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By Steve Pitman, Cal Matters, August 26, 2021 Even before the pandemic, mental health disorders were among the most common chronic illnesses Californians face. The COVID-19 crisis — and the resulting isolation and economic downturn many have experienced — have intensified these challenges. More than one in five American adults reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder in the last year — a 20% to 40% increase from the pre-COVID period. The good news is that mental health parity...

By Zaidee Stavely, EdSource, August 24, 2021 As students return to in-person classes, some California teachers are focused on giving English learners lots of time to talk and write about their feelings. In order to learn to speak, read and write fluently in English, those students need many opportunities to practice interacting with their peers in the language. A lot of English learners didn’t get enough of that practice during distance learning. During the pandemic many school districts...

The foster care system is designed to temporarily shelter children who have been removed from their homes due to maltreatment. Each year, the United States has more than 400,000 children living in foster care (1) . Placing children in foster homes can help to provide them a safe environment. Foster parents are dedicated to giving the best care for children living in their homes. Their care can provide children with a safe and stable environment to thrive and survive (2) . Effective child...

A Public Health Approach to Fostering Resilient Children and Communities By Kim McPherson, MPAff, Senior Program Officer at St. David’s Foundation Published August 10, 2021 We don’t remember our earliest experiences, but our bodies do. The period of brain development that occurs prenatally through preschool sets the stage for lifelong health. Seizing this window of opportunity is the central goal of the Foundation’s Child Resiliency work . While the rationale for our efforts is grounded in...

By Bobbi Dempsey, The Guardian, August 25, 2021 F our weeks ago the Biden administration officially began implementing the child tax credit in what was hailed by Columbia University as an initiative that could “cut child poverty in half in the US”. Most eligible families have received just one monthly installment so far – but for many American parents struggling to make ends meet during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, it has already made a huge difference. The American Rescue Plan – passed in...

By Taylor Moore, The Guardian, August 25, 2021 C hris Newman, 38, and his wife, Annie, 35, always planned to retire with a farm. But after a health scare in 2013, the couple left their jobs as a software engineer and art gallery director to found Sylvanaqua Farms , a 120-acre operation in northern Virginia that produces pasture-raised chicken, eggs and pork and grass-fed beef. Newman has gained a sizable following online for his writing and advocacy, which focuses on producing food in ways...

By Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover, August 22, 2021 In February 1945, U.S. Navy nurse Dorothy Still was a prisoner of war in the Japanese-occupied Philippines. Along with 11 other Navy nurses, Nurse Still provided care for civilian inmates in a prison camp where food was scarce and guards were brutal. Few inmates weighed more than 100 pounds, and most were dying from malnutrition. On the night of Feb. 22, Nurse Still and the other inmates watched as their captors set up guns around the...

It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I have accepted the position at PACEsConnection as their full time Trauma-Informed Education Consultant. I have been with PACEsConnection since 2018 in the role of Community Facilitator, supporting cross-sector resilience initiatives in Southern California, managing the PACEs in Education site, and tending to education related topics as time allowed. The dream has always been, even before I started working here in an official role, to have...

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“I have an ACE Score of 10"…. I whispered aloud to myself after taking the ACE Questionnaire for the first time over a decade ago. After first hearing about the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, frequently referred to as the ACE Study, I was hooked and have wanted to know and share what I can about this research since my discovery. I believe this research can change the shape of public health and improve the outcomes for all Americans. For those who know about this world-changing...

By Genoa Barrow, Center for Health Journalism, August 23, 2021 As a Black female neurosurgeon in affluent Folsom, Dr. Kawanaa Carter is paid well, but has spent the last six months healing the community for free. Armed with the knowledge that African Americans are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic — and the data to back it up — Dr. Carter and other advocates have stepped up to vaccinate thousands throughout the region. They’ve focused on areas like Del Paso Heights, North...

By Jeremy Loudenback, The Imprint, August 18, 2021 P rogressive prosecutors from San Francisco to Philadelphia spoke out on a livestream Wednesday, blasting the enduring legacy of the term “superpredator” and highlighting how its racist premise has fed a recent backlash against juvenile justice reforms. Organized by the nonprofits Fair and Just Prosecution and the Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth, the Facebook Live discussion included district and state attorneys in Cook County,...