Blog

By Suzanne Hirt, Andrea Ball, and Katie Wedell, USA Today, March 21, 2020 Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable U.S. children could face a heightened risk of abuse and neglect as coronavirus-related school closures keep them at home and away from the nation’s biggest group of hotline tipsters: educators. Teachers, administrators, school counselors and other educational professionals report one in every five child-mistreatment claims in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Health and...

By Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, March 21, 2020 James is 3 years old and presents with chronic asthma, allergies, and eczema. Lola is five and overweight. Emma is 11 and struggles to focus on her homework, often gets into fights at school, and has trouble sleeping. These (fictional) children may seem like they have little in common—but that’s because you don’t have all the information. You don’t know, for example, that James’ father has bipolar disorder and misuses his prescription medication.

By Lori Dajose, California Institute of Technology, March 20, 2020 As of March 20, more than 8,700 people worldwide had died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Caltech trustee David Ho (BS '74) of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University, says that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Ho, an expert on viral epidemics, has spent decades researching HIV/AIDS, having begun his career in Los Angeles, "ground...

By Arwa Mahdawi, The Guardian, March 21, 2020 Coronavirus is fuelling domestic violence Home is supposed to be the safest place any of us could be right now. However, for people experiencing domestic violence, social distancing means being trapped inside with an abuser. As more cities go under lockdown, activists are worried that attempts to curb the coronavirus will inadvertently lead to an increase in domestic violence. Domestic violence is already a deadly epidemic. One in three women...

One advice for public in this period of lock down, every family / company / businessman’s and head of the villages should make themselves responsible to provide basic food to their worker maids and servants /drivers Gardner’s / guards / daily wage labour etc. Make this your responsibility if you do this, all countries can take care of big percentage of peoples. I know you are already doing it on daily basis but this advice is during lock-down period while they cannot come to work.

By Lois Beckett, The Guardian, March 21, 2020 As the Trump administration and lawmakers in Washington debate cash payments to support Americans during the coronavirus crisis, the mayor of one California city that has experimented with universal basic income has advice. Early findings from Stockton, California, which launched a basic income experiment last year, may offer American policymakers some reassurance – and a few notes of caution. It’s “heartening” to see a national focus on...

Jenn O'Connor of Prevent Child Abuse New York and Senator George Borrello (R-NY57) Before the official start of her day on March 16— a virtual call with staff members of Prevent Child Abuse New York (PCANY) — Jenn O’Connor, director of policy and advocacy for the organization, and I spoke about how her personal life (suddenly becoming a parent who homeschools) and her worklife changed overnight. O’Connor is managing an ambitious effort to create a trauma-informed legislature in New York. She...

The following is a message from Dan Press, Legal Advisor to the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice ), about the need to contact Congress regarding a COVID 19 funding bill being considered this weekend. He is urging ACEs science/trauma advocates and leaders to send emails to their U.S. Senators and Representatives immediately to address the mental health and trauma implications of this pandemic. All – I hate to bother you on a Sunday, but we urgently need you to contact Congress...

I am continuously inspired by the generosity of spirit that is being shared during this complicated and unprecedented time. There are artists, musicians, storytellers, and teachers creating opportunities for families to bring some structure to our very unstructured day. You can find a variety of classes, concerts, and virtual gatherings through social media. One shining example that I wanted to share is the story of 'Kids Yoga with Nurse G'. I am continuously inspired by the generosity of...

Many of us in the mental health field are being thrust into unfamiliar territory as clinicians in the midst of the COVID-19 response. We either risk personal health (and the health of our clients) by seeing people in person, or needing to utilize technologies that we may be unfamiliar with. Further, those technologies have fluid legal/ethical standards (and is even more fluid at present to accommodate the pandemic), and which require different skill sets that in-person therapy. I am...

By Brianna Provenzano, Vox, March 21, 2020 Anxiety is so idiosyncratic that it’s difficult to pinpoint a “type” that’s most common. For some, it might feel like vines of dread roping themselves around you the night before a big work deadline, or maybe like a creeping cloud of unease that settles in during your morning commute. Maybe you cope by taking prescribed medication or going for a run; maybe you’ve gotten suspiciously into baking bread. No matter what your specific brand of anxiety...

By Marisa Kabas, Vox, March 21, 2020 The fallout from the spread of coronavirus has highlighted how many Americans are one disaster away from physical, emotional, or economic ruin. Now, while many await federal and state assistance, those in more secure financial positions have an opportunity to step up and help. But with so many communities affected, it’s difficult to know where your time and dollars are best spent: Millions of uninsured Americans are at risk for catching the virus, could...