Tagged With "Public Health"
Blog Post
PHC6534 Building Resilience and Wellness Through a Community Education Program
Knowing the enemy is often quoted as an essential part of winning battles. Right now, in healthcare, we have an enemy that is associated with numerous negative health outcomes and that enemy is trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Without proper interventions that focus on reducing exposure of adverse childhood experiences and promoting relationships that help combat these negative exposures, our communities will continue to suffer. This program seeks to build resilience and wellness...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Canine-Assisted Therapy to Improve Symptoms of Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders in School-Aged Students in Central and Southwest Virginia.
Abstract Mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in children present numerous complications that can extend into adulthood. The current standard of care uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and/or medication (Ogundele, 2018). Research suggests that utilization of canine-assisted therapy (CAT) may have profound effects on behavior (Schuck, 2015). The current study uses a trauma-informed approach to compare the effectiveness of CBT alone, or in combination with CAT, in school-aged...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Diabetes Management in African Americans with Low Incomes Utilizing a Trauma-Informed Approach
African Americans in Alachua County are disproportionately affected by diabetes (Chun, 2010). Furthermore, diabetes leads to numerous other diseases and complications if left untreated and improperly managed (American Diabetes Association, 2018). This intervention will target African Americans with low incomes who have been diagnosed with diabetes. They will then be screened and selected by the presence of one or more adverse childhood experiences (ACE). The program will meet twice a month...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Educational and Health Literacy Programs for Refugee and Migrant Populations
The world is currently facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that is causing millions of people to move due to wars and violence widespread in their countries of origin. It puts in evidence the urgent need to develop actions that alleviate the pain of these people and promotes social justice within our society. The migratory movements caused, and entail a series of psychological repercussions, social, cultural, and economic struggles for these refugees. This program aims to serve 35%...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Grant Proposal for Implementing Trauma-Informed Curriculum in Alachua County Schools to Prevent Early-Onset and Severity of PTSD Symptoms in Children
TRAUMA-INFORMED PRINCIPLES SAMHSA’s trauma-informed principles will serve as a project guide, as our organization prioritizes the principles of safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support and mutual self-help, and empowerment, voice, and choice (SAMHSA, 2014). The principle of safety is upheld by ensuring that our staff pass a mandatory background check and are adequately trained in trauma, resilience-building skills, and confidentiality. Programs will take place within local...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Implementing a Screening Tool for Adverse Childhood Experiences in Elementary Schools
This grant proposal is for a program aimed at identifying children experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The goals of the program are to screen children in elementary schools for ACEs and connect them to the appropriate community interventions. This will be done by identifying areas of need in Alachua County and finding schools that are good candidates for this screening program. Cross-sector collaboration and engagement are two of the key trauma-informed principles that will be...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Prevention of Mental Health Issues Caused by Adverse Childhood Experiences Amongst Unaccompanied Minors
Unaccompanied minors (UMs) are a rising population within the United States of America (U.S.). This population endures various forms of trauma and have endured at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) prior to arriving to the U.S. and will most likely experience more ACEs during their migration journey and have the potential of experiencing more once arriving. The goal of this project is for UMs to receive the trauma-informed care they deserve, as they are not assured trauma-informed...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Substance Misuse Prevention Through Targeted Community Positive Relationships: Trauma Informed Approach Grant Proposal
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are described as ten negative experiences that affect a child’s behavior and cognitive functioning which 1impact decision making (SAMHSA, 2018). Substance misuse is a negative coping behavior due to the increased exposure of ACEs. Leon County has a high substance misuse trend described by alcohol-impaired driving and excessive drinking (County Health Rankings, 2020). This intervention will target adolescents aged 10-17 with an ACE score of four or more...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Training Village Health Teams in Lukodi, Uganda on Trauma-Informed Approaches
Village Health Teams (VHTs) are the primary point of contact for health services in Uganda (Ministry of Health, 2017). VHTs are responsible for basic health interventions, such as recording basic health and demographic data, referring patients to higher-level health services and following-up after appointments, and providing education on health issues to community members (Ministry of Health, 2012). While VHTs have high levels of interaction with the community, there is no evidence of their...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Trauma Informed Approach in African-American Individuals with Type II Diabetes with Low Socioeconomic Status
