Blog

The US medical system isn’t particularly good at preventing illness . Once someone is sick, doctors hopefully know how to treat them. But historically, there’s been far less focus on preventing people from needing treatment in the first place. That’s finally starting to change, thanks to a growing movement in the health-care community that looks to address the environmental and behavioral causes of many common diseases. Prevention, experts say, will save money (though it’s unclear how much )...

Harvard Center for the Developing Child Director, Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., presented testimony at a hearing of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on Feb. 7. For a copy of the testimony that includes a video of his remarks, click here . To view the entire hearing, click here . A news bulletin from the Center included the following summary of Dr. Shonkoff’s testimony and links to other information of interest on family separation and related...

This new technical assistance tool from the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) offers a variety of approaches for screening adults and children for adverse childhood experiences and trauma, including examples of screening protocols used at several provider practices that have embraced trauma-informed care.

DATE: Thursday, February 21, 2019 TIME: 11:00-11:45am Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, will address how new science is changing how we think about early childhood adversity and resilience – and how early experiences affect lifelong health and development. He will emphasize the need to address (and measure) individual differences in response to adversity and to intervention in very young children. He will also show how we can move...

When you first hear about it, it sounds unlikely, fact that something that happened to someone in utero, at the age of two months, or four years, or any time in childhood, is what is killing them as an adult, or making them want to die, or making them want to hurt themselves or others. Yet the connection between childhood trauma and adult disease, mental illness, addiction, suicide, violence – most all of society’s ills – is as irrefutable as the myriad truths revealed about it in the...

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can increase a person’s risk of health, social, and economic problems throughout life. In 2017, ACEs among Tennessee adults led to an estimated $5.2 billion in direct medical costs and lost productivity from employees missing work. ACEs are associated with risky health behaviors and poorer health outcomes even after accounting for other factors. Over half of adult Tennesseans reported at least one ACE between 2014 and 2017, and about 17% had experienced 4...

Maternal witness to intimate partner violence during childhood and prenatal family functioning alter newborn cortisol reactivity [Academic Pediatrics] I screen, you screen, we all scream for risk screens [The Journal of Pediatrics] Screening for Toxic Stress Risk Factors at Well-Child Visits: The Addressing Social Key Questions for Health Study [The Journal of Pediatrics] Environmental influences on health and development: nutrition, substance exposure, and adverse childhood experiences...

New Kid-Friendly Tip Sheet Now Available from Child Welfare Information Gateway Many children and youth may not know what to do if they or a friend are being abused or neglected. This new tip sheet< https://lists.icfwebserv ices.com/t/420738/3948237/ 44276/2/ > helps kids recognize and respond to the signs of child abuse and neglect. How You Can Help Someone Who Is Being Abused or Neglected< https://lists.icfweb services.com/t/420738/3948237/ 44276/4/ > provides age-appropriate...

Brandy Bowlen has transformed her school community by first taking a stand for her own health and well-being. This is not an easy feat for nurses. Eight years ago, when Brandy was a new school nurse, she found herself overwhelmed, overstressed and overweight. She became a warrior for self-care, connecting the importance that her professional persona would be most impactful if she presented herself as an example. Brandy shares her journey to wellness for herself and her school community.

Anti-poverty and children’s advocates are bracing for the fallout of proposed federal policy changes that would slash access to the social safety net for immigrant families, which could result in more children entering foster care. “Any proposal that undermines the economic stability of families — which is exactly what this does — puts families at increased risk of involvement with the child welfare system,” said Wendy Cervantes, a senior policy analyst at The Center for Law and Social...

The 3rd Annual Philadelphia Trauma Training Conference: Promoting Equitable Access to High Quality Services for Vulnerable Children and Families , will be held on Thomas Jefferson University's East Falls Philadelphia Campus July 29 th -August 1st, 2019 . This unique training conference will provide an intensive, collaborative, and engaging experience to providers, educators, and leaders across health, education, and social service disciplines, as well as to community members invested in...

In this new animated video, meet “Dr. Cruz,” who addresses these questions and shares what she has learned about caring for patients with exposure to trauma, including abuse, neglect, and violence.