OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Oklahoma lawmakers are set to bring awareness to ACEs, known as Adverse Childhood Experiences and PACEs, Positive and Compensatory Experiences. Both the House and Senate have simple resolutions naming April 7th ACEs and PACEs Awareness Day in Oklahoma. In the House, the resolution's primary sponsor is Rep. Carol Bush with many co-sponsors. In the Senate, co-sponsors are Sen. Brenda Stanley and Sen. Carri Hicks.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood. ACEs can include violence, abuse, and growing up in a family with mental health or substance use problems. Toxic stress from ACEs can change brain development and affect how the body responds to stress. ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse in adulthood.
ACEs are common and the effects can add up over time.
- 61% of adults have at least one ACE and 16% have 4 or more types of ACEs.
- Females and several racial/ethnic minority groups are at greater risk for experiencing 4 or more ACEs.
- ACEs are associated with increased risk for health problems across the lifespan.
PACEs, the antidote to ACEs, include having a caring, competent adult in one’s life; being part of a group; volunteering and helping others; having a hobby; and living in a home that is clean and safe with enough food to eat. Oklahoma is committed to prevention and mitigation of ACEs. So much so that researchers at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University are leaders in the field of childhood adversity research.
Preventing ACEs can help children and adults thrive and potentially:
- Lower risk for conditions like depression, asthma, cancer, and diabetes in adulthood.
- Reduce risky behaviors like smoking and heavy drinking.
- Improve education attainment and job potential.
- Stop ACEs from being passed from one generation to the next.
To learn more about and join in the work of the Potts Family Foundation and many others across the state, join our virtual community at www.pacesconnection.com/g/raising-resilient-oklahomans.
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