Abstract Type 2 diabetes and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can lead to negative health outcomes. Therefore, a trauma-informed approach in low socioeconomic communities is proposed as a solution to combat these concerns. This prevention program will be considered to be a secondary prevention public health focus and it aims to reduce the impact of ACEs as the potential cause for development of type 2 diabetes, especially in young African-American adolescents in low socioeconomic...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Trauma-Informed Mental Health Intervention for the Putnam County Fire Service
Our grant proposal is a mental health intervention within the Putnam County fire service. Firefighters across the country are placed in traumatic situations on a daily basis, however, they typically have minimal mental health support available to them. Currently, most fire departments use a concept called CISD, however, research does not support the effectiveness of CISD as an intervention to curtail the mental health effects of trauma. Our trauma-informed approach would call for the...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Trauma-Informed Parenting Intervention for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is an evidence-based, attachment-driven, trauma-informed intervention that was designed specifically to address the physical, emotional, and behavioral needs of children with a history of complex developmental trauma (Purvis et al., 2013). The goal of this project is to certify 150 foster and adoptive parents in Marion County Florida as TBRI Caregivers. In four 6-hour Saturday training sessions, foster and adoptive parents will be trained in best...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Yoga and Mindfulness Techniques as Treatment and Prevention of Adverse Drinking Behaviors
Compared to Florida, Alachua County has an elevated rate of adverse drinking behaviors such as binge and heavy drinking which are associated with various poor health outcomes like unintentional injuries, violence, and chronic disease (FLHealthCharts, 2020; CDC, 2018). Furthermore, individuals with multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at elevated risk for these adverse behaviors. The proposed mechanism behind this association between ACEs and adverse drinking behaviors is as a...
Comment
Re: The Importance of Training Youth Sport Coaches
Great ideas, Tara! I'd like to see Mental Health First Aid added to the list of training/skills too!
Blog Post
What Do Coronavirus Racial Disparities Look Like State by State [npr.org]
By Maria Godoy and Daniel Wood, National Public Radio, May 30, 2020 In April, New Orleans health officials realized their drive-through testing strategy for the coronavirus wasn't working. The reason? Census tract data revealed hot spots for the virus were located in predominantly low-income African-American neighborhoods where many residents lacked cars. In response, officials have changed their strategy, sending mobile testing vans to some of those areas, says Thomas LaVeist , dean of...
Blog Post
A Better Normal, Tuesday, June 2nd at Noon PDT: Higher Education and Trauma During COVID-19
Please join us for the ongoing community discussion of A Better Normal, our ongoing series in which we envision the future as trauma-informed. College graduates across the world have been celebrating their big day virtually this month, missing out on the right of passage that marks their stepping into new realms of adult and professional life. Many students and recent graduates are feeling the negative impact of the current pandemic: being housing displaced, adjusting to virtual classrooms,...
Blog Post
Higher Education’s Role in Promoting Racial Healing and the Power of Wonder (criticalimpact.com)
As protests erupt across the country and around the world demanding justice for George Floyd, a black man who was killed while in Minneapolis police custody, higher education must play a leadership role in addressing the issues at their center—racism and white supremacy. The devastating video that shows Mr. Floyd pleading for his life follows high-profile news reports of the killing of Breonna Taylor, a young black woman who was shot in bed by Memphis police engaged in a botched search for a...
Blog Post
Advancing Racial Equity Webinar Series [apha.org]
By Tia Taylor Williams, American Public Health Association, May 2020 Alarming disparities within the COVID-19 pandemic — such as higher hospitalizations and death rates among African Americans — are sadly predictable and highlight the urgent need to address the root causes of health inequities. APHA is hosting this four-part webinar series to give an in-depth look at racism as a driving force of the social determinants of health and equity. The series will explore efforts to address systems,...
Blog Post
Racism's Effect on Health, and the Heartbreak of Being a Black Parent Right Now: California's Surgeon General Speaks [kqed.org]
By KQED Science, KQED, June 14, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic and the recent killing of George Floyd have brought longstanding racial inequities into sharp focus. One of those disparities concerns the high rate of coronavirus transmission among people of color. To talk about the intersection of race and health, KQED's Brian Watt spoke last week with California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, who is known for her pioneering work on the role that childhood stress and trauma play on...
