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Denise Presnell had been a social worker for public schools in North Carolina for many years before she found out about ACEs. She first learned about adverse childhood experiences during an internship while earning her master’s degree in social work. The experience, she says, was like “those moments of clarity in therapy when the earth moves and the light bulbs turn on.” At first, “I really didn’t want to know my ACE score,” she said. But once she did assess her score – a 9 -- at the request...

The nurses at Bon Secours St. Mary’s pediatric lung clinic were puzzled. A mother kept bringing her child in because of asthma attacks, even though the boy was regularly taking his prescribed medications. The nurses wanted to know if there was anything going on in the child’s life that might explain the attacks, says Blair Bell, a pediatric specialties nurse manager who oversees the lung clinic and five other pediatric clinics affiliated with St. Mary’s. Blair Bell “After talking to the boy,...

Nicole Daley (left), Director, Division of Violence and Injury Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and Lauren Cardoso, Epidemiologist, Child & Youth Violence Prevention, MDPH Nicole Daley and Lauren Cardoso were just a few months into their new positions with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) when COVID-19 and racial reckoning swept across the United States, creating both challenge and opportunity in their work. In this new environment, Daley...

You continue to make important changes to take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not easy. Gets tips for practicing resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic . ACEs, adversity's impact Sports radio host believes childhood sexual abuse led to gambling addiction and fraud conviction How to spot signs of trauma in children during COVID-19 The difficult road to intimacy: Living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder What is...

Hi Everyone! Welcome back. I am SO very excited to announce our special guest for this Thursday 11/19 12-1 PST. Please join us as we discuss everything school health and school nursing with rock star school nurse Robin Cogan. Along with all her amazing achievements in her bio below she has recently been featured on CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, and the NYT commenting on school health and the invaluable role of school nurses during a pandemic. Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN is a Nationally Certified...

The hardest battle we fight in healing trauma is against ourselves. I was driving 80mph across I-70 West, heading from Indiana, a place that I had called home for so long that I didn’t know anything else and I was terrified. Through the great plains, I saw incredible showcases of nature’s power in the form of lightning storms and, at one point, just within the boundaries of Idaho, a tornado that was so wide it could probably eat a city. The road West was long and lonely but gave me time to...

The five domains of the social determinants of health (SDoH) were recently updated for Healthy People 2030 (HP 2030) (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2020): Economic stability Education access and quality Health access and quality Neighborhood and built environment, and Social and community content I reviewed the revised language of each domain with excitement. It was impressive to see the key terms, "access" and "quality", added to the education and health domains. These terms...

By Melissa Conrad Stoppler, MedicineNet, November 2020 Stress gets a bad rap for good reason. It can cause physical problems like skin rashes and high blood pressure. It can lead to mental health problems too, like anxiety and depression. But we feel stress for a reason, and sometimes it is good for you. The stress you feel before a big test or job interview can motivate you to succeed. It can even save your life; stress from a dangerous situation can provoke a fight-or-flight reaction that...

By Joshua Wann, The Black Wall Street Times, November 11, 2020 The Presidential Election is a funny thing. On the one hand, how much does the office of the President really affect our everyday life? Maybe that question is also a privilege check. I’d imagine if you have a friend or family member sitting in an ICE detention center, your life feels greatly impacted by the office of the President. Or perhaps if you run a small business and the taxes and policies that are put on your business...

By Juliet Sims and Manal J. Aboelata, Prevention Institute, October 2020 Summary California’s state government can play a vital role in facilitating and supporting efforts to improve community-wide health, safety, and wellbeing, by reducing exposure to trauma, and increasing individual and community resilience. Beyond Screening: Achieving California's Bold Goal of Reducing Exposure to Childhood Trauma explores prevention and healing approaches that strengthen mental health and wellbeing,...

By Amanda Rosa, The New York Times, November 11, 2020 A teenage girl from Brooklyn bounced to four foster homes before she trusted a family enough to come out as bisexual. In Queens, a 21-year-old transgender man said he no longer spoke to his parents. Another teenager, who is transgender, remembered the day he climbed to the roof of his apartment building in Queens and contemplated jumping to his death. Soon after, he was placed into a foster home. Some advocacy groups have long believed...

I am currently conducting a research study on the experiences of Black emerging adults as it relates to adversity or possible trauma, ethnic identity, sense of community, and mental health outcomes. I am currently recruiting participants for an online research survey . The requirements to participate in this study are: You identify as Black (e.g., African descended, African American, Afro Latinx, Afro Caribbean, Caribbean American) That you are 18-29 years of age. That you live in the United...