Blog

Almost every day, a patient comes into Dr. Arthur Sorrell’s San Francisco emergency room still wearing a wristband from another hospital nearby. “There are folks who have a life of going from emergency department to emergency department, and that’s how their day is spent,” said Sorrell, an emergency physician and administrator at Sutter Health. “It’s sad and tragic, but that’s what happens.” The wristband is at least a hint. Without it, emergency room staff often have no idea they are...

I just finished my third screening of Jamie Redford's documentary film, Paper Tigers . This third time around was special, as I was watching from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, home of Lincoln High School, which is featured in the film. After spending the day on a tour of the community, learning about the various trauma-informed services expanding throughout Walla Walla and surrounding communities in SE Washington, watching the film in it's home town was the perfect end to an inspiring...

As I mentioned in last week’s roundup, we’ll start to populate the new Resource Center next month. One of the sections lists all the ACE surveys. We’ll include those with the original 10 questions as well as those surveys that ask some, but not all of the ACE questions. We will also include ACE surveys that have additional questions. But we will also put those expanded surveys in a separate list, as we explained last week. Here goes: There’s the grandaddy of them all — the original...

Understanding who we are and the prospects for our future are two areas I think a lot about. When I was growing up in a traumatizing home, I often spent hours daydreaming about how life was going to be once I left home. I read catalogs about boats and fishing gear, mountain climbing and learning how to fly. I lived in this future where things were going to be so much better. I thought about going to college and eating unlimited amounts of food in a cafeteria. I was always dreaming of a...

It’s hard to believe that we were ever so innocent, but for a brief moment in the third quarter of last year, Jim Webb was a candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. Webb is a decorated veteran, a former Secretary of the Navy, a best-selling author, and a one-term Virginia senator — a model nominee in many ways. But he’s also self-identified redneck , and there just aren’t many of those in the current Democratic national leadership. Fittingly, Webb’s campaign, which lasted...

Following a mass shooting in the U.S., like last week’s attack on a nightclub in Orlando, there are often calls to improve mental health services. Two of the valley’s most populous counties are taking very different approaches on one key California law that advocates say could help more people receive treatment they otherwise wouldn’t seek. Kern and Fresno Counties are at odds over something known as Laura’s Law. Laura’s Law is named after Laura Wilcox who was killed by a mentally ill man in...

California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced Wednesday her office is investigating allegations of systemic failures in San Bernardino County’s Department of Children and Family Services, prompted by horrific tales of children repeatedly being placed into abusive homes where they died or were severely abused. “We are looking more broadly than any one individual incident. We’re looking at the need for systemic reform and potential systemic breakdowns,” said Jill Habig, special counsel...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is upholding the broad reach of a federal law that bans people convicted of domestic violence from owning guns. The justices on Monday rejected arguments that the law covers only intentional acts of abuse and not those committed in the heat of an argument. The case involved two Maine men who said their guilty pleas for hitting their partners should not disqualify them from gun ownership. Complete article: ...

I've been thinking a lot about projection all weekend. It started with the great discussion on projection started by Lindi last week where awesome conversation and resources have been shared. We hope to continue that in an online chat in Parenting with ACEs group in the near future. My boyfriend and I were walking my dog at a state park. It was beautiful out. Warm and sunny and finally summer. There were eight teens screaming, yelling and swimming by the edge of the water. I was startled by...

As I begin to share with faith communities throughout Montana why adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) matter and how they can help build more resilient children and healthier communities, I sometimes hear something like this: "But why does it matter? What difference should it make in ministry?” The ACE survey measured the prevalence of ten stress-inducing factors in childhood including abuse, neglect, and substance abuse in the home, and these factors definitely influence ministries...

A leopard-print sign hanging on Andrea Smith’s front door announces, “I am a luxury few can afford.” Three years ago there was heavy truth in that statement. Smith was bringing in about $2500 a night turning tricks. “I charged $500 for a half hour, full service — meaning blow job and sex — and $1000 for the girlfriend experience. That was the loving, the hugging, the kissing, the affection, and the holding. A lot of people wanted that because they might have a girlfriend or wife at home, but...

When you hear the phrase "digital health," you might think about a Fitbit, the healthy eating app on your smartphone, or maybe a new way to email the doctor. But Fitbits aren't particularly useful if you're homeless, and the nutrition app won't mean much to someone who struggles to pay for groceries. Same for emailing your doctor if you don't have a doctor or reliable Internet access. "There is a disconnect between the problems of those who need the most help and the tech solutions they are...