Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Diana Rauner, President of Ounce of Prevention Fund _____________________________________________ Consistent with being the first state to adopt standards for social emotional learning (SEL) in the country, Illinois recently passed legislation (SB 565, Public Act 99-0927 ) to require social and emotional screenings for children as part of the their school entry examinations. Governor Rauner (R) signed the bill on January 20. It goes into effect June 1 of...

[ Ed. note: Following is a media release published yesterday by Mathematica Policy Research. This follows on the heals of the report, "Self-Healing Communities" that Laura Porter, Dr. Robert Anda and WHO wrote for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Both reports and executive summaries are attached to this blog post. Both reports are significant, because they show that community ACEs initiatives -- with "modest investments and limited staff" -- are solving some of our most intractable...

In 2015, Dr. Beth Pletcher, a pediatrician and associate professor specializing in genetics, was at the annual conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Washington D.C. when she heard two speakers that forever changed her work with medical students. Dr. Beth Pletcher “I went to two talks on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that were so mind-boggling to me that I decided on my drive back to New Jersey that I had to do something about it,”says Pletcher, director of the Division...

Sound Disciplin e is delighted to present the film "Resilience" on May 7 in conjunction with Michelle Martin, the Beverly Cleary Professor for Children and Youth Services at the Information School, University of Washington. Join us at the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center at 7pm for the film, panel discussion and moderated Q & A. $5 Registration fee. Register here. This one hour film by Jamie Redford illustrates the impacts of chronic stress on children’s brains. Following the movie...

This list of ACEs-related internet resources is intended for primary care practices and people seeking to engage them in using an ACEs lens and trauma informed approaches. it includes links to introductions to ACEs, self-care, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statements and resources and other information about trauma-informed approaches. Self-Care Protecting Physician Wellness: Working with Children Affected by Traumatic Events , Part of the Trauma Toolbox for Primary Care,...

(l to r) Teri Barila, director of the Children's Resilience Initiative; Dr. Ariane Marie-Mitchell, assistant professor in Loma Linda University Preventive Medicine and Pediatric Depts. (Photo: Jennifer Hossler) _________________________________ Sauntering on stage to the beat of Everyday People by Sly and the Family Stone, four “heroes” of the ACEs movement took their seats for a panel on trauma-informed and resilience-building communities on October 21, the last day of the 2016 Adverse...

The following is a press release issued by the office of U.S. Senator Durbin (D-IL) on Monday, June 10, announcing the introduction of bipartisan bicameral legislation that builds on last year’s opioid legislation SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act and recommendations from a recent GAO report. A link to the bill and other information will be provided as soon as possible. In the meantime, an earlier draft of the bill and a section by section are attached to this post. For Immediate...

Applications are due September 16 , 2019 via the online application portal Survey Monkey Apply. Read the full RFP and begin an application . You may also download a pdf of the RFP contents . ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Aug 6, 2019 RFP DEADLINE: Sep 16, 2019 AMOUNT AVAILABLE: $2,000,000 available annually, from 2020-2021. Awards may be extended for a third year, pending allocation of COO funding in subsequent years. D ESCRIPTION: Multi-year grant cycle for two years of funding towards transforming...

Charlotte pilot program with Atrium Health and Novant Health supports state's goal to address social, economic and environmental health to improve child and family health outcomes The Center for Youth Wellness (CYW) announced it is partnering with two leading U.S. health systems in the Southeast to launch a screening program on childhood adversity. CYW's National Pediatric Practice Community (NPPC) has done on-site training at the headquarters of Atrium Health and Novant Health in Charlotte,...

An ACEs Connection webinar co-sponsored with 4 CA In 2017, California became the first state in the country to pass a law supporting universal screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the 5.3 million children in the state’s Medicaid program. As clinicians around California await the state’s announcement of what this new policy will entail, many are wondering what it takes to integrate ACEs science in a pediatric practice. Meet Drs. Deirdre Bernard-Pearl, R.J. Gillespie and...

By Briana Pastorino, Loma Linda University, August 22, 2019 New research demonstrates that using the Whole Child Assessment (WCA), which was developed at Loma Linda University Health, improves identification of child-adverse childhood experiences (Child-ACEs) during a routine well-child doctor visit versus not using a screening tool. Ariane Marie-Mitchell, MD, PhD, MPH , lead author of the study and a preventive medicine physician at Loma Linda University Health, said ACEs are a growing...

Hello, I am a pediatric resident at University of Washington and Seattle Children’s and I am in the process of implementing universal ACE screening in our pediatric clinics. From conversations I have had with clinic leadership, the largest barrier to screening for ACEs is having a clear algorithm of what to do with a positive result. Our integrated Social Worker does not have the time, unfortunately, to address all the counseling, referral, and resource needs that our patients with high ACEs...

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...

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.

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.

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...

Compiling data sources of ACEs statistics is critical to identify gaps in ACEs research in the US and Georgia. There is a lack of consistent data on ACE statistics. Resilient Georgia is an Atlanta-based organization that works towards creating an integrated behavioral health system by streamlining public and private efforts and resources to enhance trauma informed care through research, policy, and practice in Georgia. University of Georgia (UGA), College of Public Health Ph.D. student Kiran...

The week of the fall equinox was Mino-Bimaadiziwin Wellness Week at the Saginaw Chippewa Academy (SCA) in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, a pre-K through 5th grade school of about 130 students. “Mino-Bimaadiziwin” is an Anishinabe phrase meaning “to live the good life.” At the school, it started with “Mindfulness Monday”—students were encouraged to wear their favorite “thinking cap”—then segued to “Take care of our bodies Tuesday,” a “Love Your Community Wednesday" that included talking circles, and...