PRESS RELEASE

FIRST 5 ALAMEDA COUNTY AWARDED $325,470 ACEs AWARE GRANT

Contact: Erika Kuempel | Erika.Kuempel@First5Alameda.org

June 25, 2020, Alameda, CA—First 5 Alameda County has received $325,470 in grant funds from the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG) and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to participate in the state’s ACEs Aware initiative. The grant will fund First 5’s work in partnership with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, Dr. Renee Wachtel, the Medical Home Project at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, and First 5 Contra Costa County to conduct training events for the Medi-Cal provider community in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and to develop new trainings and forums to support the implementation of screening for ACEs and social determinants of health, as well as support the integration of those screenings with developmental and parental mental health screenings. Together, these local efforts will help support the statewide ACEs Aware initiative and ACEs screening in pediatric settings.

A total of $14.3 million was awarded to 100 organizations throughout the state to extend the reach and impact of ACEs Aware, which seeks to change and save lives by helping Medi-Cal providers understand the importance of screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and training them to respond with trauma-informed care.

The ACEs Aware grants will provide funding to organizations to design and implement training, provider engagement, and education activities for providers and organizations that serve Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

“We are looking forward to working in partnership with this amazing group of community leaders to further our efforts to help health care providers become ACEs Aware,” said California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. “This work is critical, now more than ever, given the stress so many Californians are experiencing as a result of COVID-19 and the role of racial injustice as a risk factor for toxic stress. A traumainformed health care workforce is vital for helping our state heal.”

The grant funding will provide critical support to community organizations serving Medi-Cal providers and beneficiaries, which have been experiencing increased stress during the COVID-19 emergency. Grant activities will augment California’s efforts, underway since the summer of 2019, to develop provider training and engage providers, including the promotion of payments to Medi-Cal providers for screening their patients for ACEs.

Added Dr. Karen Mark, DHCS Medical Director: “DHCS is committed to preserving and improving the overall health and well-being of all Californians. The ACEs Aware initiative is a vital part of the Medi-Cal program’s response to the COVID-19 emergency. These grants will help us reach Medi-Cal providers who serve diverse and often at-risk populations throughout the state and will help to ensure that Medi-Cal members receive the high-quality, integrated care that every Californian deserves.”

Funding for the ACEs Aware grants was previously authorized in the 2019-20 budget using Proposition 56 funds for provider training on how to conduct ACE screening in the Medi-Cal population. In light of the COVID-19 emergency, the grant funding will provide critical support to the community organizations serving Medi-Cal providers and beneficiaries.

“This grant provides needed resources to expand trauma-informed care in the East Bay Area region,” said Kristin Spanos, First 5’s Chief Executive Officer. “With children and families facing serious challenges, it’s critical that our health care delivery systems are equipped to effectively address and respond to trauma in context.”

The work will be integrated into First 5 Alameda County’s Help Me Grow program, building on existing partnerships with 60 pediatric providers in Alameda County and Help Me Grow’s central access point, which connects families with resources and services to support children’s health, development, and well-being. The full list of ACEs Aware grantees is available on the ACEs Aware Website.

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