Alameda County ACEs Connection Group Meet Up

1/14/15, 3-4:30pm, CafÉ Leila, Berkeley, CA

Participants: Jennifer Lynn-Whaley, Ben Rubin, Rachel Gilgof, Susanne Harkless, Stephanie Guinosso, Rona Renner, Craig McLaughlin, John Torres, Alicia St. Andrews

Member Check-Ins

Jennifer Lynn-Whaley

Independent research consultant, criminologist, intervention and prevention specialist for young people at risk or involved in juvenile justice system. Getting into brain science, excited to find ACEs Connection. Trying to get research funded and to go into criminal justice facilities to measure state controlled behavioral interventions including restraints and solitary confinement. In process of applying to Stoneleigh Foundation fellowship, Philadelphia, PA, who also fund trauma and ACEs in Phila, including Drexel doctors Ted Corbin and John Rich.

Ben Rubin

Children Now, based in Oakland, works on state policy, health policy, with a background in neuroscience. Learned about the science of early childhood adversity through policy work in Sacramento. He crossed over into policy through a science and technology fellowship. Now trying to help bring folks together to create a shared language. Works with CA Essentials for Childhood Initiative of which 5 states got funding, CA included.

Rachel Gilgof

Children’s Hospital Oakalnd, helps diagnose child abuse. Trying to get rid of her job entirely. ACEs is a window to see what the effects of abuse are. Trying to get pediatricians and doctors on board to see connection between physical and mental health. Working on different projects. Bringing ACE screening to her center. Screening parents of kids that seek mental health services. Kids are already screened. Want to compare kids with parents. Also part of consortium that Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, Center for Youth Wellness, San Francisco, put together to develop research around ACE screening and treatment in primary care.

Susanne Harkless

Finished Masters in Social Work in early childhood mental health. Chose to master in ACEs. All classes focused on ACEs. Just finished internship at Children’s Hospital Center for the Vulnerable Child.

Stephanie Guinosso

Primarily finishing dissertation by June in public health, the intersection between neuroscience and public health, cognitive development and functioning in kids. Volunteers as a yoga trainer with Lemonade in SF juvenile justice facilities. One of three trainers that goes in every Wed. Amazing connections with kids.  Also works for ETR Associates, mostly focused on sexual and reproductive health, also bringing in issues of juvenile justice, ACEs, and trauma.

Rona Renner

Excitement is around new book, “Is That Me Yelling?” A parents guide to help kids cooperate. It’s about mindfulness and temperament, soft touch on child abuse prevention, applicable to parents. A nurse for 47 years, all kinds of nursing, working with children and families. Worked with children now, guest host on KPFA, involved in media, how to bring messages out to people that would never attend a parenting class. Once had a doctor from Children’s Hospital Oakland on her show who brought homeless children and pediatricians into nature together, a shuttle program. Wants to train more people to use temperament in their practice. Really passionate about  using media to communicate what practitioners are doing. Looking this year what to do next, semi retired, want to write a book about shame, and how we shame children. Figuring out how to make it accessible. Will be doing a monthly show on KPFA and wants to get Dr. Nadine Burke Harris on with one other person, maybe John Torres, to discuss ACEs and trauma among youth.

Craig McLaughlin, craigdmclaughlin@gmail.com

Overhead the group intros and joined in! From WA State. Background in journalism and communication, was editor of Bay Guardian and recruited into public health to run state board of health in state of WA. Was responsible for health policy issues and public health rules. Main piece was mental health transformation grants. WA State had one and his team managed to highjack that money and get multiple agencies and non profits to do ACEs prevention work. Contributing resources/projects- Massachusetts purple book, early parent training through nurse family partnership. Most interested in work about kids with trauma entering the school system. Left WA State work because of disability. Now writing book on radical intimacy and shame and how to create supportive communities. Short term workshops are not enough. Passions are storytelling, training people to speak and tell stories, and strategic planning, and is available to assist group with those activities. 

John Torres

Dept. Director of Youth Alive. Mission is to prevent youth violence. Flagship program is Teens on Target. Violence prevention curriculum includes training 25 high school students to go out and do training in middle schools. Includes Castlemont high school and Oakland high school, communities impacted by high ACEs. Programs don’t assess, they come in with the assumption. Case management is provided to higher need youth. Caught in the Crossfire is the hospital based violence prevention program. It initiated a national network of 30 programs that have done the work for at least 2 years. 15 more trying to initiate work with violently injured youth ages 12-24. Begin intervention at the bedside. Eden, Highland, and Children’s Hospital are included with a focus on wraparound services for individuals. Also work with entire families. Post release goal is to work with clients for 6-12 months after bedside intervention on educational attainment, job attainment, and increasing clients that enter mental health treatment. John just finished MFT, will start therapeutic work onsite.  Sister programs in Richmond, SF, San Jose, and Antioch. Coming on board is the Khadafy Washington Project which provides support through wake, funerals, then hand off to Catholic Charities of the East Bay. To build trauma informed practice with partners, did training with Alameda County Probation.

Next Steps

Jennifer

• Interested in state level policy work (next steps from CA ACEs Summit)
• Contact Anti Recidivism Coalition, Scott Budnick
• Email intro for Alicia and Jesus with PYJI Alameda County contact

John

• Oakland Unite (formerly Measure Y), upcoming RFP, opportunity for ACEs- Trauma-Informed content? Dept. of Human Services? 25 different agencies funded without uniting TI language across them. Vicarious trauma needs to be included and is critical interest point
• Email intro to Barbara McClum at Oakland school health?

Rona

• Contact Janis Burger, First Five CA just released RFP including how to talk about parenting and trauma
• Contact Bridget McCaw from domestic violence world

Ben

• National Survey for Children’s Health added ACEs module onto survey, post on Alameda group
• Local Controlled Funding Formula (LCFF) for education accountability may be timely opportunity to get ACEs into Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP), post relevant info on Alameda group

Alicia

• Craft email to encourage others to join
• Resend invite for folks to join
• Post resilience cookbook and link to Alameda group
• Contact Rona for Parent group start up
• Contact John for Peer Health group start up

Group

• Investigate ACEs screening and trauma-informed approaches or champions at Kasier East Bay (Richmond, Oakland, etc.)
• Include in asset mapping what to do with high ACEs scores after screening (example: Lincoln Child Center)
• Need to collect stories from and train parents and youth how to tell stories for local and state legislature work and Hollywood.
• Possible youth and parent involvement: Youth Speaks, Youth Uprising, Youth Council for Oakland; ACC (Oakland Unified) youth advocacy group