Blog Post
Support our efforts to secure a CDC ACEs grant to advance FL as a trauma-informed state!
Dear Trauma Friends & Colleagues: We are applying for CDC ACES grant to further our efforts toward a trauma informed state. It’s a collaborative effort across state agencies to improve ACES data collection and utilizes to target prevention strategies. Details in the attached overview. It’s a long shot with only 4 awards but our statewide collaborative efforts are a big strength and it might help push us to the top if we had many letters of support. Attached is a draft letter that you...
Blog Post
THURSDAY!! 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...
Blog Post
Community Resilience Series Part 1: Parenting in an Age of Uncertainty [Peace & Justice Institute]
Dr. Ken Ginsburg was overwhelmingly well-received as the keynote speaker at the recent Creating a Resilient Community: From Trauma to Healing Conference back in April of this year. The Peace and Justice Institute (PJI) at Valencia College is excited to share that we are bringing him back to deliver 3 additional virtual workshops in a Community Resilience Series. The first workshop in this FREE series will be specifically for parents: Parenting in an Age of Uncertainty , July 7th from 5:30 -...
Blog Post
Help Navigating the Road to Community Resiliency
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...
Blog Post
Do safe, stable, and nurturing relationships work? New research has important findings for responding to ACEs
While we know that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can cause risk behaviors, research has told us that the presence of protective factors can help mitigate the effects of ACEs. Common risk behaviors such as smoking tobacco and alcohol misuse can be a result from the trauma of childhood disadvantage. In responding to ACEs, public health research proposes that protective factors such as safe, stable, nurturing relationships (SSNRs) with a caring adult can mitigate the long-term effects of...
Blog Post
Health Disparity, Racial Weathering, and Social Determinants: How Do We Create Antiracist Healthcare? [saragottfriedmd.co]
By Sara Gottfried, Dr. Sara Gottfried MD, July 13, 2020 I take respectful care of my patients regardless of skin color, but in the past few years, I’ve realized that is not enough. There are many sources of information that have influenced me. Conversations, particularly a recent interview with integrative physician Andrea Pennington MD. Books, mentioned in this article, including How to Be an Antiracist by Boston University Professor Ibram X. Kendi and founder of the Antiracism Center for...
Blog Post
Structural Racism and its Impact on Black Maternal Health (New Security Beat)
By Deekshita Ramanarayan, July 21, 2020, New Security Beat. “The past months have been profoundly difficult for our nation, and for Black communities in particular,” said Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) at a recent March of Dimes event on the impact of structural racism on maternal health. COVID-19 has highlighted health outcome inequity caused by race and racism. Though Black people constitute 13 percent of the U.S. population, the CDC estimates they represent over 30 percent of...
Blog Post
ACEs and Teachers
1 in 6 adults report having had 4 or more ACEs symptoms as a child. Teachers are in a unique position to see and know the signs and symptoms of ACEs. They spend an average of 40 hours a week with these children and can help identify potential cases before they become severe. Teachers can help change the outcome of their students lives, both now and long term. ACEs can lead to early death, high suicide risk, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and asthma. I have created an infographic,...
Blog Post
Spread Positivity Campaign
The Spread Positivity campaign for high schools specifically in low socioeconomic areas was created to address the negative mental health outcomes that adverse childhood experiences have the potential to cause. According to the CDC-Kaiser ACEs Study, adverse childhood experiences are especially prevalent in areas of low socioeconomic status because these communities have a higher proportion of factors such as reported abuse, neglect, incarceration, parental separation, and mental illness. It...
Blog Post
Greater Richmond Trauma Informed Community Network, first to join ACEs Cooperative of Communities, shows what it means to ROCK!
In 2012, Greater Richmond SCAN and five other community partners hatched a one-year plan to educate the Richmond, Virginia, community about ACEs science and to embed trauma-informed practices. Eight years later, the original group has evolved into the Greater Richmond Trauma-Informed Community Network (GRTICN) with 495 people and 170 organizations. And they're just scratching the surface.
Blog Post
Donald Trump is the product of abuse and neglect. His story is common, even for the powerful and wealthy.
