ACEs Aware in Action

Join the Movement to Screen, Treat, and Heal

California patients, health care providers, and communities have weathered many storms over the past year. Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and responding to the symptoms of toxic stress will improve patient health now and in the future, unlocking the potential of an entire generation. Join the movement today to become ACEs Aware.

March TIPC Meeting: Key Takeaways

The Trauma-Informed Primary Care (TIPC) Implementation Advisory Committee met virtually on March 16, 2021. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris shared highlights about the ACEs Aware Network of Care Grant awards, and Dr. Karen Mark, Medical Director for the Department of Health Care Services, announced the new data reports on ACEs Aware training and screening that were released in March.

• Highlights of the ACEs Aware consumer and provider outreach campaigns.
• Updates on efforts to promote the science of toxic stress.
• Conversation on the initiative’s role in promoting health equity.
• Discussion of priorities for the ACE Screening How-To Guide.
  

For more information about TIPC, visit ACEsAware.org.

ACEs Aware Grantee Highlights

ACEs Aware grantees have been working tirelessly across California to educate clinicians and communities about ACE screening to reduce toxic stress and grow strong networks of care in their communities. The ACEs Aware grants program expands the impact of the initiative and is essential to meeting our ambitious goal of reducing ACEs in California by half in one generation.

This month, we asked three grantees to share new learning opportunities and local connections that have emerged as a result of their ACEs Aware grants.

Grantee Events

ACEs Aware provider engagement grantee La Maida Project is hosting a series of webinars in May focusing on trauma, healing, and cultural transformation.

Trauma is Our Heritage, Healing is Our Nature

Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at 11 a.m.
In the first of a two-part webinar series, participants will learn how trauma and toxic stress can heal through an ecological framework of health that considers each individual as part of an organizational system. Integrative psychiatrist Omid Naim, MD, founder of La Maida Project, will discuss how to self-regulate through the latest brain research, how our wisdom and traditions of storytelling support health in our communities, and how shared values can unite us and create a culture that heals.

Healing the Whole through Cultural Transformation

Thursday, May 20, 2021, at 11 a.m.
In the second webinar of this two-part series, Dr. Naim will lead participants on a journey to understanding ACEs and its role in illuminating how to create a trauma-informed, integrative culture of healing. Dr. Naim will be joined by Ken Epstein, PhD, LCSW, a recognized leader in trauma-informed systems transformation, to discuss self-empowerment following trauma. Finally, Anil Vadaparty, CEO of McKinley, a child-welfare agency, will share his personal experience and what it means to lead a trauma-informed organization.

A Pandemic Chat with Nadine Burke Harris, California’s First-Ever Surgeon General

April 13 | Vogue US
In a special interview with Vogue, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris discusses pandemic-related stress and tools like exercise, meditation, or talking to a therapist for improving health and well-being. She also explains the importance and relevance of the ACEs Aware initiative during the pandemic, “We are in the greatest crisis of stress, isolation, adversity, and trauma that most of us have known. But now we have the right tools. And we can actually prevent that generational harm.”

Tackling Childhood Trauma During a Pandemic: Lessons from California’s Largest Collaborative on ACEs Screening and Response

April 7 | Center for Care Innovations
This article discusses the challenges that have been overcome and the progress made over the last year by CALQIC, a statewide learning collaborative that is integrating screening and response to ACEs with the UCSF Center to Advance Trauma-Informed Care. The story also covers 10 key takeaways from 15 CALQIC organizations that were shared at a recent online gathering.

UCI-led Team Awarded $2.3 Million as Part of the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine

April 1 | EurekAlert!
A collaborative team centered at the University of California, Irvine, including Children's Hospital Orange County and Chapman University, has been awarded a three-year grant totaling $2.3 million to address the health impacts of ACEs using precision medicine. Announced by the California Governor's Office of Planning & Research, in partnership with the Office of the California Surgeon General, the award is part of the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine. The research project begins May 2021.