Lake students helps give disabled children mobility (The News Tribune)
Sidnee Petter knows how important it is for kids with disabilities to be able to move around easily, especially if they’re in a wheelchair. The senior at Bonney Lake High School works through her church with kids who are experiencing disabilities. “I work with a child that can only move one side — that’s the only side that works, everything else is limp,” Petter said in an interview with The Puyallup Herald on Thursday. “Seeing that kid grow, having the mobility of one side and being able to...
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Recap: NW Conference on Behavioral and Addictive Disorders
It is no secret that Adverse Childhood Experiences and trauma in childhood have a wide-ranging impact on health-risk outcomes across an individual’s lifetime. This includes behavioral, physical, and mental health impacts, such as smoking, alcoholism, and substance use; depression, suicide attempts, heart disease, and cancer. At the 32 nd Annual Northwest Conference on Behavioral and Addictive Disorders, topics focused on trauma treatment, neuroscience and therapy, and the intersection of...
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Resource List - Growing Cross-Sector, Community-Based ACEs and Resilience Initiatives
Resources for individuals, organizations, and communities moving along trauma and hope-informed pathways in order to: Prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Promote resilience and safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. Promote equity and racial justice. Prevent substance abuse and promote mental health. … so that all children, youth, families and communities have equal opportunity for educational success, economic stability, health, and well-being.
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Resource List - Trauma Informed Approaches and Autism Spectrum and Other Developmental Disabilities
Resources for individuals, organizations, and communities moving along trauma and hope-informed pathways in order to: Prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Promote resilience and safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. Promote equity and racial justice. Prevent substance abuse and promote mental health. … so that all children, youth, families and communities have equal opportunity for educational success, economic stability, health, and well-being.
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RSVP now for two lunchtime webinars! April 14th & April 28th!
Washington State Essentials for Childhood is launching a series of lunchtime webinar series. Series three and four webinars are: 3 Guiding Truths for Building Regulation and Resilience in Children with Significant Trauma Related Needs Time and Date: April 14, 2020; 12:00 – 1:00pm Presented by: Tiffany Sudela-Junker Mother by adoption, Tiffany Sudela-Junker shares stories from her own personal and parenting transformation along with the science & insight that led her to uncover Three...
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Save the Date – Wednesday, May 15, 2019 - ACEs and Resilience Community of Practice Event
Mark your calendar for the third Washington statewide ACEs and Resilience Community of Practice event, hosted by the Washington State Essentials for Childhood, Washington State Department of Health, and Everett Public Schools. Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm Location: Everett Public Schools Community Resource Center 3900 Broadway Everett, WA 98201 Registration information will be available soon. This event will provide opportunities to connect with people across the state who are working to grow...
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Send It Society: Bottoming Out on Mental Health (PinkBike)
I recently had the opportunity to connect with Josh Fulmer and learn more about the non-profit he created this year, Send It Society. Read on for an excerpt from Josh's PinkBike article and the link to the full story. About the Send it Society Send It Society is a Non-profit with the mission of providing a non-clinical healing environment to raise awareness, bring education, and action to mental health through mountain biking and extreme sports. What does that mean? It means we want people...
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Supporting Families with Children Prenatal through Age 5 - Help Me Grow Pierce County
Last month, Help Me Grow and First 5 FUNdamentals released their Parent Feedback Summary Report. Below is an excerpt, and you can access the full report in the attachment. Background In the fall of 2017, community leaders came together to brainstorm how to solve the child welfare crisis in Pierce County. 6,200 children entered out-of-home care in Washington State in 2017. Among all counties in the state, Pierce County experienced the highest number of children entering care, at 1,009.
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Talking ACEs and building resilience in prison
At Washington State Penitentiary, Tony McGuire talks to the inmates in his construction trades apprenticeship preparation (CTAP) class about ACEs, trauma and resilience every single day. Not only is he teaching the guys a trade, but he also teaches them how to be a healthy, happy and well-adjusted employee. Note: Becoming a healthy, happy, well-adjusted employee is way harder than basic carpentry, plumbing, electrical and HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning).