“In order to cope,” writes Mary Trump, “Donald began to develop powerful but primitive defenses, marked by an increasing hostility to others and a seeming indifference to his mother’s absence and father’s neglect….In place of [his emotional needs] grew a kind of grievance and behaviors—including bullying, disrespect, and aggressiveness—that served their purpose in the moment but became more problematic over time. With appropriate care and attention, they might have been overcome.”
Blog Post
Acknowledge, Respond, Refer Campaign
The Acknowledge, Respond, Refer campaign was designed to help healthcare providers respond to patient’s trauma disclosures in a therapeutic method. Studies, including the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experience Study, continue to show the link between trauma and negative health outcomes. Due to the link between trauma and health, healthcare facilities across the country are implementing trauma screening questionnaires for patients. However, many healthcare providers do not feel...
Blog Post
Building Resilience for Victims of Domestic Violence (DV) in Rural Communities
My Public Health Communication Campaign proposal focuses on women living in rural communities that are/were victims of domestic violence (DV). This target population was chosen for a variety of reasons. Domestic Violence is a widespread and extremely common issue facing women. 1 in 4 women have experienced sexual or physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner. 41% of survivors experience physical injury, additionally, half of homicides committed against women are committed by a...
Blog Post
Baby courts: A proven approach to stop the multigenerational transmission of ACES in child welfare; new efforts to establish courts nationwide
The organization Zero To Three estimates that in the U.S., a child is taken into the child welfare system every six seconds. “Many of society’s most intractable problems can be traced back to childhood adversity. Being in the child welfare system increases the likelihood of more adversity and criminality. Baby court is a proven approach to healing the trauma of both child and parent, and breaking the cycle of maltreatment,” says Mimi Graham, Ed.D ., director of the Florida State University...
Blog Post
Fuerza en la Familia: A Resilience-Building Campaign for Latinx Migrant Farmworker Children
This public health communication campaign proposal is one that aims to build resilient children of Latinx Migrant Farmworkers (LMFW) through the family unit. The target population of the communication is the children's adult caregivers. They will be presented with information on the basics and long-term impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), the risks specific to migrant farmworker children, and most importantly they will be education on how to bring resilience-building techniques...
Blog Post
Clergy Wholeness Project: Mental Health and Resilience for Clergy in the State of Florida
Hi All! The Clergy Wholeness Project focuses on the mental health of clergy in the state of Florida, intending to build resilience in this population. The communication campaign developed will assist in building resilience in clergy by educating and equipping clergy. The three materials provided are: 1. Blogpost: describes the beginnings of this project and how it reached where it is now. It also covers the popular and scholarly research that supports the project's efforts. 2. Infographic: A...
Blog Post
Building Resilience Through Relationships: A Public Health Campaign for Building Resilience in Children in Foster Care in Marion County, Florida
Campaign Theme: The them for this campaign is “Building Resilience Through Relationship.” It is geared toward caregivers of approximately 635 children in foster care in Marion County, FL, including licensed foster parents, as well as relative and non-relative caregivers and those who have adopted through foster care. The purpose of the campaign will be to introduce caregivers to an evidence-based intervention for children with complex developmental trauma called Trust-Based Relational...
Blog Post
PHC6451 Public Health Communication Project: Lean On Me- A Resilience Based Program Focused on Building the Black Man's Legacy
For the purposes of this project, I have created a podcast, infographic, and brochure that highlights my resilience program, "Lean on Me: Building the Black Man's Legacy". The population I have chosen to cater my intervention towards is adult black men. I often think of the quote by Frederick Douglas that states, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men”. Many of the resilience programs that I have encountered in my studies have been targeted towards children and...
Blog Post
PHC6451 Public Health Communication Project: Changemakers, A Trauma-Informed After-School Program to Build Resilience in Duval County Students
For this project, I created 3 communication materials which include an infographic, a blog post, and a TV commercial. This entire project is just an idea for a potential public health project which is based on a hypothetical grant given to the Florida Department of Health in Duval county. It is assumed that this grant has unlimited funds for the context of this project. The after-school program is called Changemakers. Changemakers is aimed towards a target population of children ages 4-17...
