By Lisa Zukoff and Traci Acklin, The Intelligencer, January 26, 2020
What do the West Virginia foster care, child welfare, public education, and court systems have in common? They are systems in crisis, because the children they serve — casualties of the drug epidemic — are in crisis.
Child neglect, death of a parent or sibling, having a parent in jail, witnessing domestic violence, physical and/or sexual abuse, parent or household substance use — these are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and they are the most important unaddressed public health crisis we have in our state. The most important step the West Virginia legislature could take to address the needs of its children and the systems that serve them is create a statewide agenda to address ACEs.
Haven’t heard of ACEs? You’re not alone. As a pediatrician and legislator, we hadn’t heard of them until a few years ago, and still we’re surprised by how many in our professions have never heard of them, either. Around 20 years ago, the impact of toxic stress on our health was “discovered” in a landmark study by Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers found that adults who had been repeatedly exposed to abuse and other trauma as children were more likely to develop severe obesity, drug addiction, depression, and other health issues. The more ACEs the individuals had, the higher their risk for poor medical and psychiatric outcomes.
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