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Teaching Toys and Books: Supporting the emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of children (Tacoma Weekly)
It is no secret that parents today have a lot on their plates when it comes to raising their children. The modern world is constantly moving-moving-moving, and the amount of information being thrown at us all the time is enough to send anyone into serious overload. All the while, our precious wee ones are quite aware of what we’re doing with our cell phones, iPads and computers, with studies showing that too much screen time can change children’s brain structure, leading to depression,...
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Temple Grandin Has Some Great Tips to Help Kids With Autism Cope During the Coronavirus Quarantine (Parade)
By Deborah Wallace, April 3, 2020, Parade Parents who are working at home during the coronavirus quarantine face many challenges. But the boundaries between work and home life are blurred even more when your child has autism. To commemorate National Autism Awareness Month in April , international autism expert Temple Grandin spoke to Parade.com about how parents and caregivers can help their families thrive during this unprecedented time of isolation. Grandin, Ph.D., professor of animal...
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United Way of Pierce County - Poverty Summit Update
Below is a brief update on our collective work being done since our annual poverty summit, From Poverty to Possibilities event, in November 2018. Advocacy – This is critical to address if we are to disrupt systems that are keeping people from getting ahead in life. Updates: Supported Project Child Success with their advocacy training and their Day on the Hill by informing poverty summit attendees about this opportunity to advocate for policies that will help reduce barriers to families...
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Upcoming screening of Paper Tigers in Tacoma!
Tickets are still available to see the moving documentary, Paper Tigers! The movie will be shown on December 17th at 7:30pm at the Cinemark Point Ruston & XD. Click here to reserve your seat. Event Info Join us for a screening of an amazing documentary that captures insights about the hidden epidemic of childhood trauma plaguing our schools and communities. Watch how one school systematically tackled this very challenging problem by understanding [how] "trauma threatens brain...
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Upcoming Webinars from Essentials for Childhood
ACE’s and Resilience Learning Network: Creating Safe, Stable and Nurturing Relationships and Environments for All Kids We are excited to announce Washington State Essentials for Childhood is launching a series of lunchtime webinar series. The first two Webinars are: Trauma-Informed Workplaces: Practice Applications in Equity, Empathy, and Employee Development Presented by : Delena Meyer and Toby Lucich Building a more compassionate workplace can feel overwhelming. After researching best...
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VYFS aims to create ‘trauma informed community’ [vashonbeachcomber.com]
With a grant from King County’s Best Starts for Kids, Vashon Youth & Family Services plans to help Vashon become a “trauma informed community” in an effort to improve the overall health and resilience of islanders. “With this program, we see a unique opportunity to create a culture shift,” Roderick McClain, VYFS’ grantwriter, said. “The ultimate goal is for individuals and organizations to be better equipped and organized to deal with those experiencing the effects of trauma.” The roots...
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Washington State Prevention Summit - Nov 5-6
Registration is Now Open! Washington State Prevention Summit Celebrating 35 Years! Click here to register. Registration deadline: September 20, 2019 Date : November 5 - 6, 2019 Location : Yakima Convention Center 10 N. 8th St. Yakima, WA 98901 About the Summit The goal of the Prevention Summit is to provide an enriching and culturally competent training and networking opportunity for youth, volunteers and professionals working toward the prevention of substance abuse, violence and other...
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We Have to Better Understand What Foster Parents Need [chronicleofsocialchange.org]
By Ross Hunter, The Chronicle of Social Change, October 11, 2019 As a new leader in the child welfare space, I thought it would be worth my while to do some listening before I made any big changes. So I went on a tour all over the state of Washington. I talked to caseworkers, foster parents, birth families, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and anyone else I could find who had an opinion. I got an earful. “Everything is broken.” “I had a great experience.” “The caseworker never called...
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We Want YOU to be Part of The League of Extraordinary People
You are extraordinary. Writing this post feels like I have come full circle. In April of 2019, Alfred White reached out to me on ACEs Connection. Shortly after, we spoke at length about the plans he had to create a place of healing and hope in Federal Way and King County, Washington, specifically for individuals with a history of trauma and who were now impacted with symptoms such as addiction and homelessness. I recall sharing with Alfred that there was such a need for this in that...
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WEBINAR | Integrating a Trauma-Informed Approach into Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Join a webinar highlighting how two providers have incorporated trauma-informed care into their substance use disorder treatment practices, shaping the experiences of their patients and staff.