Blog Post
Tackling Trauma: Building Resilience in Tackle Sports. A Training program for Coaches
Overview. Youth sports are an already recognized way for individuals to build resilience. However, youth sports programs have multiple additional opportunities to build resilience that are likely unrecognized and untapped. By providing a short curriculum, resources, and training to youth sports coaches, this program has the ability to cross levels of the socio ecological model to build resilience. As the title of our program suggests, Tackling Trauma, we are targeting coaches of youth tackle...
Blog Post
UF Graduate Public Health Summer C Semester Course: Building Resilience in Individuals and Communities for Public Health: Student Project Overviews and Summaries
The University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions partnered with Peace4Tarpon under the Robert Wood Johnson Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) grant funding. Online graduate courses were developed that focused on trauma-informed and resilience-based public health. The work of graduate students in the course PHC6451: Building Resilience in Individuals and Communities for Public Health are showcased throughout the blog. The goal of this course is to...
Blog Post
Does VP Candidate Kamala Harris know about ACEs? You bet!
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...
Blog Post
Does racism make us sick? Amid a national reckoning, the question gains new importance [sfchronicle.com]
By Tatiana Sanchez, San Francisco Chronicle, August 24, 2020 Elaine Shelly has lived with multiple sclerosis for 30 years. But she said she still panics whenever she has to see a new neurologist because of racial discrimination she’s experienced in the past. Even getting a proper diagnosis for her illness was a battle. “I’d go to these neurologists who would tell me that Black people don’t get M.S. and that I must be mentally ill,” said Shelly, 63, of San Leandro. A former print journalist,...
Blog Post
New ACEs initiatives learn about strategic plan development from from New Hanover (NC) Resiliency Task Force executive director Mebane Boyd
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...
Blog Post
Hope and Progress, No Matter What! — an ACEs Connection/Cambia Health Foundation “Better Normal”, Oct. 22, 2020
The election is upon us. In two short weeks, we voters in this country decide who will lead us for the next four years. We have the opportunity to embrace — as a national priority — the tenets of understanding, nurturing and healing that underlie the science of adverse childhood experiences and move in a direction that embraces cultural and racial equity and anti-racism. Or not.
What is clear is that no matter what, the ACEs movement will continue.
Blog Post
The Intersection of Systematic Racism, the Pandemic, and SDoMH: Reality Mandates Change
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.
Blog Post
"A Better Normal" Community Discussion Series- Our Reckoning with Race and Equity at ACEs Connection
Register for A Better Normal- Our reckoning with race and equity at ACEs Connection
Blog Post
"A Better Normal" Community Discussion: Suicide Awareness and Community Cafes
Join us on Friday November 6, 2020 from noon to 1:00 PST as we come together and join Satya Chandragiri MD, Bonnie O’Hern RN, Denise Proudfoot RN, & Michael Polacek RN for a discussion around the tender issue of suicide. Together we will discuss ways people and providers can support each other and encourage communities to take action to support one another around suicide prevention, crisis intervention, and the layers of culture and structural barriers to care. A special emphasis will be...
Blog Post
The Pandemic Is Raging. Here's How to Support Your Grieving Students [edweek.org]
By Brittany R. Collins, Education Week, November 12, 2020 Over the past few decades, trauma-informed teaching has gained ground in the United States, yet rarely is grief included in the conversation. In the midst of a global pandemic, with teachers and students confronting loss in and outside the classroom in new and myriad ways, it is more critical than ever to apply a grief-sensitive lens to our conversations about curricula and trauma in the school system. We are not the people we were a...
Blog Post
PHC6534: Promoting Resiliency in Children of Incarcerated Parents
Parental Incarceration is one of the incidents in life that can cause Adverse Childhood Experiences. There are many hidden consequences associated with parental Incarceration. The program aims to prevent the negative health outcomes by targeting the financial, social, emotional, and academic needs of the participants. Children tend to struggle with isolation, antisocial behavior, academic failure, psychological and economic hardships. We aim to serve the children living in Alachua county...
Blog Post
Opportunity to sign on to “A Trauma-Informed Agenda for the First 100 Days of the Biden-Harris Administration”—Deadline Dec. 8th
The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice ( CTIPP ) is inviting individuals and organizations to express their support for a set of executive actions for the Biden-Harris Administration to take “to address trauma and build resilience throughout the country.” Most of these actions could be taken early in the Administration and would not require congressional action with the exception of some recommendations that could be included in a new stimulus package. The recommendations are...