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Re: 2020 People's State of the Union
I love this idea! And it might need to happen online. Please keep me informed. We need to come together as a community in order to confront racism, poverty, militarism and ecological devastation. If we were building a health care system that was resilient and inclusive instead of specialized and efficient, this epidemic would be very different. Plus we would have a public health care system working to lower not only epidemics of infection but ACES. This would lower the epidemics opioids and...
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Re: Programs Help Incarcerated Moms Bond With Their Babies In Prison [NPR.org]
Such a positive story about women and children developing the skills and attachment that they will need to successfully transition into the community. It seems that the Washington prison system has been innovative for some time. More than ten years ago, when we traveled, we brought our well loved dog Lucky the prison to be boarded. They had a special program which allowed inmates to love and care for dogs that needed to be boarded. Our dog, Lucky was well taken care of and always so clean,...
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Re: ‘Brick by brick.’ Ending mass incarceration will take concrete steps at the local level
Such an insightful article, Melissa! I found this part particularly interesting - Thank you again for sharing! Karen “When I tell you that 900,000 people are coming out of jail every year, that sounds like an insurmountable problem, but when you understand that lots of people are active in their houses of worship, and we have 300,000 of those, that means that in any house of worship you only have to commit to taking on three,” Forman said. “If every group, if every church, if every...
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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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Health and Wellness Town Hall: How ACEs Impact the Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other Communities of Color
Health and Wellness Town Hall: Adverse Childhood Experiences 101 Class How ACEs Impact the Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other Communities of Color This event will be led by Alfred White. Alfred is the founder of The League of Extraordinary People. After nearly 40 years experiencing homelessness, Alfred swallowed a 1/4 ounce of crack cocaine in 2004 and nearly died. He awoke paralyzed and that is when he made the decision to seek help for his history of addiction. Alfred has since received...
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Telling the real story of homelessness - and busting the biggest myth [centerforhealthjournalism.org]
By Will James, Center for Health Journalism, July 2020 Covering homelessness puts reporters in the middle of a contradiction. On the West Coast, homelessness is so visible that it touches virtually everyone. But it can also feel like another world to which most people don’t have access. Audiences take in so much information about homelessness, but at a distance or second-hand or filtered through politics or advocacy. It’s hard for many people to create a mental picture of this issue that...
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DCYF Strategic Plan Feedback Survey - needs your input!
Before the creation of DCYF, funding and services were not always connected. The draft strategic plan helps our agency focus on how we serve children, youth, families and our communities as one entity. This framework helps to build on existing funding and services to strengthen our ability to serve families as well as to disrupt racial inequity and disproportionality in our systems. There is more work ahead for us to accomplish the priorities set out in the draft plan. The process to gather...
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Recording available for Health and Wellness Town Hall: How ACEs Impact Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other Communities of Color
If you missed The League of Extraordinary People's first Town Hall, or would like to watch it again, it is available here ! Health and Wellness Town Hall: Adverse Childhood Experiences 101 Class How ACEs Impact the Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other Communities of Color This event will be led by Alfred White. Alfred is the founder of The League of Extraordinary People. After nearly 40 years experiencing homelessness, Alfred swallowed a 1/4 ounce of crack cocaine in 2004 and nearly died. He...
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Ann Penn-Charles casts a wide net to reduce generational trauma in Washington State coastal tribes
You could say that Ann Penn-Charles, a native of La Push, Washington, was a natural resilience builder even before there was an ACE Study. La Push is a Native American reservation on the western edge of Olympic National Park, where the Quileute Nation ancestors of “Miss Ann”, as she is known, have lived for generations. Although she faced hardships growing up on the reservation, including having her first child when she was a junior in high school, she was able to graduate with the support...
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Introducing the Transform Trauma with ACEs Science Film Festival & Follow-Up Discussions
Transform Trauma with ACEs Sciences Film Festival & Follow-Up Discussions The following weekend watch parties and follow-up discussions are co-hosted by ACEs Connection, The Relentless School Nurse , and The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy & Practice (CTIPP) . We appreciated the filmmakers for making these films free to watch for our members and for the public programming of PBS. The films we’ll feature are as follows: Portraits of Professional Caregivers Whole People Part 1...